Why don't bartenders on cruise ships know how to make a Tom Collins?

[lisiamc]

5 minutes ago, evandbob said:

Do you think that ships' bartenders watched Madmen?

I doubt it, but I bet it was popular among young cruisers who might have asked for some of those classic cocktails.

[cruisemom42]

34 minutes ago, evandbob said:

Do you think that ships' bartenders watched Madmen?

 

No but the influx of customers requesting those drinks as a result of being featured on the show may have made some impression, perhaps?  

 

😒

[ceeceeDee]

I always specify gin when I ask for a martini. Traditionally, a martini is made with gin but I always specify. The other is a vodka martini. I also prefer stirred not shaken so my order is something along the lines of a 'gin martini, stirred not shaken with 3 olives'. That way I get what I am expecting.

[George C]

21 hours ago, ceeceeDee said:

I always specify gin when I ask for a martini. Traditionally, a martini is made with gin but I always specify. The other is a vodka martini. I also prefer stirred not shaken so my order is something along the lines of a 'gin martini, stirred not shaken with 3 olives'. That way I get what I am expecting.

It much safer to specify a certain brand , we like vodka martinis, dirty with Tito’s , if gin I would order Bombay sapphire, that goes for anything other than that you can’t be sure what you will get.n

[UPNYGuy]

On 6/8/2023 at 7:28 PM, George C said:

It much safer to specify a certain brand , we like vodka martinis, dirty with Tito’s , if gin I would order Bombay sapphire, that goes for anything other than that you can’t be sure what you will get.n

 

this is the other reason why I find it tough to get a good martini on carnival. I prefer a classic, london style dry gin. I ask what type of gin they are using before I order, and more often than not it is a new-world style. Some are ok, but bulldog (all over the carnival ships) is horrible. I'll take bombay original if I can find it.   

[George C]

5 hours ago, UPNYGuy said:

 

this is the other reason why I find it tough to get a good martini on carnival. I prefer a classic, london style dry gin. I ask what type of gin they are using before I order, and more often than not it is a new-world style. Some are ok, but bulldog (all over the carnival ships) is horrible. I'll take bombay original if I can find it.   

By the way Monday is national martini day , my favorite restaurant has 3 dollar martinis all day , of course they will not be using good gin or vodka , all celebrity ships have a martini bar with very talented bartenders.

[UPNYGuy]

4 minutes ago, George C said:all celebrity ships have a martini bar with very talented bartenders.

I have found I can get a good martini on Royal Caribbean and MSC as well, and with minimum difficulty. 

[UPNYGuy]

6 minutes ago, George C said:

By the way Monday is national martini day , my favorite restaurant has 3 dollar martinis all day , of course they will not be using good gin or vodka , all celebrity ships have a martini bar with very talented bartenders.

try Sobieski for an inexpensive, yet very good vodka. I actually prefer it to Belvedere. 

[cruisemom42]

5 hours ago, George C said:

By the way Monday is national martini day.

 

Thanks for sharing this vital information, I shall have to celebrate.

 

On a related note, please ignore anything I might post after about 5pm next Monday. 

 

🍸 🍸 🍸 😵‍💫 

(my pictorial illustration of the classic "one martini, two martini, three martini, floor).

 

[BruceMuzz]

Talleyho8,

 

I feel your pain.

Why is it that cooks on cruise ships don’t know how to properly cook Japanese Okonomiyaki? 

Although one can argue that a Tom Collins Cocktail is outdated and known only to the dead and the dying, Okonomiyaki is currently one of the most popular dishes in a country of 130 million people.

We have over 30,000 Okonomiyaki Restaurants in Japan. But when I take a cruise and ask for it, the staff have never even heard of it.

 

The World has gone crazy…………

[DarrenM]

On 6/2/2023 at 3:13 AM, navybankerteacher said:

Very, very few really competent bartenders serve on cruise ships.  

Maybe if they paid more, more competent bar tenderers would take the jobs?

 

Not that I am complaining.

 

The ones on all of my cruises have been superb.

 

I mean, it's just a drink.

[DarrenM]

On 6/14/2023 at 8:51 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

Thanks for sharing this vital information, I shall have to celebrate.

 

On a related note, please ignore anything I might post after about 5pm next Monday. 

 

🍸 🍸 🍸 😵‍💫 

(my pictorial illustration of the classic "one martini, two martini, three martini, floor).

 

I am embarrassed to admit I got absolutely hammered on martini at the martini bar on Wednesday night

 

After the awful day, we decided to just get plastered. We worked our way down the martini cocktail list.

 

I wasn't well Thursday.

 

A dirty cocktail is the worst drink i have ever tried.

 

It was rancid.

 

 

[DarrenM]

Thank the God of alcohol for the premium drinks package.

 

My saviour.

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, DarrenM said:

Maybe if they paid more, more competent bar tenderers would take the jobs?

 

Not that I am complaining.

 

The ones on all of my cruises have been superb.

 

I mean, it's just a drink.

Of course if they paid staff more the drinks and the fares generally (if they hired more competent staff throughout) would cost more. It is always a balancing act between level of service demanded by,  and the fares demanded of, the lines’ customers.

[Kristelle]

3 hours ago, BruceMuzz said:

Talleyho8,

 

I feel your pain.

Why is it that cooks on cruise ships don’t know how to properly cook Japanese Okonomiyaki? 

Although one can argue that a Tom Collins Cocktail is outdated and known only to the dead and the dying, Okonomiyaki is currently one of the most popular dishes in a country of 130 million people.

We have over 30,000 Okonomiyaki Restaurants in Japan. But when I take a cruise and ask for it, the staff have never even heard of it.

 

The World has gone crazy…………

 I presume (hope!) your post is tongue in cheek.

 

if so, well played and good point - variations on why dont they do this like at home?? as if the whole world will know each item that is commonplace where we live.

 

and yes, I get that Tom Collins is a standard recipe - but probably so is your example

[BruceMuzz]

Most everyone here claims that there is no such thing as a stupid question.

Occasionally somebody comes along and proves them wrong.

[Susan in Maine]

After dinner on my last RCCL cruise, I was drinking coffee with Kahlúa and whipped cream. My evening waiter got it right away. So one morning at breakfast I decided I wanted the same. The server at breakfast had NO idea what I was talking about.

 

So I asked for a cup of coffee, two shots of Kahlua and some whipped cream. I got the coffee, a shot glass with the Kahlua, and a small dish of whipped cream. The servers all stood around and watched when I mixed them together myself! They were flabbergasted!

(It's really yummy!)

Edited June 19, 2023 by Susan in Maine
error

[K32682]

On 6/17/2023 at 3:31 PM, DarrenM said:

I am embarrassed to admit I got absolutely hammered on martini at the martini bar on Wednesday night

 

After the awful day, we decided to just get plastered. We worked our way down the martini cocktail list.

 

I wasn't well Thursday.

 

A dirty cocktail is the worst drink i have ever tried.

 

It was rancid.

 

 

 

A proper martini list is short. There should be two listed: one with gin, the other with vodka and the purists might argue against vodka. Anything else might be an appealing and enjoyable beverage but is it most certainly NOT a martini.😉

 

 

Edited June 20, 2023 by K32682

[DarrenM]

I had a vodka martini with dill pickle.

 

It was shockingly bad.

 

The worst one was a martini with olive brine.

 

Was like sucking sea water.

[ExpatBride]

16 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

 

The worst one was a martini with olive brine.

 

Did you order a 'dirty martini'? 

[DarrenM]

25 minutes ago, ExpatBride said:

Did you order a 'dirty martini'? 

Yes. It was the first on the list, on the night we decided to work our way through the list of cocktails.

 

It was quickly replaced with a drinkable one.

 

Even the bartender laughed when i tasted it.

[ExpatBride]

8 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

Yes. It was the first on the list, on the night we decided to work our way through the list of cocktails.

Then you got what you ordered. But a vodka martini with a dill pickle is definitely a new one to me 😳

[frantic36]

36 minutes ago, DarrenM said:

Yes. It was the first on the list, on the night we decided to work our way through the list of cocktails.

 

It was quickly replaced with a drinkable one.

 

Even the bartender laughed when i tasted it.

 

I enjoy a dirty martini but I prefer savoury to sweet flavours. Maybe the bartender has a cheeky sense of humour and added too much brine?

[DarrenM]

37 minutes ago, frantic36 said:

 

I enjoy a dirty martini but I prefer savoury to sweet flavours. Maybe the bartender has a cheeky sense of humour and added too much brine?

This may well be the case. It was like sucking on a salt tablet.

 

Not sure how anyone can enjoy drinking something salty as a drink mind.

 

The nearest thing it reminded me of was accidentally swallowing salt water whilst swimming in the sea.

[DarrenM]

There waa a couple.of cocktails that had Jalapeños in them.

 

They were very strong ones.

Edited June 21, 2023 by DarrenM