Bartenders and bar visitors about women drinking
Women today are not only well versed in alcohol, but they are also mastering this sphere in their career plan. However, gender stereotypes still operate on both sides of the bar. We asked both the bartenders and the women themselves about their attitude to the appropriate alcohol, and found out how they are guided when they order or advise the drink. Let's make a reservation that the opinion of the characters may not coincide with the opinion of the editorial board.
Alcohol is the territory of adults, and of what sex they no longer matter, because in the end they both drink and drink. Personally, I prefer tasty, interesting alcohol, although it always depends on my mood, company, occasion and place. Since I work in an industry where alcohol is an integral part, drinking often is my job. Therefore, we can say that I drink more often than many. I try to go to the bars where I know the bartenders, and they know me. Therefore, the "female" alcohol, I do not impose. In general, men respond well to a female bartender! A beautiful girl is good, a beautiful girl who also pours is great. And if you still know how to listen, there is simply no price.
Society negatively treats all who drink alcohol a lot and often, regardless of gender. I have not noticed yet that it negatively related only to drinking women. Individual characters - maybe, but not the whole society. I know only about pregnant women. But even they are allowed to drink a glass of red wine.
For my part, I can say for sure that my friends and girlfriends know how to drink and appreciate alcohol. Although, I think I was lucky with the environment. But even though we understand alcohol, nobody cancels alcohol as a catalyst for fun and stress management. It all depends on the mood, company, occasion and place.
The most trivial division of alcohol by gender is "vodka for men, champagne for girls." According to my observations, men love stronger and dry drinks, and women love sour, sour-sweet low fortresses. Although among women there are connoisseurs of gin, tequila, rum, whiskey. Usually in 18-25 years, the representatives of both sexes love sweeter things, in 28-35 - sour and sour-sweet, after 40 years - dry, tart, with bitter like dry Martini, Manhattan or Old Fashion. By the way, girls often seek advice on what to drink, they are more open. Men always behave as if they already know everything.
As for cocktails, there is also no division between men and women among them, it’s just a matter of mentality. In Russia, a man is unlikely to order Pina Kolada, and when he goes to Dominican Republic or Cuba, he will not drink vodka or beer there? The point is in the culture of consumption. And among the girls there are gourmets before the “Old Fashion” and “Mai Tai”. But agree, a man drinking "Sex on the beach," rather, will surprise.
To divide into groups as soon as possible, not by gender, but by experience. If we talk about newcomers, then both men and women love sweeter and more aromatic - this kind of drink is easier to understand. Experienced people who have learned to distinguish between taste, love drinks sour, drier, stronger. My slim wife, for example, drinks "Dry Martini", which not every man will pull.
The proposition that women and men drink different alcohol is true. Women, according to my observations, first of all need an effect, and an immediate one, while men need a process directly. Men pass through the bitterness of alcohol, girls try to avoid the taste C2H5OH. Here it is not only in psychology, but also in physiology. Alcohol is much harder tolerated by girls, due to the fundamental fragility of the body and the increased threshold of sensitivity. Alcohol is destructive for a girl's body. Therefore, we can say that cocktails, in principle, have been invented for girls.
It is believed that beer or wine (champagne) - drinks for women. Not. These drinks are much more destructive than distilled products, due to the fact that a lot of decay products remain directly in the drink. From the psychological point of view, girls need an instant departure from reality, they are not interested in how many times this tequila has been distilled, and where, they are interested in how good they look now, dancing on a rack. Therefore, it can be said that the more mixed the alcohol, the closer it is to the girls, and the purest remains for men.
Men, in principle, drink more and more and prefer to savor whiskey or plunge into the magic ritual of vodka consumption. It is important for girls whether she matches Sarah Jessica Parker with her "Cosmopolitan" or girls from the advertisements of sweet liquor, so they drink the appropriate drinks, harmony is important for everyone: one with herself, the other with her image. There is a division of cocktails into male and female. As a rule, if the cocktail emphasizes the taste of alcohol (“Manhattan”, “Martinez”), men like it more, if the cocktail smooths out the taste of alcohol, it is considered to be female. But if it is categorical, there are a lot of unisex cocktails.
Most of the girls communicate with the bartenders, of course, the man, as a rule, even if he doubts, he will pretend to know everything for sure, in terms of communication, the girls are much relaxed. Man dominant is important, he will not once again ask anything. Root is a mentality again. In fact, no one understands alcohol. But everyone plays a specialist. The girls here are closer to the truth, at least they are trying to consult, but also not always. The bartender is a pharmacist. You need to consult with him. Often, bartenders also pretend to know more, and in fact they sometimes do more harm. Therefore, communicate, explore, as the price is your health.
Alcohol is not a male or female territory, because it is equally harmful to everyone. I do not think that men are more tolerant to drinking men. And the fact that people relieve stress from alcohol is a myth. Alcohol can distract for a short time, but it is not a panacea. As for me, recently I prefer wine, about two glasses a week. I love red dry, srednetaninnoe, medium acidity. I study wine, and in order to study, one must try. It is always interesting to see how the institution worked on the wine list.
In terms of culture, alcohol consumption has a good momentum. So far, most Western countries are more educated in this area than we are. However, even in Russia, an understanding of what you drink comes more and more. Girls discover other tastes besides sweet. The improvement of the situation is connected with the professional growth of bartenders; they are actively working not only on the cocktail menu, but also on the guests and their receptors, making it possible to learn new facets of their organoleptics. All bartenders have their own methods: someone tells the legends of cocktails, someone - about alcohol, which is part of what makes it interesting and unique. All this, in the aggregate, causes the trust of the guest, he understands that the bartender can be trusted, that he is interested in his profession and understands why he occupies this place. Trying something new every time, a person comes to understand tastes, to understand that tasty cocktails can be not only sweet, but bitter, sour and salty, which can be combined, seemingly incompatible ingredients and so on.
I really like dry wine and I am sure that a pair of glasses in the evening is useful. Depending on the season, I choose white and rose, when it's warm, and if it's cold, then red. By region there is no preference. I like to try different and interesting. Another choice depends on what kind of food will be with this wine. But more often I have enough cheese and tasty bread. I drink strong alcohol infrequently and not at home. Basically if you are sure of the bar and the hands that make me drinks. Favorite cocktail - "Negroni" and twists on the topic. I love the sharpness of the balance between sweet and bitter. Due to the fact that I work in the restaurant business, most often I come to certain people who do not need to explain anything. They know that I love.
Alcohol, of course, was created not only for men. This is the same as considering meat as a male territory. The stereotype that a woman should not drink alcohol for some reason has already become obsolete. To go to the bar for a cocktail with a friend is a holy thing. Bar art develops in the same way as any other kind of art, and stereotypes die. But we must remember that we are talking about a drink, and not about getting drunk. It went when a woman who is waiting for a child is sitting with a glass or smoking a cigarette, otherwise it is the norm.
Modern relationships girls and alcohol develop rapidly. Of course, it happens to everyone that, due to different circumstances, you overdo it, but it all depends on how much a person has a sharpened and developed sense of proportion, and the floor is not important here. We do not consider dependence. It is difficult to speak for the nation, but my environment monitors and supports the development of this culture. Moreover, many are involved in creating new trends in this area. There are enough girls of bartenders among my friends, and I think it is beautiful. Just like a modern girl with a glass in which a delicious wine or a classic cocktail.
The main thing is relevance. The function of wine is to set off and emphasize the taste of food, and its place is at a hearty lunch or dinner. A good whiskey deserves a thoughtful use of tete-a-tete, at the party they delight and warm up complex cocktails, and for fast food there is no company better than cider or craft beer. My favorite is wine. In the individual geographical standings red wines of Spain and white - New Zealand lead, in the varietal - Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel. Local wine is an obligatory program of any travel, be it Sicilian Marsala or Cambodian grape-banana something, and still in my wine cabinet more often domestic wines are visiting, and I advise you to try Krasnodar and Rostov wines of the “new wave” for all who are interested.
Otherwise, I am quite conservative: I like smoky whiskey from the Scottish Isle island, spiced rum, cream sherry, Longayland tea, Belgian lambicas, burnt stouts with notes of coffee and chocolate, craft beer and not too dry cider, often pear. Choosing a bar for the evening, I, as a rule, already know exactly what I want. A good bartender will always first ask what you like and how much you are willing to experiment, regardless of gender. And vermouth with juice or sugary liqueur was not offered to me for a long time. Nevertheless, sometimes I ask to surprise me, and often there is a huge pink cocktail with tropical fruits and a cap of whipped cream in front of me.
I do not consider and never considered alcohol as a male territory. Perhaps, since childhood, it seemed to me that women can cope with alcohol better and more elegantly than men, whose main preferences could be described as "vodka" and "in drool," and in the circle of my acquaintances never met drunken women, so I am subjective.
From the favorites in terms of alcoholic beverages - wine and whiskey, which you can explore endlessly and talk about them for hours. I absolutely do not understand the shots, that is, the effect of a timpani in the brain without any foreplay. I love the first one because when in the evening I pour myself a glass of wine, the favorite time of day begins. Life slows down again, enters a controlled course and belongs only to you. Whiskey is a more seasonal drink for me, I don’t buy it at home, but I prefer to finish it at night in the bar before going out in the cold. Or when someone treats, knowing that you appreciate. When I was married and often in Scotland, in the homeland of my ex-husband, whiskey was a ritual. Everyone left to sleep early, and in the living room there were two owls — me and the Scottish father-in-law — with single malt whiskey in their hands and endless conversations. We both appreciated those moments. Although I cannot drink bourbon and Tennessee without a cola and I am not a big fan of them.
With "female" alcohol never encountered. Maybe because I am tall with a rather tall man and does not look like a man who needs indulgence. It seems to me that the very concept of "female alcohol" is associated exclusively with an undeveloped taste (yes, women historically drank less than men) and hooked on like a cliche. This is similar to the taste preferences of children. First, they love sweet ("Pina Colada", for example), then salty ("Margarita"), and then they begin to appreciate sour ("Whiskey Sauer") and bitter ("Negroni", "Martini") - absolutely not a gender story. I knew men who, if once allowed themselves to drink, it was, for example, a sweet liqueur - the same undeveloped taste.
Condemnation of women who consume alcohol, it seems to me is akin to condemnation of women interested in sex, that is, it is a picture of the world, where a purely passive role is fitting for a woman. I want to think that in the Western world, it is in the past. In modern culture, the relationship of girls with alcohol, in my opinion, is exactly the same as that of boys. Among my friends there are sommeliers, and among my friends there are sobers, and no one tries to look for a gender connection in this. Only here the cult of the body and obsession with health, perhaps, in general, affects the relationship of society with alcohol. This is cool and good, though not very sexy. I am for balance.
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