As someone who recently turned 21 (November of ’22), I’ve explored very little of the local bar menus. My early bar orders were largely inspired by Sex and the City and my parents’ orders in an attempt to mimic models of adulthood I’d seen. After months of continually ordering a dirty gin martini, I’ve started to question whether I actually like it, or whether it’s what I know.
When I was growing up, I was a very picky eater. My mom once encouraged me to make a list of foods I didn’t like and foods I’d never tried, and, one day, we worked our way through the list, tasting everything on it and putting it into columns of wouldn’t eat again, would eat once or twice, and, finally, “I like it.” She would write down my comments on the food next to its designation.
While in this case, it can’t be over the course of a day for liver-preservation reasons, I am going to attempt to recreate this method with drinks. I’ve made a list of drinks that I didn’t like as well as drinks that I’ve never tried and will work my way through tasting them in the hopes of, maybe, finding my signature drink, and, in the process, hopefully gain insight into what adulthood looks like for me.
Below are the findings of this experiment.
Espresso Martini: Mixed results
On the day I turned 21, I took three of my friends to appetizers and drinks at The Feve in Oberlin, OH. Along with a large quantity of fried food, I ordered an espresso martini. While this drink is not technically on the menu, my friend who used to bartend at The Feve had told me that this was her favorite drink to order there. As an avid coffee drinker, I was highly motivated to try this order for myself.
The bartender working during that shift recommended that I add Bailey’s to the drink, and, as someone who loves chocolate, I took that suggestion with enthusiasm.
The drink arrived with plenty of foam on top. I took my first sip and was thrilled — it tasted like a mocha milkshake with a hint of vodka. It was so good that it took all of my willpower to drink it slowly.
My friends around the table all tried a sip and even decided to order one for themselves after they finished their own drinks.
I’ve been in a fruitless search for that positive experience, though, ever since; every time I’ve been back, they’ve been out of either espresso vodka or Bailey’s and have made a lesser facsimile of the martini that hasn’t quite come close. The second time I ordered it, they were out of both espresso vodka and Bailey’s and asked if I wanted a version that was just cold brew and regular vodka. Not knowing much about mixology, I was curious to try it. It came out watery and bitter and overwhelmingly-vodka-y. Of course, this is not the fault of the bartender but my own; that being said, it made me realize just how important the original ingredients were to the drink’s exceptional quality.
If I could guarantee that the espresso martini would taste just as good every time as it did that first time, it would be my signature drink. However, that seems unlikely — especially when going to other bars. For that reason, I hesitate to give it that coveted designation.
Sidecar: Would try again — but not a favorite
After googling a list of classic bar orders, I found this as a top result. However, it wasn’t on the local haunt, The Feve’s, bar menu. When I placed this order, the bartender on staff had to Google its ingredients, despite being very knowledgeable about other off-menu drinks; this lead me to believe that this may be a classic bar order from generations past.
Made with both orange and lemon flavors, this drink was a bit citrus-y for my taste. Almost acidic, the sour flavors were overpowering, though they hid the alcohol well, which is a plus. I’d love to try this order again somewhere that has the drink on the menu, but, in the meantime, I’ll say that it’s not a favorite of mine just yet.
Long Island Iced Tea: Not a fan (but who really is?)
I’ve seen episodes of TV shows where the character orders an iced tea and is served a Long Island Iced Tea instead, but they don’t notice it contains alcohol until after they’ve finished a drink or two. Judging based on the Long Islands I’ve tried, this seems extremely improbable. Long Islands contain some unknown (though it’s probably known to some) combination of alcohol and other liquids, which I’d assume was invented in a way somewhat similar to when when kids mix a bunch of different fountain sodas together to see if their unsuspecting friend will drink it.
Overly-lemony, overly-boozy, and overly-bubbly, this drink is just on the wrong side of the fountain soda mixture game, in my opinion.
Old Fashioned: Depends on the whisky
I’ve never really been sure whether I like old fashioneds. I think the citrus in the drink really brings out the whisky and exaggerates its level of quality — whether it’s good or bad. It doesn’t have to be a top-shelf whisky in order to be good, but I think that, in order for me to properly enjoy an old fashioned, it has to be made with a whisky of a darker flavor.
If I’m somewhere with a great whisky selection, I’ll definitely order and enjoy an old fashioned. But if I’m using what I have at home, I think I’ll opt to mask the poor quality of my whisky with something a little bit more powerful.
Whisky Coke: Definitely a contender
Based on the results of my old fashioned experiments, I’ve been opting to mix my bottom-shelf whisky with Coca Cola. While the caffeine content might keep me up if I drink it too late at night, it’s great to have with dinner or for an early nightcap.
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Overall, I’ve learned a lot about myself in this process. I’ve learned that I can’t decide what I like solely based off of what other people like, but that it also might take me a while to unlearn these ideas of what it means to be an adult.
Does turning 21 mean that I have to have a glass of scotch, neat, in my study every night? Or that I need a glass of wine paired with every dinner I prepare? I don’t think I want to do either of these things, and that’s okay.
Just because my tastes for alcohol, food, and life experiences are maturing doesn’t mean I have to suddenly follow models for adulthood that seem mature to me. And that’s okay, too. I can enjoy my whisky cokes and Barefoot wines and even sodas on a night out, and that doesn’t make me any less of an adult.
Alexa Stevens is an Oberlin College fourth-year student who loves food — especially breakfast food — and journalism — especially when it’s about food. Alexa’s non-food writing has been featured in Teen Vogue, Kidzworld, The Oberlin Review, The Easy Reader, and more.
