How to drink - professionally Forum

[Anonymous User]

1) yes, titos is what you want for vodka if you want to message "I know how to drink as a professional" and order vodka.

2) you can 100% get away with never taking a sip and never being judged for it, but it's disingenuous to pretend there are 0 advantages to drinking when done right. At every firm I've been at there has been at least one partner I've bonded with over a few late nights at the bar after a filing or while traveling for a matter and it 100% helps in terms of getting work, having a more casual relationship with the partner, hearing firm gossip, etc. Getting a partner drunk is a very educational experience. Now is this the healthiest thing, probably not - but whatever.

(Also, tangential note but this is definitely an example of how the profession can be harder for women. As a guy I can go and get shitfaced with a biggish partner without it being awkward and then be buddy buddy the next day. It has a totally different appearance if I was a woman, and professionally drinking as a woman, from an outsiders perspective at least, unsurprisingly seems like a much more complicated beast.)

3) I think this thread is focusing a bit on the wrong area. Beer is generally easy (don't order one of the like 4 macro brews or the light variants) or cocktails (stick to the cocktails on the menu with your favorite base spirit, any spirit with soda, or brown cocktails if you don't want to engage your brain in making a decision) - wine is where things get fucking stressful. I had a partner intrust me with wine ordering duties at dinner and (mostly jokingly) give me shit when the wine was kind of bad.

OP here - thanks all for the responses. But yes, I’d say looking for somewhere to start, and especially what drinks are appropriate in certain situations. Ideally I could find maybe a wine order and a cocktail that could be ordered everywhere depending on who I’m with (the 1-2 times I’ve tasted beer did not like at all)

I generally agree beer is easier (pick a variety and just order one), but OP doesn't seem to like it. Maybe OP should try better beer, but this is why we've been focusing on cocktails/mixed drinks. I agree wine is tough (there's so much more to know), but if you're going out to dinner chances are someone is going to ask you if you like X variety, so unless you want to say you don't like wine it helps to have at least some knowledge.

OP here - I’ll admit the extent of my beer knowledge is sparse, mostly from college parties tasting and hating low tier stuff.

What’s the beer and or wine version of “vodka soda with Tito’s”. I think I know even less about beer than I did hard alcohol bf this thread.

Sadly I feel like wine can’t be made simple enough but from limited experience it does taste better than vodka and beer lol

Edit: in the interest of career advancement, even if ever so slight, willing to stomach whatever I need

[Anonymous User]

If your primary goal is simple, common beer that will not get you judged and you can order without really thinking about it I would go Heineken or Stella - neither are amazing (or really in my mind much better than an American macro beer) but you will not be judged and most bars probably have one of those. You can probably order a corona too.

Frankly that fact that ordering a bud light vs. a stella might switch peoples perceptions of you is 100% stupid, but I don't make the rules.

[Anonymous User]

+1 on stella/heine

OP, if you're in the northeast I don't think drinking beer is going to give you any edge whatsoever. If you do want to give it a try though, go find a local brewery that sells flights/samplers (little shot glasses of beer) and get one of each of the following:

Pilsner
Belgian/Hefeweizen (these are different but close enough)
Lager
Porter
Stout
(Pale) Ale
IPA

There are other interesting styles out there, but they're harder to find on tap regularly so it's not worth picking one of those as your "fav." If you don't like any of those, then I think you can safely rule beer out. If you find one more tolerable, make a mental note.

Again, these are stupid social conventions but if you want to heed social conventions then consider ordering whichever beer you can tolerate the most at the following venues: BBQs/cookouts/burger joints, sports games, outdoor beachy bars (though cocktails are fine here too, I guess), and breweries (obviously). Wine/cocktails are totally fine at these too (or better yet, wine coolers/hard seltzers), but beer the convention.

As others have said, the benefit of a beer bottle/can is that you can nurse it all night and people don't notice as much (pro tip: put a paper napkin around the bottom of your bottle so people can't see the level of liquid, it will keep your hands dryer/warmer too). If you do get into beer, watch the ABV/ouncage. A 16oz IPA at 8%+ can hit you way harder than you would expect, especially if you're outdoors and dehydrated. Order a few of those and you risk being the drunk one, which is way worse than not drinking at all.

[Anonymous User]

+1 on stella/heine

OP, if you're in the northeast I don't think drinking beer is going to give you any edge whatsoever. If you do want to give it a try though, go find a local brewery that sells flights/samplers (little shot glasses of beer) and get one of each of the following:

Pilsner
Belgian/Hefeweizen (these are different but close enough)
Lager
Porter
Stout
(Pale) Ale
IPA

There are other interesting styles out there, but they're harder to find on tap regularly so it's not worth picking one of those as your "fav." If you don't like any of those, then I think you can safely rule beer out. If you find one more tolerable, make a mental note.

Again, these are stupid social conventions but if you want to heed social conventions then consider ordering whichever beer you can tolerate the most at the following venues: BBQs/cookouts/burger joints, sports games, outdoor beachy bars (though cocktails are fine here too, I guess), and breweries (obviously). Wine/cocktails are totally fine at these too (or better yet, wine coolers/hard seltzers), but beer the convention.

As others have said, the benefit of a beer bottle/can is that you can nurse it all night and people don't notice as much (pro tip: put a paper napkin around the bottom of your bottle so people can't see the level of liquid, it will keep your hands dryer/warmer too). If you do get into beer, watch the ABV/ouncage. A 16oz IPA at 8%+ can hit you way harder than you would expect, especially if you're outdoors and dehydrated. Order a few of those and you risk being the drunk one, which is way worse than not drinking at all.

As a big fan of stouts and porters myself, if this becomes your go to, be prepared for Guinness to be the only option at most bars.

This person’s post is good, but they left off sours. Many people who don’t like beer generally enjoy the fruity/tart/sour flavors that are now being offered in some creative sours.

Also, I don’t know if anyone has discussed it in this thread yet, but has no one talked about hard ciders??? If OP’s concern is with taste, then he should be drinking hard ciders. I’ve never known anyone who can’t stomach a cider. For many, it’s the best tasting alcohol, but at a minimum it won’t burn or make you gag. And get a drier one if you don’t want one overly sweet

[Anonymous User]

As a big fan of stouts and porters myself, if this becomes your go to, be prepared for Guinness to be the only option at most bars.

This person’s post is good, but they left off sours. Many people who don’t like beer generally enjoy the fruity/tart/sour flavors that are now being offered in some creative sours.

Also, I don’t know if anyone has discussed it in this thread yet, but has no one talked about hard ciders??? If OP’s concern is with taste, then he should be drinking hard ciders. I’ve never known anyone who can’t stomach a cider. For many, it’s the best tasting alcohol, but at a minimum it won’t burn or make you gag. And get a drier one if you don’t want one overly sweet

I'm the beer poster - I love sours (and goses) too! The reason I left those off was that they are hard to find regularly. Plus, they vary significantly (I hate ones brewed with fruit), so it's harder to get a feel. I'd almost put sours in the wine category - cool to like, but there's a lot to know (sometimes it's hard to even ID a sour on a menu).

Very good point re: hard ciders. Some people think those are seasonal (fall), and to risk sounding like our banned friend a VERY small few consider those to be girly drinks. I wouldn't let either of those stop me from ordering a cider, but OP should be aware nonetheless. Just watch out on drinking too many - they give me a wicked hangover.

[bokampers]

Agreed. I think similarly of Patron in the tequila context.

Honestly can't believe no one has recommended grey goose for vodka??? Agree with tanqueray or hendricks for gin and patron and casamigos for tequila but would add corralejo. I don't drink anything in the whiskey family after too many bad nights (and worse mornings) in undergrad and would literally drink water or nothing instead if whiskey was the only option

Grey Goose is good, but its branding is such that some people might think of it as a "poor person's idea of a fancy liquor." It's kinda like a Rolex or a Ferrari, almost a stereotype of a luxury vodka. I don't think this is fair, necessarily, and if you like Grey Goose go for it, but it doesn't seem to match OP's request.

[Lopodop]

It's funny to see people post anonymously about their choice of cocktail.
That's really holding the cards close to the vest!

[Anonymous User]

It's funny to see people post anonymously about their choice of cocktail.
That's really holding the cards close to the vest!

I'm the shots down the anoos girl/guy. Would probably be easy to oust myself.

[Lopodop]

I'd like to post anonymously about the color of tie I prefer.

[Lopodop]

What's the big takeaway from all of the above?
Your actions are a signal to others.
How high a woman's heels are? A signal.
The cut of a woman's dress? A signal.
The color of a guy's bow tie? A signal.

We didn't make the rules, we're just playing by them.

If you say "You do you and I'll do me", you may be doing you on the unemployment line.

[Anonymous User]

What's the big takeaway from all of the above?
Your actions are a signal to others.
How high a woman's heels are? A signal.
The cut of a woman's dress? A signal.
The color of a guy's bow tie? A signal.

We didn't make the rules, we're just playing by them.

If you say "You do you and I'll do me", you may be doing you on the unemployment line.

danishblue that you?

[nixy]

What's the big takeaway from all of the above?
Your actions are a signal to others.
How high a woman's heels are? A signal.
The cut of a woman's dress? A signal.
The color of a guy's bow tie? A signal.

We didn't make the rules, we're just playing by them.

If you say "You do you and I'll do me", you may be doing you on the unemployment line.

danishblue that you?

Does sound awfully familiar...

[Lopodop]

This appears to be a thread where people are not taking themselves too seriously, where you're more likely to see humor and light-hearted comments. I'd like to start a thread "Funny Client Stories", how and where to put it, and is it appropriate. I'm new here.

[Anonymous User]

I do think it's useful to know how to pair wine with food, if you are going to drink wine. Mostly because it will make your wine and your food more enjoyable. But if you are worried that you will seem like a n00b to drinking wine, ordering an odd pairing might cause a partner who knows about wine to think "huh, that's not a good pairing, he must not know about wine" for two seconds before thinking about other things.

Just knowing what meats go with reds and what meats/fishes go with whites is a good start and probably enough to prevent anyone from judging you.