Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like cocktails have gotten more expensive in this town. I am a big fan of cocktails, so much, in fact, that my friends often crucify me for not drinking more manly drinks, a la Bud Light. Cocktails represent a right de passage in this town. It’s what separates the gentlemen from the boys. Honestly, cocktails represent the defining factor of how a restaurant thinks about itself.
Why cocktails?
Cocktails imbue those who drink them with status, prestige and mostly, alcohol. They are a way of explaining to your friends, I have an exotic palette and my sexual appeal is exponentially related to the exoticness of my palette. From whiskey muddles, to dirty martinis, you have a host of purchased meanings to flaunt at the bar. Oh, and did I mention restaurants love to be the granter of sex appeal?
Making us think that buying the silver fiery blue ball (tequilla, 151, blue curacao, in a baller glass) will get us chicks is oh so right. Now the question is, do you buy that drink for the lady or for the dude? Restaurants also make out like bandits.
The Great Cocktail Ripoff
The thing that drives me nuts (besides cocktails not actually delivering what they would seem to deliver) is that the cocktails cost SO MUCH. I recently noticed that Ten decided to charge $10/drink. Cute, but are you effing kidding me?! This is Charlottesville. I guess it works cause Ten has that whole come here to spend lots of money appeal. There are good cocktails around, but I’m disappointed I can’t find them for under $7 dollars.
I feel like the pricing schemes are quite interesting. Oh, you want something other than straight rail vodka? That’s $2 dollar upgrade. Bitters? $2. A stir? $1. That’s how you get to some of the more expensive pricing in town.
I’m Looking for the Winner
Because I’m so in love with cocktails, I want to crown a winner, not just on taste, but on bang for the buck. I’m beginning my search tonight and will do so over the next two weeks. I need some guidance on pricing, drink recommendations and hangover cures. What is your favorite drink in town? What is the most reasonably priced cocktail menu in town? Who serves the most consistent drinks?
If any restaurants decide to put a cVillain-named cocktail on their menu, let us know. We will absolutely come visit and feature your drink on our site!
Oh and a little side note: Zo Ca Lo, Ten and Maya all have cocktail menus created by our favorite “celebrity” bartender, Ted. He’s pretty much the expert in this town. He currently works at Maya. Stop by and tell him cVillain sent you.
Places to explore for cocktails: X-Lounge, Ten, Maya, Bang, Zo Ca Lo, Blue Light, Mas
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Popularity: 27% [?]
Tagged as: , best, Charlottesville, Cocktails, drinks, liqour
The answer: Drink Beer.
What are you like a girl who drinks beer and thinks she’s cool or somethin’ ?
Well, this is at least a nice roundup of offers, even if it isn’t complete:
http://www.cavdeals.com/drinks.php
Helpfully grouped by day of the week. Some of my favorite drinks include the ginger honey martini at Bang and the mandarin orange martini at Ten (a Ted concoction). But none of them come cheap.
I like my liquor, but I do not like it fraternizing with other substances in my glass. Usually not even ice.
Give it to me straight, baby.
When I moved here, I was going to create an online Happy Hour database of all Charlottesvilles establishments, but discovered to my dismay, that it is illegal to advertise Happy Hours, which is made of suck, so I abandoned the project.
sigh
If I could find a way around the laws, I’d resume my work with a zeal known only by street corner prophets and other religious nuts.
street - you are a cocktail ninja.
b’yo - love the straight liqour too - scotch or bourbon? blue label or black?
Cville’s prices are crazy - friends in bigger cities aren’t paying this much.
That mandarin cocktail at Ten is one of my favorites too, but isn’t now at like $12.00? It also especially pisses me off when I’ve decided to splurge on 2 and don’t really feel much of a buzz at all. Pour them deep and don’t water down. Word gets out.
That mandarin sucker is good, but a little too sweet for my taste. I prefer the Ten martini, overpricedness and all. three has a good green tea martini, and their prices are reasonable too.
(Apparently I only drink at places that have a number for a name.)
mmmm…single malt scotch.
drools (yes, I have my towel)
Dammit, don’t make me thirsty so early in the morning! I’m not going to be able to concentrate all day.
@5: Street, with some hesistance, I pass along the thought that, so long as you are not a ‘retail establishment’ or some other commercial establishment, I don’t see why you couldn’t publish a listing of drink names, prices, times, and locations. The relevant provisions, to my knowledge, are:
3 Virginia Administrative Code § 5-50-160, which bars ‘retail licensees’ from ‘Advertising happy hour in the media’.
3 Virginia Administrative Code § 5-20-40, which bars references in to “references to ‘Happy Hour’ or similar terms” in “Beer, wine and mixed beverage advertising in the print or electronic media”
I’ve only looked about for a few minutes, so anyone who knows better please correct me.
Will all that formatting get me in trouble? We’ll see…
Glenmorangie. Yummy. My faaaaaaavorite single malt.
Street: It’s illegal for businesses to advertise their own happy hours. If you’re just a regular joe, you can promote it — what’s the ABC going to do to you?
@11 Are you absolutely certain? I’m going to research that right now, and if you are correct, I know what I’ll be doing this weekend.
I know I’ll get a sideways glance for this, but I drink *everything* straight. Scotch, bourbon, yes… but mostly tequila. Vodka, gin… doesn’t matter. I like it un-chilled and unadulterated. I started drinking when I was older, and I had to learn on my own (long story), so, like most other areas of my life, I have picked up some rather odd habits. I suppose I will get around to learning about these “cocktails” sooner or later. Ordering a neat shot of gin makes bartenders and other patrons uncomfortable. Thats why I mostly drink tequila, cause its “normal” to drink it the way I like to drink.
/hasn’t had a drink in two weeks.
Street: I’m pretty damn certain — I’ve advertised happy hours for bars before, and I wouldn’t do it if I could get my business in hot water. Even the Washington Post advertises happy hours — and I’m sure they know the law better than I do.
Bars just can’t advertise them except for in their establishment — part of the deal I usually make with bars that sponsor us is I promote their happy hours, since they are unable to do so.
Street, take a look at the link in the second post. Voila. Local drink specials, by day of the week. Incomplete, but it’s a start.
We had specials here:
http://cvillain.com/2007/10/12/bar-specials/
@11 Grrl: Love Glenmorangie, too. Is it pronounced GlenMORangie or GlenmorANGie? Any Scots lurking to clear this up? I can also recommend Talisker, a highlands usquabae that tastes of peat moss, haggis, and bagpipes.
GlenMORangie
The Macallen is the shiznit
have anyone ever had any luck mixing drinks using Vitamin Water?
yes, i love vitamin water and i often mix it with vodka and triple sec.
Also, try a ninja turtle if you ever get a chance. I invented it and gave it to gobbler once and told him it didn’t have a name…then these old broads started screaming and calling it a ninja turtle, and the name stuck. But i guess it could have a second name, the villain. But then it’d make more sense for me to make a second drink to rival that one and call it shreddar, which would defeat the whole villain naming purpose. it’s only 4.50, just order it in a martini glass instead of a lowball glass if you want to feel fancy.
http://www.dcs.ed.ac.uk/home/jhb/whisky/smws/208.html
Glenmorangie the Scots pronounce it to rhyme with “orangey”
includes MP3
Thanks, wanago. Best selling single malt in Scotland, eh? Now that’s an endorsement.
bukbukbegak: Where am I going to enjoy a Ninja Turtle?
McGrady’s…duh
have i ever endorsed another bar? That drink is my living legacy in cville.
Yep. What wanago said about pronounciation. Heard that from a Scot meself. In a kilt, no less. Well, a lot less, underneath. Silly Scots.
silly?
Guys, if you ever want every woman meet to grope you, wear a kilt. Trust me on this.
Good point, oy. Provided you want to be groped. In that case, not so silly!
bukbuk: but you don’t work there any more, right? How will they know?
lolo, what bigger cities are you talking about? I’m going to call BS on that one. Louisville, San Antonio, Minneapolis, Baltimore, Columbus, doesn’t matter. A cocktail, as in, something more than one liquor and one mixer, starts at $7 and averages at $10 in my experience.
They’ll know because i left the recipe before my departure. It may not be perfect, but scott makes it the best. I’m glad this website makes me feel like i still live there.
“…manly drinks, a la Bud Light.”
Nice touch on the joke Thor. Well done.
::golf claps::
The only things I drink at the bar or at home are real beers, or Maker’s on the rocks. Wine sometimes with dinner.
btw, girls that drink real beer are soooooo much hotter than girls that drink “cocktails.” You won’t have to waste all your money on them to try and get laid and you can take them to a dive bar and not have them feel “gross.”
Just thought I’d let you all know that
If you like Gin, check out “The Joe” at Bang! It’s really good.
Oh, and their food is amazing too, as well as the staff
I guess I was thinking we’re not really a big city, silly me.
If you can’t handle the Laphroaig, you can’t wear the kilt. I drank a shot of 151 (rum) the other night by mistake. That was interesting. Moderation in all things, lassies & lads. That way the ridiculous when it happens really hits the boards.
liquor makes it quicker to get chicks drunk enough for you to get laid, & then the beer isn’t sloshing all around in their bellies.
/that’s why i drink tequila
but chicks that drink a lot of beer and don’t work out are actually less hot, yah know, cause they get fat. So i’ll take a one cocktail, flirt anyday, and hang out and shoot pool with the beer drinkin broads.
And lilith can drink whatever she wants because i am ecrushing on her hard.
addendum:
If you can’t handle the Laphroaig neat, you can’t wear the kilts
in an attempt to stay on-topic, I present a video every Villain should watch - linkypoo
One problem is that some of these drinks are overpriced because they don’t even have that much liquor. A Long Island Iced Tea is going to cost some, because basically it’s all liquor, and a decent amount of it. Sorry, I don’t think that fruit juice is worth the trade off.
Plus, it makes buying a round a pain. I am with four friends, so to buy a round I should drop $50, including tip? Doesn’t that seem like a bit much?
But I could just be cheap.
The girls I know that drink good beer also hike, ski, backpack, etc. They are in excellent physical condition.
@35, chicks don’t need to get drunk to want to sleep with me. I give off that vibe naturally
As $8 seems like the going rate for cocktails, I like to congregate where I know they will at least be well made. I’d rather pay $8 for a good manhattan at Zocalo then $6 for a crappy one at Rapture.
Right now, Zocalo’s fresa negra is my favorite drink.
@32 Excellent choice! I mentioned The Joe somewhere else on the site earlier. I find the food a little hit or miss though.
In Virginia, restaurants/bars pay the same price for alcohol that we villains do at the ABC store (they just don’t pay tax), which is part of the reason drinks are so expensive here compared to DC or NY (where restaurants can buy in bulk or get wholesale discounts). That being said, if it’s a popular/busy bar, it’s not worth the bartender’s time to mix a drink under $5, so it’s usually savvy to go for the $2 or more upgrade for the better booze, as the rail price is just to make it worth the effort it takes to mix it and the upgrade surcharge has little to do with how much more the better booze costs relative to Aristocrat.
That being said, unless I really trust the bartender and the establishment’s quality of ingredients (see my fresh fruit pleas related to Kiki), I’m ordering a Maker’s Mark on the rocks or sticking with beer. Too many drinks end up tasting like cough syrup or sweet tarts.
I was just about to write that, Lys. VA ABC laws suck.
VA ABC laws are in place to protect citizens. If you can’t handle that, move.
i’m obviously joking
I’m glad. I freaked out there for a minute. Most people do not know how ridiculous many of them are. The fact that we have to pay retail being one of the most insane. Whew.
happy hour at zo.ca.lo- dollar off beer(3 for most, 4.50-5 for the belgian).
2 dollar off cocktails. (6-8)
from 5:30-7:30.
(so i guess that’s actually a couple hours…) and yeah, most prices are outta hand. like wine. at most places.eh, whatcha’ gonna do?!
@2: No I know I am a cool girl, who has good taste.
The boys and girls in Richmond will keep ABC reg dumping money in the till because they really need it.
“We going to make big money getting you drunk but if you drive after getting drunk we are going to get you…and charge you even bigger money”
If I’m having a cocktail of late it’s been a Maker’s Mark Manhattan.
Yumness.
The other often unknown point is that Liquor cannot be delivered. You have to get someone to oder the booze then drive to the ABC store and get it out of the back room with a really stupid set of controls. So not only does the resturant pay retial,they have to pay more in labor just to get it in the door.
So Pappys or Knob Creek. Neat.
speaking on ABC sucking, did you hear about the “sangria ban”??
It is illegal for a restaurant to premix alcohol before serving it, (apparently there’s an exception for those nasty Margarita machines) so if a restaurant wants to serve sangria, they have to buy bottled sangria from the ABC
I’ve been on a tequilla kick lately. After I got back from Mexico, it was “hola” this and “hola” that. We went to Baja and Goblette ordered a margarita. “For 50 cents you can upgrade to quervo?” Really? Are you kidding? I’ll pay you $20 if you’ll pour out whatever tequilla you have thats worse than quervo.
Bukbuk and I made up another drink too RB&T, we’re working on names: Honry Beaner, Flying Wetback, Jose Taurez. Help me out.
@53: you could call it the bullshit
Maker’s Mark is the smoothest bourbon there is. Period.
Nice, Parlie! I can’t believe I missed it.
You Maker’s fans might be surprised if you try a blind taste of it against Buffalo Trace (available for a moderate price at your *favorite* ABC store). Just my dos centavos.
I never leave the house on the weekend without a flask of knob creek in my pocket. You can be sure of that.
Kind of hoping that rumored new steak place, supposedly stocking their bar with small batch bourbons, really comes to pass. A bourbon counterpart to Continental Divide’s tequila options would be really awesome.
is the new steak place rumored you speak of above escafe?
if so, i heard the shots are gonna be around $75.(that’s the low end).
hmmm, yeah. have fun with that!
bullshit is like the best drink ever. I was drinking monster versions of it last week. You simply can’t add enough tequilla to it. Then i blacked out and woke up in my bath tub. I will invent the cvillain drink, just you wait.
speaking of $75 dollar $hots, i use to work in the porn industy.
@60 - are we supposed to take that as bait because we are bunch of dummies and will talk about anything? $75 is absurd. blah blah blah
It’s true, you can’t put enough tequilla in it. You’ll never taste it. Ask my hangover.
Maker’s Mark is good bourbon, but not the best. It’s head and shoulder’s above Beam, but I’ll take a variety of bottles ahead of Maker’s anyday.
I think I’m going to McGrady’s tonight, and I think I am drinking both a Ninja Turtle and a Bullshit (mmmmmmmmm, tequila).
or you could pour them all in a large mug together and have a turtleshit!
Dave @65, what’s your favorite bourbon (that isn’t muy stinko borracho expensive)?
And can you get it around here.
Parlie, what you are saying is turtle bullshit, man.
ahahahaha, brilliant.
but i bet it’d taste good
You simply can’t add enough tequilla to it. Then i blacked out and woke up in my bath tub.
You are my hero for the next hour or so.
Well, I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but the Evan Williams Single Barrel is always excellent, and an absolute steal at about $22.
It’s my go-to decent bourbon.
@20 we have def experimented with Vitamin Water, Emergen-C, Gatorade, and Airborne. My favorite is the Tangerine Emergen-C Martini with Citrus Vodka, Cointreau, and fresh lemon juice/sour mix. DELICIOUS!
@73, apologize my ignorance, but where am I going for that delightful concoction?
I have a feeling that a black currant vodka with a lemon rine and a spalsh of XXX vitaminwater might make for a decent martini…..I am going to try in a second and I’ll let you know, we can call it “Pathetic-leftover-stuff-2-found in her fridge”
@73 sounds like you made a Tangerine Kamikaze
I am a wee bit cross eyed after my little chemist attack on the bar and freezer but here is my concoction:
The Cvillatini:
Grey Goose
a splash of XXX Vitamin Water
a splash of Lemonade
Shaken over frozen raspberries, (’cause my icemaker is broken)
Lemon rine as garnishment (in my dreams, because I don’t own fresh lemon)
It is seriously good, Fiddy G gave it three thumbs up (’cause he is a mutant)
C-ville needs more flaming cocktails. I wanna drink a Flaming Volcano (like at the Flaming Wok on 29) at OXO or Ten one night.
2oh4: mmmm. me want a next poker game. but then i will lose.
at
@59,60 No, it’s in Pantops!!
@77 I love flaming cocktails…even been known to mix a few…sadly, they’re even more illegal than sangria.
Boheme’s new cocktail list has a drink dedicated to a volcano in the south… so I hear… LOL
shenanigans: But of course….I’d even make you one on the spot tomorrow
Holy Jebus, this has been The Extended Weekend of the Rollicking Binge! I see much rest and vitamin water in my future. I start a new job on Tuesday, and want to resemble the epitome of energetic creativity, not the poster child of the Spacebag Horkers International Troupe. I wish you all a soothing sunday. See you around.
Our lager,
Which art in barrels,
Hallowed be thy drink.
Thy will be drunk,
(I will be drunk),
At home as in the tavern.
Give us this day our foamy head,
And forgive us our spillages,
As we forgive those who spill against us.
And lead us not to incarceration,
But deliver us from hangovers.
For thine is the beer, The bitter and The lager.
Forever and ever,
Barmen.
this is also the extended weekend of people commenting on a ton of different threads. Eight threads up there with action! I can’t keep up!
nice prayer, street, and good luck with the new job and hope you won’t look like S.H.I.T. You won’t be too busy for commenting, I hope?
@85 I could never be too busy for commenting here. Though I think there will be times where I am too drunk to comment here. I know I commented a couple times on friday evening, but I admit I’m afraid to look, considering how far gone I was at that point. I’ll save that for a day when I need to laugh at myself.
I honestly don’t think there is such a thing as too drunk to comment on Cvillain.
I respectfully disagree, mc. I have gone off the deep end here and been immersed in regret. I have since refrained from touching anything with a keyboard while intoxicated. Im sure that will last.
‘Tis true, b yo.
Besides, I cannot leave here as I have accepted a particular dance challenge, and I couldn’t leave without seeing that come to fruition.
drunk blogging is AMAZING!
Amazing?
Like ….”I’m amazed that I typed that for all to see?…and I am even more amazed that I didn’t edit it later on?” That kind of amazing?
you know what’s amazing? the fact that people still do it, knowing that they can’t edit later. even 2 minutes later.
@89 : hell ya, dance challenge on. Should’ve invited you last night, but better that I didn’t. Oxo dance floor was waaaaay too crowded to get any kind of moves going. just lots of sweat and 2-girls-one-Tim action.
As for drunk commenting, I mainly see flirting and silliness and misspellings, which is all very cute and should continue! But I’m conveniently forgetting the actual destructive side of alcohol. I feel like you guys have slapped me with a PSA and shown me a fried egg that is cvillain on the sauce.
To satisfy my urge to type whilst under the influence, I had to start a private blog where I can just go off, knowing that no one knows of and / or reads it. That way, I can release my urge to “express”, without any of the repercussions that have visited me when I have fell to the temptation to engage in such verbal shennanigans on such a high volume as this site.
I highly recommend it. Its quite cathartic.
Cell phones should have a breathalyzer attached to at least disable the texting feature. Of course, I have just recently acquired a cheap video recorder, sans breathalyzer, and opened a youtube account, so now my potential for humiliation is truly global. God help me for whence I will go. Technology will be the end of me.
/now where’s my underdog costume…
whaaadtI’mgg gonnn rouvnnd hfufuh?
exactly cheese. exactly.
it’s all very amazing, especially after 2 manhattans….yummnn
Anyone want to hork a space bag with me?
…I’m buying.
…I can’t believe I typed that with a strainght face….
i thought a space bag was a hooker? this is confusing.
oh street, i wish i’d seen that earlier. i’d totally have been on board! but alas, now it is bedtime. i’ll just have to hork that space bag in my dreams.
at least we are all together on the yellow submarine of drunk posting(sometimes, who, what? me? where-prove it.).
and BTW(i can’t believe i just used that)…
thor- i was at zocalo saturday night, and i do believe your friday night description of zocalo being the new place for “rich hipsters” to hang out had an effect.
hmmm.
and is there an edit capability?!- cause i need to know about it-stop laughing about my posts and pointing at me!(stomps foot)!
Belleruche - M. Chapoutier… edit what? Why is it red?
I just got home. I heart having no job.
@100 Space Bag=Mylar bladder within a box of wine. (but your idea has me giggling)
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