Someone recently asked me to resolve a little dispute between him and his friends about the difference between a neat and straight up drink. It's probably not the first conversation about that subject because these terms are often confused with one another and along the way the two have almost become synonymous for some. The difference between the two is simple:chilled or not. Neat typically refers to a undiluted shot of liquor served at room temperature while the straight up is usually used to describe a drink that's chilled with ice (shaken or stirred) and strained into a glass. For example you can have a Bay Breeze on the rocks (as is customary) or you could strain it and enjoy it straight up, but you could never serve it neat. On the other hand, a sipper of Scotch can be served on the rocks, neat or straight up.
Someone recently asked me to resolve a little dispute between him and his friends about the difference between a neat and straight up drink. It's probably not the first conversation about that subject because these terms are often confused with one another and along the way the two have almost become synonymous for some. The difference between the two is simple:chilled or not. Neat typically refers to a undiluted shot of liquor served at room temperature while the straight up is usually used to describe a drink that's chilled with ice (shaken or stirred) and strained into a glass. For example you can have a Bay Breeze on the rocks (as is customary) or you could strain it and enjoy it straight up, but you could never serve it neat. On the other hand, a sipper of Scotch can be served on the rocks, neat or straight up.
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Thank you for answering this burning question!
You’re welcome, glad it helped.
Not so much a “burning” question as a chilling one!
LOL…I had an argument with a new bartender about this subject last night. She tried to argue the point that “neat” meant double since there would be no ice!!!
Thanks…I’m printing this out to prove my point!
Scottie Ewing
Proprietor – Sugar House, Denver CO
http://www.SugarHouseDenver.com
Sweet! Yet another bar argument solved!
Send me more common questions at cocktails.guide@about.com and I’ll see if I can answer them.
So what type of glass does a Neat drink go in? Such as, a scotch neat…does it go in a rocks glass or a snifter? which is the standard?
A scotch neat would be served in a rocks glass
Wrong, a scotch neat would be served in a snifter
The shape of a Cognac snifter or a Scotch glass allows more heat to transfer from your hand to release more flavor and that same shape helps to focus the delightful aroma of your Scotch Whisky.
Dang, I always thought that “Up” meant that it was served in a stemmed, or footed glass, hence, an “Up Glass.” Twenty years of Dirty Martini drinking, and I ordered them every one wrong. Depressing.
I ordered a drink last night without ice. The bill had a $1.00 charge for “NEAT”…I asked about this and I was told that since there was no ice I got more liquor than if I had ordered it on the rocks. I didn’t dispute the (trivial) charge BUT, it doesn’t seem right. Wouldn’t there be exactly the same amount of drink being served whether or not it’s on the rocks or neat? If it were on the rocks, there would APPEAR to me more in the glass, but the amount should be the same.
Please advise…I think the $1.00 charge was wrong in principal.
Thanks
Norm
It doesn’t matter, Up/Neat/Rocks Should still be an ounce and a half pour. Scotch on the rocks, no matter the size of the glass, is still an ounce and a half pour on ice.
The one dollar charge was because the bartender was either stupid or lazy and gages the amount of liquor by how full the glass is instead of actually measuring.
Thus the charge for extra booze.
Hello