This I Know*

*Vodka

Last week when we went to Mistral, I ordered my usual Absolut Citron before dinner. When it arrived and I took my first sip, I knew it wasn't Citron, and you may recall that I can't stand plain Absolut. The waiter apologized on behalf of the bartender and returned with my beloved Citron. We've all read those reports of blind taste tests where self-described vodka lovers can't pick out their preferred brand (and, in some cases, even rate their preferred brand dead last), but I promise you that I know what plain Absolut tastes like and what Absolut Citron tastes like. The non-vodka drinkers in my readership are rolling their eyes and saying in a patronizing voice, "Vodka has no taste, so of course you can't tell the difference!" but they're wrong.

You may also remember that I found the opposite to be true with Svedka: I love the plain and can't stand the Citron. Not long ago we had run out of Absolut Citron and Andy attempted to sneak a Svedka Citron by for my refill. Ha ha, silly boy. He was roundly scolded for that and vowed never to try to trick me again. (We still have the Svedka Citron on hand in case anyone ever comes over and wants it, but I'd rather drink something else entirely than that.)

So, last night we went out to Icarus with Kathleen and Atul (a double-date we'd been trying to orchestrate for something like 2 years). I ordered my drink and took my first sip . . . you guessed it, not what I ordered. But it certainly wasn't plain Absolut, which has such an off-flavor that it makes me wince. It had come with a lemon wedge, which I squeezed into it, so I did detect a citrus flavor, but it definitely wasn't Absolut Citron. I told the waiter, who appeared—at least fleetingly—to be a bit flustered when he apologized and took my drink away. When he came back, he told me that they don't serve Absolut Citron, so this was Skyy Citron instead. It wasn't horrible, so I kept it.

Here are the questions I'm stewing over:
1. Did the waiter already know that they don't carry Absolut? If so, he should have told me when I ordered rather than try to sneak something by on me. And if he didn't know, boo on him. A waiter at a high-end restaurant needs to know what brands of booze are available.
2. Obviously the bartender knew what he was pouring. Did he tell the waiter or not?
3. Would they have dared try to give Andy a different bourbon than his requested Maker's Mark? Of course not. Why? Because vodka don't get no respect? Because I'm a girl? I'd like to know.

As for our food, everything was very good but not exceptional. We all agreed that we'd go back to Icarus if invited or if someone we were with wanted to, but we wouldn't choose to go back on our own. There are too many other restaurants in Boston that are indeed exceptional. Still and all, it was a lovely evening, which we capped off by going back to their house to watch the Sox finish off the Indians 12-2! I really never expected us to make it to Game 7, but here we are, and you can guess what I'll be drinking when it starts.

Comments

[Elena]

How was your dinner at Mistral? I don't think you ever told us,and I've been wondering. (Or did I miss it?)

[Karen]

Yep, there's a link to my review in the first line of this post (at "went"), and my menu choices are in the Comments there. It was divine!

[Deborah]

I remember when I first started working the "up-scale" restaurant that I would make stupid mistakes like that. It was the first time I had to memorize all those liquors, and I was completely overwhelmed for the first two weeks.

The bartenders, however, had all been servers before. And they knew their stuff. And they never had a problem with saying "Hey Dumbass! We stopped serving Johnny Walker Blue 5 years ago!" Which made for a very embaressing conversation with my guests.

So yeah, either or both of them should have caught it before it came to your table. We never made a distinction between types of liquor - if we didn't have what you ordered, we didn't try to slip something past you.

[dee]

I'm a vodka snob of a different sort. My taste testing would have to extend a full 12 hours as I get hangovers from anything other than Ketel One or Grey Goose. I doubt I could return to the scene of the crime after a round of vomiting to complain about a vodka switcharoo.

[scott]

I've tried many expensive imported vodkas as well as local boutique brands, and I still usually buy Svedka. It's very smooth and so inexpensive! Even my Russian neighbor drinks it. Who knows vodka better than a Russian? My second choice might be Chopin.

[ricky]

Actually, as a non-vodka drinker, I'm not rolling my eyes. I'm seriously impressed that you could tell what kind of vodka was in your drink.

That's some talent.

As a whiskey drinker, I'm often not even sure what glass on the table belongs to me, never mind what's in it.

[Karen]

I was pretty impressed with myself too. But let me clarify: I never know what I'm drinking unless it's Absolut Citron. In other words, there's Absolut Citron and then there's Everything Else. It's a very specialized talent I have.

[steve]

A friend of mine hosted a blind vodka tasting of 6 vodkas typically found amongst our friends. Here's how they rated:

1. Stohli - has a slight and pleasant citrus flavor
2. Skyy - very clean, almost flavorless
3. Smirnoff (!) - slightly sweet
4. Grey Goose - pleasant and mostly flavorless
5. Absolut - bitter
6. Finlandia - undrinkable