What do you order at a bar when you're not drinking?

[Leros]

Few drinks and hang out. I don't want to end up passed out in a gutter with a hobo or anything.

I'd just order a couple of beers. Good beers (not Budweiser, Coors, etc). Its time to learn what kind of beer you like.

 

[Matthiasa]

Yes midnight would be the time. Just be careful of stuff that gets ordered for you when you turn 21 it tends to be disgusting.
Though I am off the opinion that beer is disgusting as well so yeah.

 

[ElFenix]

I'd just order a couple of beers. Good beers (not Budweiser, Coors, etc). Its time to learn what kind of beer you like.

beer newb whose taste buds likely haven't deadened matured enough to appreciate bitter isn't someone i'd suggest fancy beer to.


have a rum and coke. or something fruity like a screwdriver, tequila sunrise, or sex on the beach.

 

[lxskllr]

What a peculiar situation. Never had alcohol of any kind? Get Black Bush neat, or maybe cognac. They're mellow for spirits, and tasty. It's also lighter on the stomach than beer is.

 

[BrokenVisage]

Shirley Temple, extra 7up.

 

[Leros]

beer newb whose taste buds likely haven't deadened matured enough to appreciate bitter isn't someone i'd suggest fancy beer to.


have a rum and coke. or something fruity like a screwdriver, tequila sunrise, or sex on the beach.

I'm not suggesting fancy beers, but something good, like at the level of Sam Adams. It'll only be a few bucks more and a much better experience.


OP, get a beer, not some fruity drink. This is your first experience to sit in a bar and sip on a beer with a friend. Don't screw it up.

 

[AreaCode707]

I didn't drink til I was 21 either. Good for you.

I usually order tonic with lime if I'm not drinking. Gin and tonic if I am and in the mood for a mixed drink, an amber ale if I'm drinking beer (I'm not much of a beer drinker, ambers are good starter beers.)

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Have none of you folks ever hung out at a family bar? I drop by a local place all the time that usually has kids around.

 

[deadlyapp]

If your friend is taking you to a bar for your birthday he probably intends to get you smammered.

Sugary drinks will give you the worst hangover the next morning but will probably taste the best. Maybe get a long island or an AMF. Nobody will call you a pussy because there is so much booze in them.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Soda most of the time when I got to watch MMA etc. If not soda, then water with lemon.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

mind eraser three wise men four horsemen

Oh dear God no. I mean, sure, that one's great if all you're interested in is not seeing your 22nd birthday, but for all other purposes, that drink is just evil.

I'd recommend Jack and Coke or rum and coke. Definitely get a shot of whiskey neat; Irish or Canadian are the easiest drinking, so Jameson or Crown Royal are your best bet. Pace your night so the stronger drinks (shots, AMFs, Caribou Lous, etc.) are towards the beginning of the night; this way, you'll get tipsy/drunk relatively quickly and the rest of your drinking can merely be maintaining that feeling. "Beer before liquor, never been sicker" is a very reasonable rule to follow your first time out.

Also, don't load up on sugary drinks. They may "taste better," but they will increase any hangover effects by a factor of a billion. Don't be afraid to order classics like margaritas or martinis; there's a reason they're classics, and you're supposed to sample a bunch of things on your birthday. But whenever you're at the bar ordering, know what you want in advance. It's OK to ask the bartender for suggestions, but really, you should be confident in your drink selection. And never order a "vodka martini, shaken, not shtirred;" it's an old shtick and it's tired.

And, the most important rule; when it's your birthday, you pay for exactly nothing. If your friends aren't willing to pony up the dough to put you in the hospital for alcohol poisoning, they aren't your real friends.

 

[dquan97]

Virgin margarita

 

[KingGheedora]

Water or a soda. Soda looks like you still have booze but it's just deadly sugar.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I would order a diet coke. If they serve food I'd also order a burger.

 

[Wyndru]

NA Beer, that way you can cover the label with your hand and still look cool.

 

[Oil]

Be a real man, get a glass of scotch

 

[BurnItDwn]

For somebody who hasn't developed the palette for delicious tasty beer, I'd go with something easy and smooth, like a cream ale or maybe a witbier.

For Witbiers, Hoegaarden is one of the better and easy to find witbiers available, Otherwise Blue Moon is a decent knock off if they have that.... My favorites of the style are probably St Bernardus Witbier and Allagash White, but both are a bit harder to find and a bit more $$$.

For Cream Ales, the only one I 'm truly fond of is Spotted Cow, but it's only sold in Wisconsin. (New Glarus Brewery.) I'm sure there is probably a good cream ale available in your neck of the woods.

Also, Hefeweizens tend to be decently mild and sweet and have a nice sharp finish with almost no aftertaste. Franziskaaner is a good common hefeveizen...