Bar Talk: 10 Things That Will Impress Any Date

Boozy fun facts are the best kind of fun facts.

There is a difference between "whiskey" and "whisky"


People often get confused, but both are correct—depending on how you use them. Whisky often denotes Scotch and Scotch-like liquors, while whiskey generally denotes Irish whiskey and American whiskeys. The problem arose when American copy editors (whoops…) decided to go with the American version of the word—whiskey—no matter the spirit. Now mostly everyone (including the New York Times) prints both whiskey and whisky, depending on the product.

Bourbon is the official drink of the U.S.

There's some myth and truth to this—though it's definitely true now. Basically, by an act of Congress in 1964, Bourbon was named an official native liquor of the U.S., making many people think it was declared the official spirit of the U.S. This was finally pushed forth in a resolution in 2008.

The word "brandy" comes from the Dutch word brandewijn, which means burnt wine

Makes sense.

Matthew McConaughey has a nephew named "Miller Lyte"


This is so real. His brother, who goes by the name Rooster, named his son Miller Lyte (note the "y") and his daughter Margarita Olympia, another (now defunct) beer brand.

The United States has the highest minimum drinking age in the world

You can serve your country when you're 18 but you have to wait till 21 to buy a cold one.

The first cocktail party happened in St. Louis, Missouri in 1917

And it was by a woman. Mrs. Julius S. Wash invited 50 guests to her home on a Sunday at noon for a one-hour drink session. "The party scored an instant hit," the newspaper declared, and stated that within weeks cocktail parties had become "a St. Louis institution."

The cocktail "Vesper" was named after the first Bond girl—Vesper Lynd

Everyone knows Bond likes his martinis shaken, not stirred, but the first time he uses the phrase he also gives very explicit instructions for a drink. In the first Bond novel, Casino Royale (1953), the agent tells the barman how to make his drink:


'Oui, monsieur.'



'Gosh, that's certainly a drink,' said Leiter.


The martini later went on to appear on cocktail menus and still does to this day.

The term "bathtub gin" had to do with the height of the bottles used to mix the spirit


At the height of the prohibition, gin was a favorite in speakeasys, as it was quick and easy to bootleg. The term bathtub gin was coined because of the way you mixed the spirit—the bottles were too tall for regular sinks, and had to be filled under a bathtub faucet.

"PBR" was almost just "PB"

"Pabst Beer" turned into "Pabst Blue Ribbon" after they won the Chicago World's Fair in 1893.

Mind your Ps & Qs comes from bartenders

Bartenders in England would tell rowdy patrons to mind their Ps & Qs—meaning, pints and quarts. It was later shortened and used for other scenarios.

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