Bar-ware Question
 

So I am watching the 3rd Season of Boardwalk Empire and I have noticed that those with money seem to keep their Whiskey's in Decanters rather than in the Bottle...

Is this just a status difference or does the Decanter provide any benefit to the libation itself?

Thank you for you time,

Rob

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Probably just for aesthetics

Maybe also for privacy of your brand of choice.

Couldn't tell ya for sure. I know with wine it's for filtering... Don't really think whiskey would need to be filtered tho, unless it's fresh from your backyard radiator. lol

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

I thought it might have something to do with aeration of the Whiskey, or perhaps the crystal (as I assume that is what they are made) adds something to the flavor...

Thanks Derrick for your input... I hadn't thought of the "privacy of your brand issue" May be a good way to store moonshine without the stigma :tu

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Derrick got an almost perfect score. ;)

Crystal bottles are for show. Brand privacy could be a motivator but that varies by the individual.

Decanting wine is not for filtering. It is for aeration or oxygenation - hence the term letting a wine breathe. The process allows the wine to open up and display its full character and body. Spirits do not change with decanting/aeration.

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Lead, if you use the right decanter. ;)

If you have your whiskey or rum or wine in a barrel or cask, and don't wish to have a bottling step, you need a vessel.

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Thanks Peter & Pete... Was just wondering if there was a reason why we don't typically see them anymore...

If you don't mind Peter, can you leave this thread open? I have a home bar and if I have any further questions I'd like to post them here... Thanks...

My next question, anyone know a good place to get cheap bar mats? Like the ones with the little pegs for spills? I know they are often given away as promotion for bars to use but if you try to buy them as an individual they typically run about 25 bucks give or take...

Maybe someone on here owns a bar and has a few they wouldn't mind getting rid of?

Thanks again Gentlemen...

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Thanks Pete... I often forget about the Bay... I don't have an account with them and have never done business with them... I know many people do but I guess I am a dinosaur in that regard...

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

On Ebay, you deal with other people directly, ebay is just an online marketplace that allows purchases to happen.

For another good source tho:

I've ordered lots of stuff from this website before... Check em out.

http://www.barsupplies.com/biggie-mats-p-12924.html

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

I got a crystal whiskey glass set and decanter I'll pick it up for you during the holidays Rob

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Awesome looking website... thanks for the reco... :tu

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Oh Wow... Thanks Tyler... !!!! :D

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

I don't mean to be pedantic, just for my own knowledge, is there a difference between Aeration and oxygenation?

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Practically speaking, no.

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Lead leaching is the reason not to store spirits in a crystal decanter.

Wine is decanted to aerate and drunk immediately, not stored. :2

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Good... so I am not a total ignoramus... :tu

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Does all Crystal contain lead?

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

The more air space you have in a bottle of bourbon, the faster it will oxidize and go down hill. If you don't buy this fact, take your mostly empty bottle of bourbon, and let it sit for 4-6 weeks. Then try it against a fresh opened bottle of the same bourbon. You will quickly throw the old out. That is the reason it is recommended that when you near the end of a bottle of bourbon, either drink it quickly, or have some friends over to help finish it off quickly.

Because of this reaction, I usually only open and finish one bottle of bourbon at a time. And I don't storing it long-term in anything that allows more air space than necessary (this would include a decanter).

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

no not all crystal contains lead anymore

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Thanks for the info Sville, and I am a fan of your Avatars as well... :r

so would the same go for the air in the bottle? would it then not make sense to put your sprite in whichever vessel that has less air-space?

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Glad to hear for obvious reasons... :D can't wait to see what you have Tyler... :tu

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

yes it would, this is why they have wine vacuums and such for an opened bottle

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

I assume you are a drinker of finer libations then I am... is this just a measure to safeguard your top shelf sprites or would this make a difference with my Maker's Mark as well?

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

It would make sense to me. I think some bottlers flush their bottles with a heavy gas before filling, so there is minimal oxygen in the "dead" space until the bottle is opened. I drink slowly, and can take many months to finish a bottle of bourbon. People that consume faster probably have little to worry about.

An interesting discussion on leaded decanters is here:

http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/mai...ad-crystal.asp

I was surprised at how fast the lead can leech into the drink!

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Thanks Tyler,

I knew about the vacuum stoppers for wine but this is the first I have heard of the same effect in whiskey... I just wonder how much of a real difference it can make in a lets say, less then premium sprite, such as my Maker's Mark...

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Oxidation will effect Marker's Mark just like it will Pappy Van Winkle. It's more of a time thing, I understand. I guess I should consider the immortal words of Don Henley, who sang "(I) You must not be drinkin' enough", and drink more/faster!!!

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Sounds like a good method to me... :D

So guys... next question... when making mixed drinks, do you find that the liqueur's your use make a vast difference in the taste of the drink? or because it is mixed do you take the cheaper way out... for instance...

Cointreau versus Orange Schnapps ?

Discuss... :D

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

It's liquor - not liquer. Big difference.

Better ingredients = better cocktail. Simple.

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Thanks for the info Peter,

I thought Liquor was for your main spirits like Vodka, Whiskey, Rum, Tequila ect... and that Liquer was for flavored spirits and after dinner drinks such as Schnapps, B&B, Drambuie ect...

Have I been wrong this entire time?

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

No. You got it right. It looks like I misunderstood your post.
Probably because I rarely make cocktails with liquers.

Generally, liquers are a bit lower in alcohol, too.

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Good, I'm feeling smarter already... :tu

Re: Bar-ware Question
 

Peter has it 1000% here. Even with Liqueurs, the quality matters! Worse mistake I made one time was substituting a cheap Amaretto instead of using the good stuff. Taste was off, from the start. About the only time I substitute for a cheaper liqueur is cooking, where the alcohol and majority of the taste is either burned/heated away, or overpowered by stronger tastes in the dish.