Ordering drinks....Spirits

[davethailand 91]

Most of the bottles in Thailand have the plastic insert near the top. This can be removed, but your risk breaking the neck of the bottle

The reason it is there..? To stop people from putting in a cheap liquor and selling it in the expensive bottle. (JW Red and Black all have the inserts)

 

I have noticed that even the Thai whiskeys (Blend 285 and Hong Thong ) are starting to go to this also

But most Thai Bars sell it as they were in the old west...by the bottle

I found this crazy, but after being here the last 17 months, it has become a normal thing

 

They will watch the price of Blend 285 (cost is 242-255 at the store) and they will pay up to 100 Baht more at a bar

Then get charged 30 baht for a 5 baht bottle of soda. Most use 12 mixers per bottle,. Now add the bucket of ice @ 30 baht (x4) and the bar can make a nice little profit off this sale by the bottle.

 

They love there whiskey here, but they don't see how much they spend on it. ( Blend 285@345+360+120 = 835 Baht)

 

Thats what I was going to say, check for the plastic tops..

[MM 6,562]

Thats what I was going to say, check for the plastic tops..

The tamper free tops are great, but not all spirits have them.

[davethailand 91]

The tamper free tops are great, but not all spirits have them.

true, I always made sure as many as possible did, the Gin, Vodka, Bacardi and Whiskey came with them.

Still got accused though lol.

[Greg_B 306]

Not all do, therefore, you can get a measured pourer for a certain size ml shot

But you can't stop a slick bartender unless you have eyes on and know most of the tricks

 

You could easily double pour and tamper with any bottle. Honestly, if you want to make the drink look stronger, you make a "top heavy"

Pour the mixer first and the booze on top.

[woody0563 805]

So the Thais can't copy these so called tamper free bottles. !!!!! Yea rite

[davethailand 91]

So the Thais can't copy these so called tamper free bottles. !!!!! Yea rite

Doubt it.

 

If you break the special top they come with you can't fix them.

[harro1 256]

Pour the mixer first and the booze on top.

I would say 90% of Thais do it this way. I don't think they are trying to make it taste stronger, they just have their own way of doing things.

[Alphonse 109]

I don't mind weaker drinks so much since they prolong a semi-sober evening but some bars are absurdly stingy with my gin tonics--in those places I stick to beer.

[cbrib 354]

The tamper free bottles are a joke. Most Thai's know how to get the little thingy out. The problem is most of us are too busy being entertained by the girls, watching girls try to dance, having a laugh with mates or just seated in the wrong area to actually watch the drink being poured.

 

If bars want to pour a shit house spirit then it should be made known to the customer and charged accordingly. 125 for shit house spirit and 130 for a proper spirit is just taking the piss. Even half the time on a call spirit you may still get the shit house stuff especially if they can tell you have had a few drinks already and are ordering them with oj or coke which hides the taste. That is why i always order with soda, at least then i have a fighting chance

Edited January 27, 2015 by cbrib

[alstaxi 26]

If you want a drink make it yourself, if you want pussy go to a ggb, ffs, its not rocket science.

[Shilo 371]

A couple of quick questions... I ask because I honestly don't know the answers.

 

Which has the higher markup (profit margin): a bottle of beer, a well made mix drink or draft beer? If it turns out that the well made mix drink makes the most money per unit then it is sheer stupidity to water it down. You might make a little more per drink but you would lose a ton of sales to those like myself who switched to beer...

 

The the ladydrink mills like Sensation... i seems that their business model is built around offering eyecandy and pushing drinks. Are their drinks any better then the competition?

[MM 6,562]

My experience is that an honest measure mixed drink had the highest profit margin...based on the typically higher price. Any messing with the measures or brand is pure stupidity and greed.

[Greg_B 306]

You figure you can get the maximum of 22 shots per 70 cl bottle (1 ounce shot)

JW Red is 499 Baht for a 70 cl bottle, so at 100 Baht/shot that is 2200 Baht

1 bottle of soda is 5 Baht at cost, a coke is about the same (you don't use the whole bottle per drink)

Ice is very low as you buy it in a huge bag for 50 baht and of course you use as much as you can in a glass

 

Probably have 30-35 Baht in a drink, now you have to add in many other costs (rent, utilities, employees and yes some graft)

 

I'm not use to the farang system anymore, as the wife's family has a small place and does a Thai business.

They buy it like the old west, give me a bottle. She doesn't add too much in on a bottle, because if you do, the bastards bring there own in (no shit)

Blend 285, I think she adds 90 Baht and charges an arm/leg for ice and soda (30 baht each)

I'm getting use to the Thai way and find they really hit it hard when out drinking

 

If I was serving mostly farangs, I'd try to get the airline size bottles and send it out that way. But I highly doubt you could find it in Thailand. I have seen 20CL JW Red, which I guess you could do a special on (cost is 194 Baht/bottle). But then the employees would be stealing those at the end of the night...

[davethailand 91]

If you want a drink make it yourself, if you want pussy go to a ggb, ffs, its not rocket science.

 

So you go behind the bar and make your own drink?

The tamper free bottles are a joke. Most Thai's know how to get the little thingy out. The problem is most of us are too busy being entertained by the girls, watching girls try to dance, having a laugh with mates or just seated in the wrong area to actually watch the drink being poured.

 

If bars want to pour a shit house spirit then it should be made known to the customer and charged accordingly. 125 for shit house spirit and 130 for a proper spirit is just taking the piss. Even half the time on a call spirit you may still get the shit house stuff especially if they can tell you have had a few drinks already and are ordering them with oj or coke which hides the taste. That is why i always order with soda, at least then i have a fighting chance

 

True they can get them out, don't know about other bars but I used to check them so I will know whether they're messing about or not.

You figure you can get the maximum of 22 shots per 70 cl bottle (1 ounce shot)

JW Red is 499 Baht for a 70 cl bottle, so at 100 Baht/shot that is 2200 Baht

1 bottle of soda is 5 Baht at cost, a coke is about the same (you don't use the whole bottle per drink)

Ice is very low as you buy it in a huge bag for 50 baht and of course you use as thin

I don't think many bars will be giving you a measure big enough for 22 shots per bottle though too be honest, many 26/27 per bottle.

[Gabor 296]

If I was serving mostly farangs, I'd try to get the airline size bottles and send it out that way. But I highly doubt you could find it in Thailand.

 

It's not to find hardly... it's the economy... it would be much more expensive... remember, the wrapping always more expensive, than the content... IF the customer feels the content and don't have any issues to think about... the bar runs OK....

 

 

So you go behind the bar and make your own drink?

 

 

 

Nope... give me an other reason to visit the Pattaya bars other, than the available, pretty girls for the reasonable price... sadly some of my ultra LDOP friends decided to stop to visit the Pattaya GOGO bars during their winter trip... for them the girls and the party mood was just a bonus... ( their usual bill was 5-40.000 baht only in one GOGO bar in the past... only for the drinks ) What we do nowadays... ? Booze on their 70.000 baht / month View Talay 7 corner condo balcony... or watching the people from the overpriced King bar... and they are busy with their shisas... Maybe hard to understand... not all of the LDOPs are desperate to barfine a thai peasant girl... called nowadays a coyotee girl... many of the LDOPs also wants value for their money, not only spoiled girls running back as soon as possible to their imported thai boyfriends / tomboys.... or whatever....they allow to import just because of the guaranteed 1000 / day agency salaries...and... but you may know...

[misteregg 709]

LOL. What a load of nonsense. Management waters down the whiskey. Management substitutes cheap booze for expensive. I'd say it's management whose the thief.

The measure in Secrets bar is 26ml. I do regular stock checks to make sure that I can be as sure as possible that we don't give any short measures. We use quality house spirits not copies.

[misteregg 709]

My experience is that an honest measure mixed drink had the highest profit margin...based on the typically higher price. Any messing with the measures or brand is pure stupidity and greed.

True.

[misteregg 709]

So the Thais can't copy these so called tamper free bottles. !!!!! Yea rite

Thais can fiddle the system only so much. If you check deliveries and do regular stock checks it minimalises it as much as possible

[MeGoDanceNow 4,281]

Thais can fiddle the system only so much. If you check deliveries and do regular stock checks it minimalises it as much as possible

 

Indeed. It's a good idea to be seen to be checking, even if you don't suspect anything bad is going on. An ounce of prevention and all that.

[woody0563 805]

So basically the average bar/gogo only makes a killing on lady drinks not farrang drinks. So greedy barrowners would set bigger quotas ?

Edited January 28, 2015 by woody0563

[MM 6,562]

So basically the average bar/gogo only makes a killing on lady drinks not farrang drinks. So greedy barrowners would set bigger quotas ?

Profit on a single lady drink is usually less than or very close to that on a customer drink because of the commission given for each drink. But a gogo can count on some customers buying more lady drinks than their own drinks.

[woody0563 805]

Mm does the quota go towards the salary of the lady ?

[MM 6,562]

Mm does the quota go towards the salary of the lady ?

If there is a quota (not all have them), and they don't make the quota, their salary is cut by some amount..depending on their arrangement with the bar.

Their drink commissions for an evening are typically given to them in cash at the end of each night or when they are barfined, unless they are 10 day workers and have not yet reached their quota.

[Parkwahn 61]

I would guess a shorts drinker could drink quicker than a beer drinker, so if any bar were to practice the scam it must cost them in so many ways... All for the net cost of a spirit drink ?

[jacko 8,776]

I would guess a shorts drinker could drink quicker than a beer drinker, so if any bar were to practice the scam it must cost them in so many ways... All for the net cost of a spirit drink ?

People often spout this but many owners won't look further than the current moment.

And why not, their customers are mostly transient, tourist visitors more than the Expats.... who mostly spend little.

Give them a daft 2 week millionaire every night and he is welcome to get his kit off and dance on stage so long as he rings that bell!

Edited January 31, 2015 by jacko