( caption revisions in progress ) >> This episode of the Modern Rogue brought to you by NordVPN.
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>> Don't make us send the knight after you,
because he will show you no mercy.
>> Also he'll just stand there, he's creepy.
It's haunted, it's a haunted knight.
Hey Trever, just answer the question.
>> Answer the question, Trever.
>> Does the glass matter, does it matter?
>> Yes! >> Huh, good episode.
>> Cool, okay, good. >> That was fast.
[record static playing]
>> All right, we're back at Parker Jazz Club
with our favorite bartender Trever Fehrenbach.
>> So let's talk about the different shapes of things.
I do believe, as we learned with our experience
with The Beerists, that the shape of the glass
does everything from affect the aromatics,
as we hung out with the Whiskey Tribe,
we learned that the Glencairn is their
preferred whiskey-drinking vessel of choice.
Can you give us just a broad overview
of why the shape of the vessel matters?
>> It's not only the shape, for instance, the tiki mug.
Why does it look like this? >> I don't know, it's haunted.
They're haunted drinks, >> Definitely could.
>> I've seen him drink them and it ends badly.
>> It's like with drinking, cursed glassware.
>> [snickers] Well essentially what you have there is
take brown, dark liquor and any other color,
what are ya going to get? >> Oh!
Something that looks like poop!
>> So why not put it in something--
>> So you hide the diarrhea behind an opaque ceramic mug.
That's amazing, now that I'm thinking this through,
it occurs to me that different vessels carry
temperatures at different speed,
and all of that must matter. >> It's actually called
thermal lag, and with the tiki mug,
with it being ceramic, it's actually going to keep
the ice colder longer than glass or metal.
>> So this has an insulating effect.
This is a drink that is not very attractive
to look at, but it matters that the ice sticks
around the entire drink long, essentially you have
basically a YETI cooler or something.
>> And it's another way for a bar to make,
you know, a quick $20 when they're wanting to leave.
>> That matters too. >> Know where that came from?
>> [stammering] Target? >> Ah, well, that is
the iconography of the people of the South Pacific,
brought back by GIs from World War II.
>> And there was an adverse effect to that
because of the GIs who were stationed
in Japan after the war and wanted to drink
a cocktail, Japan learned how to make them,
and make them better and actually influenced
the cocktail boom of 2006, all the way back
right after World War II. >> True fact,
those shipping lanes, now called the GI tract.
[all burst out laughing]
[Trever claps] >> Well done.
>> All right, what's next? [chuckling]
Talk to me about the martini.
>> Are you sure it's a martini glass?
Are you sure it's not a cocktail glass?
>> Oh, [stammering] I don't know, [Jason drowns him out].
>> I mean it looks like a martini glass.
>> Look, all I know is I go to an airport,
and I want a Jameson, and there's this
on the picture, so I go there.
>> The original cocktail glass was
a slimmer, smaller version of the martini glass.
In 1925, the Parisians then introduced
a wider base to the drink, and then decided
to call it the martini glass for any drink
that was up, the stem on the end, obviously,
was there to keep your hand away from it
from keeping the drink getting warm.
>> Oh of course, because if you're doing this,
it's going to get way too warm way too fast.
>> And you can't put ice in a glass that small.
>> From a design standpoint, this suddenly makes
so much sense. >> So what kind
of cocktails would you put in there?
>> TREVER: It's going to be anything that's up,
say a Manhattan, a martini, something
that has been stirred, that has already
chilled and is going to stay chilled
because you are no longer holding onto it.
>> And if I were to speculate wildly,
I would guess that this implies
that there's not much of an aromatic nature
to experience when you drink a martini.
It's not like you sit there and sniff
the martini beforehand. >> You're actually,
you're right on track there, and it's not the GI tract,
what it is, it's actually the wider surface is
for you to gulp it quicker. >> Got it!
So you sell more, you move them fast,
>> Ah. >> they look fancy.
>> A little-known fact, if you get a martini,
however many olives are in it,
that's how many drinks it should be.
So if you have a three-olive martini,
it should be three gulps. >> How did I not know this?
>> I've never heard that. >> This is amazing!
>> But talk to the Spaniards, talk to the Italians,
you're going to get different amounts of olives
because they're superstitious about odds and evens.
>> [snorts] Okay, fascinating, what's next?
>> That's the highball. >> No no no, this is
a cosmopolitan, isn't it? >> No.
>> [mumbles] Long Island Iced Tea.
This is [stammering] this is a spyglass.
We're suddenly an improv troupe.
>> Help us here! >> I heard dentist. [laughs]
>> This is a Collins glass. >> What?
>> Aw, like for a Vodka Collins or a Tom Collins?
>> Now, some people may believe
that it's named after Tom Collins,
but it's actually John Collins
who is mentioned in a poem from a bar
in London in the late 1700s about being
the head server at this bar, and he invented a drink
that eventually became known as the Tom Collins.
>> Whenever someone would order it,
he would have to go, "It's John."
>> "I'm right here, right here."
>> "It's John, not Tom, it's John."
>> That's right, "Tom is my dad."
>> It has always been the Collins glass,
whether or not we know whether it was
Tom or John or whoever, but when Jerry Thomas's
book came out, who is the father of mixology,
he called it the Tom Collins because the drink
originally called for Old Tom gin.
>> So somebody conflated the two,
and that's how we ended up with this.
All right, so if I was going to guess,
based on what you told us about the martini glass,
I'm going to guess that again, it's not
that you want to slam it down really fast,
but you also really don't care about the aromatics
in there, also it's fine if the ice melts,
that's why your hand is all over this.
It does seem like an efficient design as well,
whereas this seems fairly inefficient for space,
this is just like, drink goes here,
fist goes here, belly gets full.
>> That's a good point on the martini glass,
because when you're holding a martini glass
in a social arena, say, you are trying
to make points, you're talking, but you're slowly
gesturing, it's a slow, methodic gathering.
Whereas a Collins, you can run around with it.
>> Oh a Collins is an end-of-the-evening drink.
>> Yeah, with this Collins glass,
the reason it's designed this way is
because of the Ramos Gin Fizz, which is
one of New Orleans' oldest drinks.
With the egg foam, the drink would be here,
but the foam would come all the way up,
so that's the reason for the tall cylinder shape,
is to catch all that egg foam.
>> This is also the perfect shape for one of my
all-time favorite bar bets, which is to ask,
"Which is more, the circumference around the top,
"or the length all the way down to the bottom?"
Most people visually just assume it's got to be the height,
and there's no trickery here, it's just
that our brains can't conceive of the fact
that it's actually farther around the circumference
than the height. >> All right, what's next?
>> This is actually a Nick and Nora Glass,
and-- >> What, no!
>> Do you know who Nick and Nora is?
>> Yeah, from The Thin Man movies.
From like the '20s or '30s, those are some
of my favorite crime noir thrillers.
>> What is happening?
>> It was a couple in the Silver Screen Era
>> Yeah. >> that loved to drink.
>> And it was this crime-fighting couple
named Nick and Nora. >> So what's special
about this, this seems to me to be just
a martini glass that is slightly easier
to hold in your knuckles, I guess.
>> When you asked me if the glass matters,
this time it doesn't. [all laughing]
A Nick and Nora is a glass that's used
for a drink that you kind of want to get down
a little bit quicker because you might want to get out,
you got more drinking to do somewhere else.
>> Got it, so this is just a--
>> Or you might have a crime to solve, I don't know.
>> You don't want to say, "Gimme a shot"
so instead you say, "Give me a Nick and Nora of blank."
>> Holy [slots bell trills], he's like
the Rain Man of glassware. [laughing hysterically]
>> I am a legitimate bartender.
>> Here we go. [Brian drowns Trever out]
>> That's a fancy way of drinking a shot,
so is asking for a martini with no vermouth,
shaken, and in a martini glass,
you just want a shot of vodka.
>> Okay, I know what this one is, this is a coupe!
>> That's the booby one, the French say,
"you don't want a booby bigger than that."
>> Marie Antoinette's breast, allegedly?
Who knows if that's true or not,
but what kind of drinks do you put in here?
Like champagne? >> Milk.
>> Milk, oh God. [Brian wheezing laughter]
What's up with the coupe? >> I don't know,
it's the opposite of a martini glass.
To me, the use of this is about not being
able to spill anything out of it,
you can swish it around, roll it around.
>> There is an irrational amount of anxiety
I have whenever I do a martini, I'm just like,
[groans] better drink it as fast as possible.
Which I guess is also what they want to do,
whereas this is meant to be held,
and you feel safe holding onto it,
and gesturing for a long time.
>> Also, try toasting that as compared to this
when it's full. [glasses chime]
>> Oh, yeah, absolutely. >> Because this was
the original champagne glass,
so it was easier to toast with.
>> And whatever liquid goes forward is going to
roll back in, whereas this is just going to
go everywhere, so you're safer just drinking.
>> Snifters, what do you use a snifter for,
brandy, right? >> Yeah, brandy, cognac.
The reason that it is designed like this is
because it traps the gas that is emitted
from the alcohol to have, like you talked about,
the aroma that's coming out of it, okay.
The bell at the end then traps it at the bottom,
and when you're holding it like this,
it allows for it to be heated up by your hand,
which you want when it comes to a cognac
or a brandy or even some whiskeys.
The reason I really love a snifter is
the presentation of a drink for a guest.
If someone wants their cognac heated up,
here's all you have to do, is
you'll take a highball glass,
fill it with hot water, [relaxed lounge music]
you'll then take your brandy or your
snifter glass, [liquid pouring]
[glass clinks] >> Oh, that's clever.
>> Ah and it just warms up the brandy for them,
and it's a nice way to present it.
Then you can just spin the glass this way
and then warm up their spirit for them.
Much like a wine glass-- >> Yeah, it'll swirl around
without spilling everywhere. >> And you can get that aroma.
>> It's not bad. >> So now that we've, oh.
Here we go, now we've also got the highball there,
which I thought was called a tumbler?
>> Tumbler, highball, rocks glass,
they all have different variations.
Highballs used to be a little bit bigger as well.
Highballs are your one-and-ones, your gin and tonics,
your gin and sodas, your vodka sodas,
your whiskey and ginger, your whiskey and sodas,
whiskey and coke. >> You called those one-and-one
so just one ingredient and another ingredient, okay.
>> Yeah, a spirit, mixer. >> Okay.
>> And that's what a highball's all about,
there's really nothing fancy about 'em, does it matter?
Mm, depends on how much mixer you want,
so yes, the size would then come into play on that one.
>> It does make a lot of sense, everything else
seems to have a reason for it, give or take,
but this one just is like, it's a cup.
>> Taste-wise, no, for the flavor, no,
but for a bar, yes, because they're short,
you can stack 'em, you need more of them
because more people are drinking them,
and if they break, they're cheap.
>> And finally, what is this called, the mule cup?
>> Mule cup, back to the thermal lag,
that's actually escaping so fast
that it's not keeping it as cold as a ceramic.
>> So this is a case where you actively want
the ice to be melting as fast as possible,
so you're able to hold it in your hands
and suddenly just eh what, you're watering it down?
>> They have a deep bell to them,
you're putting a lot of ice in it,
you're drinking this drink quick.
If someone's drinking a mule,
they'll have two or three, this has more
of a sleek design to it, and I'm starting to see
a lot more mules coming out slenderer, taller,
and sheen with no buck kick to it.
>> I don't know, sorry, what is a buck kick?
>> The original mule cup had dents all over it,
it was a failed business, and when these two men
who were trying to sell their vodka got together
with this woman who was trying to sell her copper cup,
because it had all these dents in it,
it was right before The Cold War.
In order to just kind of throw a little shade
at the Russians, we put a vodka in an American cup
that had been kicked by a donkey.
>> Ah. >> Got it.
>> Throwing a little shade. >> If you must have
that Soviet beverage, why don't you have it
in something that's been kicked around by a donkey.
>> I've seen lately the trend is to call them
American mules, back then there was nothing
more American than a donkey kicking a Russian spirit.
>> All right, so you've got a surprise for us,
your favorite glassware to cap it all, go ahead.
[relaxed lounge music]
>> The shot glass. >> Okay, I...
Mm, mm, mm, okay, uh sure, why not.
>> TREVER: Do you want to know why it matters?
>> Why? >> Quick delivery.
>> Yes, you're right, because actually,
even if it's the same volume of liquid
at the bottom of a tiki glass,
with all this texture and ridges and all that,
you're going to be [giggling] doing this
[talking over each other] trying to get your shot.
>> Oh bring that up again. >> Minimize the surface area
on there, actually you know what,
I think you brought me on board.
>> All right, Trever, where can we find more
of your magic online? >> Barstooltheory,
Instagram, Twitter, that's my handle.
>> Easily bribed in Rumple Minze.
Delivered in his favorite vehicle.
Where's the Rumple Minze? >> Oh, no.
>> They don't carry it in this bar for a reason.
>> This has the words Rumple Minze, I always thought
that was a bit, he really loves, all right.
>> Do you wear any armor when you're surfing the internet?
>> I mean, I should, fire comes at you
when you're on the internet.
>> Or? >> Onions?
>> Bathtub full of poop!
The armor protects you. [Brian wheezes]
>> Okay, explain to me this whole metaphor.
In this story, what is NordVPN?
>> NordVPN is the armor, that is the armor
that you wear when you're surfing the internet
with Nord, it protects people from getting in your biz!
And all the slings and arrows of outrageous websites
and bad actors and people tracking your biz.
That protects you, man! >> Sounds to me
like what you're trying to say is
that NordVPN is our favorite virtual private network,
something that makes you more anonymous,
more protected, so you're not constantly seeing
all these targeted ads or maybe you're geo-blocked
and guess what, you can clap your hands
and go to Canada, thank you NordVPN!
>> Yes, Nord keeps you safe, it is PC Magazine's
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>> And on top of all of that, it's the fastest VPN
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>> Nonstop. >> Best part,
super, super cheap, you would think
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if you go to nordvpn.com/rogue.
>> Don't walk into battle naked.
>> Yeah, man, what are you doing?
Put on some clothes for crying out loud.
>> Yeah, you can get a three-year plan
at 75% off, that's less than $3 a month, for armor!
>> Also you'll be keeping us in business,
go to battle naked, where did that metaphor come from,
is that a thing? >> The Celts, actually,
would show their bits under their kilts,
which seems really reckless to me, I prefer that.
I prefer Nord, don't get hit by internet poop.
>> Thank you NordVPN, I hope they let us run this.
[both laughing]
Brian Brushwood, legitimate historian.
>> Oh God that was good. [Brian laughing]
I thought he actually had, >> I did too.
>> I thought he remembered something
from a documentary all of a sudden.
>> Like, I said it, and then-- >> I started to believe you,
I was like, GI tract, oh. [laughing]