How Does One Safely Barhop?

[DarkIvy]

Here's the predicament:

I'm in college. I recently turned 21. I know what kinds of alcohol are safe and what's not, but what about all the extras?

What's in triple sec?

I just read somewhere else that the sodas from the "tap" thing (you know, the tube with all the buttons that the bartender just pushes the correct button to get the correct soda from) are not gluten free... why would this be the case is major coke/pepsi products are gluten free?

Has anyone ever asked a busy bartender to wash his or her hands before starting your drinks? I haven't yet, but it dawned on me recently that when bartenders pour beer from a tap, they get it all over their hands and then start right away on the next drinks.

I'm just curious if anyone has any barhopping tips for celiacs... because lets face it, the only times it's fun to go are when it's really busy, and I can't really afford to just go to the top of the line bars all the time. I haven't gotten glutened (yet) but I just want to make sure.

[ravenwoodglass]

One of the safest things you can do is just drink wine, a gluten free beer or gluten free cider, like Woodchuck. I have asked bartenders to rinse their hands and I also make sure they rinse the glass under tap water before they pour in the wine. Do be careful if you drink hard liquor, while some of us do not react to distilled gluten grains some of us do. Use a great deal of caution until you are sure which group you are in. If you are sensitive to distilled gluten alcohols you could become much more intoxicated off of very little and it could also lead to being really sick, way past normal hangover ill, the next day. I have always blacked out after just one gluten grain vodka and it is no fun to have others tell you interesting stories about what you did the night before. I can drink potato vodka all night and not have this happen and wake up feeling great. Use caution until you know for sure what you tolerate.

[www]

PASS OUT???? You shouldn't post such scary stuff. New Celiacs will be frightened to go out to a bar with that last post. We must all be aware of how sensitive to gluten we are before we eat or drink anything. Try drinking at home a few times with mixed drinks, sodas and grain alcohol. Don't be afraid to bar hop. Don't be afraid of a bartenders fingers!! Enjoy your gluten free life!

[DarkIvy]

I'm actually not a new celiac... and I know I don't react to distilled gluten grains. I usually stick to vodka, rum, gin, tequila, or sake. Whiskey's the one thing that still really freaks me out to try, but I didn't like it before I was diagnosed so there's no point in me trying it anyway. It's malted or something, right? Seems sketchy.

I guess my main concern at this point is the cross contamination... the bars I usually end up with are college student magnets. Some of them are a touch seedy, even. On a given weekend evening, they're packed, and it's a drag just to get your order heard at the bar. I wonder if I could just write down a note with what I want, also asking to quickly rinse hands and the glass they use?

Woodchuck is a good suggestion... We usually keep that stuff around at the house anyway. Not sure how many of the bars keep it around, but keep in mind, most of these places have 90% student customer bases. They don't stock "novelty" anything. Just your basic cheapy beers on tap, a couple of nicer beers, and a whole lot of hard alcohol. The point of these places is for the client to come in, spend exorbitant amounts of money on a mediocre drink, come back for a few more, and leave completely shwasted.

Granted, there are a few nicer bars that are much, much nicer and probably do have these things. But these aren't the bars I'm worried about, lol!

[ravenwoodglass]

I'm actually not a new celiac... and I know I don't react to distilled gluten grains. I usually stick to vodka, rum, gin, tequila, or sake. Whiskey's the one thing that still really freaks me out to try, but I didn't like it before I was diagnosed so there's no point in me trying it anyway. It's malted or something, right? Seems sketchy.

I guess my main concern at this point is the cross contamination... the bars I usually end up with are college student magnets. Some of them are a touch seedy, even. On a given weekend evening, they're packed, and it's a drag just to get your order heard at the bar. I wonder if I could just write down a note with what I want, also asking to quickly rinse hands and the glass they use?

Woodchuck is a good suggestion... We usually keep that stuff around at the house anyway. Not sure how many of the bars keep it around, but keep in mind, most of these places have 90% student customer bases. They don't stock "novelty" anything. Just your basic cheapy beers on tap, a couple of nicer beers, and a whole lot of hard alcohol. The point of these places is for the client to come in, spend exorbitant amounts of money on a mediocre drink, come back for a few more, and leave completely shwasted.

Granted, there are a few nicer bars that are much, much nicer and probably do have these things. But these aren't the bars I'm worried about, lol!

I wouldn't worry about having the bartender wash their hands but one thing you could do is ask for a plastic cup if they have one. Or just ask for the quick rinse on the glass the wells with the water are right under where most of the bartenders stand. If they have sodas in a can one of the safest things you could do is ask for the alcohol and the ice in the glass but let them give you the soda mixer in the can. That also lets you see how much booze they are giving you. Some bartenders think they are being nice by pouring doubles but if you plan on hopping the evening away they can catch up. You may want to request the Woodchuck in a couple places you go to on a regular basis. We never had a problem with ordering special stuff for customers but the person to ask will be the owner when it's a little slow.