Here's What 'Call Drink' Really Means In Bartending

If you look at a bar's daily specials, sometimes you'll see that "call" or "well" drinks will be listed as part of the description. "Call" drinks are ones where the customer specifies which brand of alcohol they'd like the drink to be made with. They're called "call" drinks because the customer is essentially "calling" out the brand they want. Think of the classic martini. Experienced drinkers tend to know which brand of gin or vodka they like and will request it, transforming the martini into a call drink. Winston Churchill, for example, used to always ask for his martini to be made with Plymouth Gin.

If you're a value-conscious drinker (and not too picky), you might want to opt for well drinks, since they're almost always the cheaper option. The term "well" describes the fact that the bottles live in a well-like area that's close to the bartender, and they're usually the cheapest type of booze in the house. In this case, you don't have a say in the matter when it comes to the brand of booze; you're stuck with whatever the bar has chosen to stock the well with. For the most part, this selection of booze is fine for your workhorse cocktails where you probably wouldn't notice the flavor of the liquor that much. Ordering well drinks is also a good idea if you are not that knowledgeable, for example, if you can't tell good whiskeys apart from bad whiskeys.

For those of you who order certain spirits neat or on the rocks, you'll likely want to order a call drink. This allows you to choose a spirit brand — and in many cases bottle — that best suits your personal preferences. For example, a whiskey connoisseur might select a brand's specific product, knowing it to be one they like. They might also go to a bar to order and try a specific whiskey before deciding whether to buy a whole bottle of it from the store for their home bar. 

Another situation when you might want to order a call drink is if you are ordering a spirit-forward cocktail. The martini is one example, but other strong cocktails like an old fashioned, which is made with bourbon or rye, are much improved if the customer knows what brand they like. Of course, ordering a well drink in these situations does mean you might be pleasantly surprised. However, given the cheaper nature of most bars' well liquor, the chance of this happening are quite slim.

While there are many benefits to ordering call drinks, it is important to remember that not every liquor costs the same amount. It's always a good idea to check the menu or ask the bartender how much certain options cost to save yourself from a nasty surprise when it is time to settle up.