Published on April 01, 2009.

Picture it: Friday night. Your hair is done. Your “going out” clothes are on. You’re at the bar and it’s your turn to order. Everyone turns to face you. What do you do?

Likely, you say the name of your go-to drink or nod toward the person next to you and say “I’ll have what they’re having.” MSU students and local bartenders say that’s typically how things go down. But the question is, what does your cocktail of choice say about you?

Beer

Casual and classic, beer is a staple in the lives of many college students. From the traditional pizza-and-beer nights, to tailgating before MSU football games, to buckets of beer at Crunchy’s, 254 W. Grand River Ave., this drink is always a standby.

Dan Files, a bartender at Woody’s Oasis Bar & Grill, 211 E. Grand River Ave., said patrons definitely have their usual drinks, although they also tend to drink what’s on special.

Woody’s has six different Michigan beers on tap, he said.

“We’re more plugged into more microbrews than other places in East Lansing,” he said. “So we get people who want a good beer and also appreciate that it’s local. … Microbrews are a lot less about going out and seeing how much beer you can drink than about enjoying the beer.”

Files said people who drink often or have been drinking for a while tend to get the same things every time they go to the bar, whereas new drinkers like to try new things.

Josh Misch, a 22-year-old local resident, said he typically drinks Miller High Life whenever he’s looking for a good time, although he does like to mix it up with shots or other drinks every once in a while.

“There are times where it’s nice out and I’m just looking to have a couple beers and relax,” he said.

Wine

For students in a more sophisticated mood, relaxing with a glass of wine is ideal.

Sarah Bauer, a music performance senior, said she enjoys drinking wine with friends when she goes out.

“Wine is not really a college drink, and I like that. It tastes good too,” said Bauer, who worked at Round Barn Winery, Distillery & Brewery in Baroda, Mich. for two summers. “Generally you think of wine and you think old people drink it, but young people do too.”

Beggar’s Banquet, 218 Abbot Road, offers a Wednesday Wine Night that features half-off bottles of wine for would-be sommeliers or even those who want to try something new.

Sarah Fortino, a psychology senior, former bartender at Dublin Square, 327 Abbot Road, and current bartender at Beggar’s, said she sees a lot of Wine Night regulars — a crowd that’s fairly diverse in terms of age and taste.

“You find a lot of the newer drinkers getting stuff like (zinfandels) and sweet chardonnay. As far as the bitter red wines, they don’t know much about them — they just want the half off,” she said. “They want to drink as much as they can as fast as they can so they can get the discount on it. There is an immature taste bud, I think. They do want, especially the girls, what’s sweet. Guys are different with wine. I guess they usually just stick with beer. There’s a relationship between femininity and wine.”

Shots

Ordering shots is where many people display the kind of taste they have in drinks — and the tone set for the night, Fortino said.

“If you get a big group of guys that are ready to drink and one guy says ‘Let’s get a round,’ then the other guys will follow suit,” she said.

People often just order whatever the trendy shots may be at the time, she said.

“I think that if it’s popular then people will get it. SoCo Lime is the most disgusting shot I’ve ever had and I hate making them, but since it’s easy to say, they get up to the bar and say ‘I don’t know, I guess a SoCo Lime,’” Fortino said. “Take a minute and think about it. You don’t have to get a SoCo Lime. You don’t have to get a Buttery Nipple. They’re disgusting and don’t even have a lot of alcohol in them … “

“A lot of them with the sexual connotations are extremely popular. Screaming Orgasm, Buttery Nipple, stuff like that. Dirty Girl Scout. Some people love to just say it. You’re going to get a s——y drink, but you get to say it.”

Mixed drinks

Files said he has noticed that people tend to drink liquor more on the weekends. Popular classic mixed drinks at Woody’s include whiskey coke, vodka coke, gin and tonic and whiskey ginger ale.

Katey Johnson, a political science senior, said she determines what she’s drinking by where she’s going and what kind of night she’s anticipating. Typically, she goes to the bar a couple times a week and orders vodka tonics.

“They’re not that filling like with beer, so they’re easy to drink, and they’re not that expensive so they’re affordable. I just really like the way they taste,” Johnson said.

Martinis

After the women of “Sex and the City” started drinking Cosmopolitans, the cocktail become the quintessential girls’ night companion. There was a new focus on the design of barware and the cocktails themselves became works of art, coming in every flavor imaginable.

“If I’m going to have more of a low-key night, maybe just one or two drinks, I really like dirty martinis,” Johnson said. “But you can’t really drink out at the bars for a long night with those.”

From her observation, martinis are not ordered very often in East Lansing bars.

“But definitely when I go to Chicago or other places with my friends and someone gets a martini, I’ll probably be more likely to order one,” she said.

The type of drink people order definitely does depend on the age of the person, their gender, who they are with, Fortino said. In her experience, newly 21-year-olds or groups of women are the prominent drinkers of Cosmopolitans or martinis.

“They’re going to follow suit. (Someone says,) ‘I’m going to get a Cosmo’ and the rest of the girls are going to get a Cosmo too,” she said. “They’re not going to belly-up and get a Bud Light. But with older girls, I know with me, I’m 28 and if I’m going with a group of girls, I don’t care what they get. I’m going to get a Miller Light bottle or an Oberon and it doesn’t matter.”

But Johnson said gender doesn’t matter that much when thinking drinks.

“Alcohol is alcohol. I think it would be kind of funny to see a guy with a Cosmo sipping on a pink drink or a really fruity drink,” she said. “But I have guy friends who do like those fruity drinks and it’s funny, but it’s still alcohol. You can’t really discriminate against alcohol.”