Bar brawl of the sexes
There's something I've been wondering for a while now -- do drinks have genders?
I'll be honest, I love me a well-made cosmopolitan, but I have yet to work up the courage to request the pink cocktail at a bar. Instead I opt for simpler, more robust beverages, like a gin and tonic or black and tan. Still, I can't help but crave something sweeter, something fruitier, and something -- perhaps -- a little less manly.
I'm not the first to speculate whether there are specific sexual connotations behind drink orders. The Social Issues Research Centre in the U.K. did a study on the social and cultural aspects of drinking and found the drinks I'm longing for -- sweet and soft -- are perceived to be more feminine.
I'm curious to see if in Boston, a supposedly more progressive locale, shares the same view. Would you stop and stare if you saw a large man with a hairy chest gingerly sipping a cosmo? If a petite woman ordered a whiskey, would it give you pause? Send your thoughts to rhankinson@globe.com.
I'll be calling around to some local bartenders to get their thoughts as well. Until then, choose your drink wisely, or you might be sending some seriously wrong signals.
Contributors
Stephanie Callahan is a native Bostonian who loves cooking, traveling, spa treatments, and being on the ocean.
Milva DiDomizio is a New England native who's fond of cooking, singing, and Boston's arts and culture scene.
Swati G. Sharma is a Somerville resident and is a fan of city living, exploring Boston’s nightlife, and dancing.
Emily Sweeney is a Boston native who goes out all over, from Irish pubs in Southie to the roller rink in Dorchester.
