The straw question

I just saw those photos on Big Al's thread where he cuts off those big-ass Scorpion bowl straws for a correct Planter's Punch and was reminded that I don't recall seeing any discussion here about sipping straws vs regular straws for Polynesian concoctions. When I can't find the short Mai Tai glass sipping straws, I cut the long thin ones, rather than using the regular size ones you find in the super market.

I would guess that there are some home mixology fans out there that are not aware of the fact that the size of your straw impacts your imbibing experience. Just like with top mixers vs bottom blenders, and crushed ice vs cubed ice, there are subtle differences. Sipping straws are getting used less and less nowadays, and are harder to find in regular super markets, so the tendency is to use the readily available regular party straws:

The ones on the left are the correct Mai Tai glass height sipping straws, nowadays also sold as stirrers. In the middle are the long sipping straws, on the right are the regular, wide, store-found party straws.

In my experience, the thinner straw not only prolongs the imbibing experience, but really allows the flavors to unfold on your tongue because because it is not flooded with the gusher that comes out of a regular sized straw. As we all know, properly mixed Polynesian potion are to be savored slowly, and not gulped down. This is where ol' Don Ho's "Sucke'em Up" motto is misleading.

As another method to put the emphasis on the taste experience, in hardcore home mixology circles, when having friends over, drinks are now being served in small sized glasses, just like at wine or rum tastings, so that one can experience a greater variety of concoctions and their flavors in one evening without getting completely hammered.

Bigbro,

View a recent discussion about this sucky topic

here

and a earlier one

here

After much consideration I've decided to just pour the drinks on my head.

You are missing the point. Those discussions are primarily about straws vs NO straws.
I have no doubt in my mind that traditional Polynesian cocktails are supposed to be enjoyed via a straw, no matter what folks LIKE to do nowadays. I am suggesting that, in addition, they should be SIPPING straws, not the regular large ones. But I am happy to hear different opinions.

I agree that a smaller sized straw allows you to nurse your drink. And the flavor impact from the melting ice diluting your drink can be readily brought out, if you are prolonging the consumption of the beverage.

Beyond that, I haven't noticed the flavor subtlety from drinking out of a much smaller straw, but it certainly makes sense.

I usually grab a couple of long drink straws from places like 7-11 for bowl-based drinks. But the diameter of these straws seem even greater than your standard drink straws. They are find for drinking a Big Gulp, but lousy for a tropical cocktail.

Thanks a lot. Now you got me obsessed to experiment with a smaller sized drink straw. Wasn't it enough to fuel my obsession with the Book of Tiki?

The large diameter white-with-a-stripe straws from the grocery store, with or without the bending feature are never right in a cocktail. They really take the drink down to the level of fast food "dining". They are not allowed in my home bar. For some drinks I do use a wide diameter black straw. Nice.

On 2009-03-13 03:09, Bongo Bungalow wrote:
... For some drinks I do use a wide diameter black straw. Nice.

Heavens, not a black straw! Didn't you realize that the high thermal absorption factor of the black surface turns your straw into a veritable heating column, like a miniature solar water heater!
Now, you may reason that the amount of temperature increase of your cocktail, as it travels through the straw, will be unnoticeable. But surely you've been around Tiki Central long enough to have learned that it's exactly this type of minutiæ that demands the most attention, when it comes to mixing and serving drinks. The importance placed on scrupulous fidelity to detail - in ingredients, mixing technique, etc. - is in direct proportion to the imperceptibility of the effect of that detail on the final product. (By 'imperceptible', I mean by the uneducated neophyte palate, of course.)

"The rum's the thing..."

[ Edited by: Limbo Lizard 2009-03-18 07:56 ]

Forgive me, I misread the original post.

Generally at odds with the notion of restraint, I dislike getting sippers at bars and restaurants and thus have never used them at home.

However, if one is going to spend the money and time it takes to prep a top shelf cocktail then why not make an effort to appreciate its many layers?

Never thought about it before but perhaps the widespread use of party-straws is but another symptom of the sickness that plagues our age: an obsession with instant gratification.

The use of sipping straws could then be viewed as an "escape" from the type of mindless consumption driving the larger culture.

Did I neglect to mention that you should refrigerate your black straws prior to use?

On 2009-03-13 17:57, Thunderlips wrote:
Forgive me, I misread the original post.

Generally at odds with the notion of restraint, I dislike getting sippers at bars and restaurants and thus have never used them at home.

However, if one is going to spend the money and time it takes to prep a top shelf cocktail then why not make an effort to appreciate its many layers?

Never thought about it before but perhaps the widespread use of party-straws is but another symptom of the sickness that plagues our age: an obsession with instant gratification.

The use of sipping straws could then be viewed as an "escape" from the type of mindless consumption driving the larger culture.

.........welcome to the back pedal response !!!!!.........sorry, but i thought your original response to this thread was much better and more honest as well as one of the funniest things i've read on this forum yet!!

Oh, pshaw!

I admit I am somewhat obsessed with straws. Wide straws, no. White straws with the little blue line down them, no. Bendy straws, dear heavens, no! My general rule of straw selection is thus:

• If it's in a double old-fashioned glass or smaller, I reach for the thin cocktail straws, almost always white and always in pairs. The otherwise-dreaded Party City sells them. As Sven says, they force you to sip and not gulp. They also prevent you from sucking up any ice shrapnel, which is not a good thing.

• Taller drinks get longer, but not too wide straws. Generally, I prefer red here. Don't ask why. Maybe it's because I just like the way a long red straw looks in a Zombie glass sticking straight up next to a fresh mint garnish.

I don't like blue straws. Just don't think the color blue belongs in a glass at all.

I do like black straws. They're very elegant looking in the right drink. But probably too elegant and contemporary for tiki drinks.

On 2009-03-12 20:30, bigbrotiki wrote:
...traditional Polynesian cocktails are supposed to be enjoyed via a straw, no matter what folks LIKE to do nowadays. But I am happy to hear different opinions.

I like straws...

I got some nice straws at Ikea the other day. They are otherwise a regular straw but the colors are orange, green, and black. Not together, about a 1/3 of the package of each color.

And, now you are saying so.....

They are only colored on half of the straw. If you look at the straw, they are colored on half and clear on the other half.

OK, I have been drinking tonight and I thought this would be helpful.

I apologize if I did not make myself clear in that I was talking about the DIAMETER of the straw, not size as in length (and not color).
Again I am surprised that some folks seem to feel that bringing up this subject is being too pedantic.

The DEvolution of Tiki culture is as fascinating as the evolution to me. The above theory is about ONE facet of the Tiki devolution:
In my opinion, the decline of cocktail mixology and the resulting sweet, syrupy "girlie drinks" were a major contributor to the fall from grace of the Tiki lounge in America. When you drink from a sipping straw you can discern the layers and quality of a cocktail better than sucking it up through a big gulp. But it sells more drinks -in the short run.

Like Tiki decor, Polynesian cocktail mixology had its peak when all the right things came together. If one element gets altered after that, the decline begins. Maybe dropping the use of the sipper was the last straw... :)

..it's interesting to note, that as mixology was dying out in the tiki industry, the early nineties was starting to witness the rebirth of cocktail culture in the form of the martini craze that was sweeping the nation about that time......this lead to more variations than your standard martini that you can order at a bar....flavored vodkas were showing up as well as a host of other flavored booze and such. seemed like folks were getting interested again in cocktail mixology and it was also about that time that the tiki resurgence and it's emphasis on lounge and cocktails were getting under way. Oddly enough though, while all this was going on, there still was no mainstream interest in tropical drink mixology like there was with the martini trend. Sven is right in that alot of the ritual that was part of the cocktail culture back then was lost....probably due to the faster pace at which folks were now living their lives.....the nineties were all about "grab all you can, while you can, as fast as you can".

" In a perfect world...Elvis would still be alive ....and all the elvis impersonators would be dead!!"

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2009-03-15 06:49 ]

What, no love for my favorite cocktail straw?!?!

http://www.centurynovelty.com/catImages/209-067_large.jpg

On 2009-03-15 06:51, The Granite Tiki wrote:
What, no love for my favorite cocktail straw?!?!

http://www.centurynovelty.com/catImages/209-067_large.jpg

..don't let sven see that!!!

Ahh, but the extra length of the Crazy Straw prolongs the drinking experience. The Crazy Straw also adds a visual element that is pleasing to the eye.

Those very thin straws have some hidden danger as well, undo stress on the roof of your mouth. After many drinks through small bore straws one can begin to experience a sensation not unlike the much discussed Captain Crunch effect.

Captain Crunch effect yes. Don't forget what I call the "pirate eye". This is when you have had a couple of powerful drinks and forget the small straw is in the drink and go for a sip from the glass the straw pokes you in the eye. "AARRRR". Also for frozen drinks you may have the "cerebral hemorrhage" effect of trying to suck a frozen beverage through a small straw until your head caves in. Now for a serious question. Was the Mai Tai always served with a short sipping straw or no straw? I myself use no straw as I enjoy the fragrance of the ingredients and the mint melding together. But one may still get this effect with a short sipping straw.

Interesting post that got me searching.
The modern day straw was designed to replace the natural rye grass straw.
Did you know there is a National Drinking Straw Day... yup, January 3rd if you want to mark your calendars.
And last I found this neat project to recycle the used straws from my parties:
Straw Swag Lamp

I remember those short 'sipping' straws from back in the mid '60s . . . I think that's how I got my hernia . . . trying to sip a Mai Tai at the Kowloon!

On 2009-03-15 07:33, uncle trav wrote:
Captain Crunch effect yes. Don't forget what I call the "pirate eye". This is when you have had a couple of powerful drinks and forget the small straw is in the drink and go for a sip from the glass the straw pokes you in the eye. "AARRRR". Also for frozen drinks you may have the "cerebral hemorrhage" effect of trying to suck a frozen beverage through a small straw until your head caves in. Now for a serious question. Was the Mai Tai always served with a short sipping straw or no straw? I myself use no straw as I enjoy the fragrance of the ingredients and the mint melding together. But one may still get this effect with a short sipping straw.

...arrrrgh!!!! "eye-eye" uncle trav!!!!

On 2009-03-15 07:33, uncle trav wrote:
Was the Mai Tai always served with a short sipping straw or no straw? I myself use no straw as I enjoy the fragrance of the ingredients and the mint melding together. But one may still get this effect with a short sipping straw.

Indeed! I confess to be in love with the flavor of fresh mint so much that my Mai Tais end up being almost Mai-jitos: Not only do I garnish with a tree branch-sized mint sprig, but I drop in 2-3 mint leaves and muddle them at the bottom of the glass. The sipping straw then goes to the bottom as well, and the mint leaves work like taste-filters, intensifying the mint flavor.

The devolution of the tropical cocktail began in the mid- 70s, here is one reason, as stated by Stephen Crane in 1978 (The Luau was already sold, but not yet closed by then):

"We've seen a tremendous increase in the popularity of wines in the past five years. We will sell more wine in one day than we sold in 15 days -maybe even a month- 10 years ago."
Stephen suggests that some of the growth in the popularity of white wines can be attributed to the kids, who "two to five years ago were very heavy into pot....which is not so chic today as it was then. So, those kids who haven't graduated to heavier stuff like sniffing coke have dropped drugs for white wine."

Ol' Stephen's talking from his Hollywood/Beverly Hills experience here! The cocktails were too "hard" for these hippies turned Yuppies, too, the only cocktail they drank were WINE SPRITZERS ! :roll:

Great topic, I always learn about everything I have done wrong and how I can try to rectify my bar set-up on this board. Bless Al for his fabulous mixology knowledge, h KNOWS how to make a drink.

I am lucky, in that one or two of the guys usually pops behind my bar to make decent drinks for the gang. I have sipping straws (purely by accident) and the usual party-size straws available. I don't have any long straws for bowls, but have not progressed enough to offer those kind of drinks yet. I do always have a good offering of rums and mixers, although I think I need to get a juicer to provide higher quality lime juice.

OK...back to straws, as this is a very timely topic for me. Usually I have the Mai Tais in Hurricane glasses with party sized straws...well obviously that is alllllllll wrong!!! Last weekend I had a party and we used some new glasses for our Mai Tais, they hold 8 ounces, but with a few ice chips, a cherry, slice of lime, an umbrella, a sipping straw and mint, there is probably only about 5 ounces of liquid. I thoroughly enjoyed these Mai Tais much more than the ones I have had with the party straw in the hurricane glasses. Mind you...this is a Gin & Tonic gal talking!!! Which reminds me...I love Gin & Tonic in a rocks glass with ice, lime and a sipping straw. And now that you mention it, the flavors really do work better with the sipping straw.

I always thought you needed the bigger straw to suck up the pulp of the fruit, but realize now that I was wrong. Sippers and smaller glasses from now on for me.

Well I for one am tremendously heartened by BigBroTiki's post. I always liked using the stirrer straws, and used them for sipping...but thought I was doing something gauche. Now I know that is not the case and I can use sipper straws with a relaxed mind. I didn't know they are really a sipper straw.

Some of the reactions I've seen BigBro get on these boards...unless I am missing something, I'm amazed he posts at all what with all the sarcasm. I'm hoping you all know each other and this is how you demonstrate camaraderie...

Of course my ability to assess anything is currently colored by rum, vodka, pineapple and cranberry...but I am glad to know about sipper straws.

On 2009-03-17 19:24, irishf wrote:
Well I for one am tremendously heartened by BigBroTiki's post. I always liked using the stirrer straws, and used them for sipping...but thought I was doing something gauche. Now I know that is not the case and I can use sipper straws with a relaxed mind. I didn't know they are really a sipper straw.

Some folks just need to be assured it's OK to like what they already thought they liked... :)

On 2009-03-18 20:00, KuKu wrote:

Some folks just need to be assured it's OK to like what they already thought they liked... :)

Right, and some let themselves be dragged off to Tiki Re-education Camp, and "cured" from shamefully liking things that they're not supposed to :wink:

On 2009-03-15 15:19, bigbrotiki wrote:
Indeed! I confess to be in love with the flavor of fresh mint so much that my Mai Tais end up being almost Mai-jitos: Not only do I garnish with a tree branch-sized mint sprig, but I drop in 2-3 mint leaves and muddle them at the bottom of the glass. The sipping straw then goes to the bottom as well, and the mint leaves work like taste-filters, intensifying the mint flavor.

I also belong to the heavy-on-the-mint crowd, only I shake my mai tai with mint then strain it, garnishing with more, less bruised mint. I find that otherwise, as much as I try not to, I often suck up some of the crushed herb, blocking the path to my salivating mouth!

I like a smaller diameter straw, only because I have the tendency to slurp the thing down too fast otherwise. I buy packs of two or four different colours, then trim them to the desired length, removing the bendy part at the same time. I used black, or whatever strikes my fancy.

If someone were to serve me a drink with a too-large diameter straw, too bad for me! I'll take what I'm served, thankyouverymuch. At home is a different story. When I'm in charge, I'm in charge.

I'm not sure if the straw business is down to devolution, current trends or whatever, it seems more a matter of self control for most people.
You need a nice big mouthfull of most liquid substances to let the flavours and aromas do their thing, with a small bore straw I feel you don't get the full flavour and otherwise it just takes longer to fill your mouth.
Also do we know for sure that back in the HeyDay of Polynesian Drinks that there was any other choice of straw to be had?

[ Edited by: cheekytiki 2009-03-22 09:26 ]

Interesting, I completely disagree. The thin sipping straw allows the concoction to slow envelop your tongue, letting the flavors dance on it. Drinking Polynesian cocktails from a regular party straw FLOODS your mouth with fluid, and fills it so you must gulp down. That's how I like to drink my beer, but not multilayered tropical cocktails. To me it's like the difference between dashing on a few drops of perfume or dowsing yourself in it: The aroma unfolds in a subtle manner, and does not knock you over the head.

I bet that subjective view has to do with early childhood experiences, and how one was nursed... :)

When I edited my post is was to put in the bit about what straws may have been available back then
Considering this was back when most straws were probably of the waxed paper variety, could you get plastic straws in small and large bores.

Hollow stirrers used as straws force you to sip a drink slowly whether you want to or not. If you prefer to take bigger sips faster, you can almost hurt yourself straining to draw your drink through the stirrer. You should have the option of drinking it anyway you want. For me a hollow stirrer is nothing more than a cheap swizzle stick and I toss them immediately upon arrival as I don't care to swizzle anything I drink. When I drink anything that merits a straw, I want a straw, not a stirrer you can technically suck through.

I think that some drinks, like Fogcutters & Mai Tais, taste better with straws. Other drinks can make due with generous application of the stirrer, to insure a flavorful blend throughout.

~Zero

Please let me assure you that I never aimed to tell anyone how they should enjoy their drink, I just like to theorize about forgotten traditions --and what this "forgetting" might entail --and to share MY personally favored way of indulging in these traditions.

And please, read the whole thread before responding, this is not a "Straw vs. Stirrer" thread. Or is it? The fact that the 5" short, thin cocktail straw is equaled with the stirrer by so many folks now points at the heart of the problem: Because they are called stirrers nowadays, folks take them as only that. Here is an interesting link to a professional bar supply company that offers them as bar straws --while they are labeled as stirrers!:
http://www.kegworks.com/product.php?productid=16774&cat=314&page=1

This is how the "forgetting" happens. And every little forgotten detail MIGHT have had an effect (like in this case on the quality of the drink experience, which then had an effect on Tiki culture) ...even if it is just a straw in a haystack :)

I took Cheekytiki's cue and looked up some cocktail history, which I had foolishly neglected so far...

On 2009-03-22 08:13, cheekytiki wrote:
Also do we know for sure that back in the Heyday of Polynesian Drinks that there was any other choice of straw to be had?

....and came up with some interesting findings:

Of course, we have to start with the forefather, Donn Beach himself:

These menu illustrations, probably from the 30s, sport yellow straws, which could mean they originally were the real thing: Made from straw! So their thickness probably varied. While they do not look AS thin as the short cocktail straw I favor for my Mai Tai, they DO look thinner than today's common party straws.

And how about this old postcard:

The Zombie didn't have a straw? And the Pi Yi and the above Coconut had TWO! the reason for this might have been that if one straw got clogged with fruit meat matter, one still would work. But then, the Tahitian Rum Punch: TWO straws, very thin, and colored...

This is all conjecture, of course, and drawings are not very precise study material, so I searched for photos. This late 40s picture of some happy Hollywood types at Don's is of such bad print quality, it is hard to tell the diameter of the straws:

So back to illustrations, now during Tiki's heyday. Here is half a menu page from the Hawaiian Village Florida:

What a shock! The double straw set up dominates, albeit with somewhat-thinner-than-today's straws. So the sucker's "payload" might have equaled the party straw's. But Halt! This actually seems like the perfect way to satisfy the wants of the two different type of imbibers:
The lushes and "more is better" crowd could suck them down with TWO straws, while the cautious connoisseurs (moi) could use only ONE for their hummingbird-like sipping and savoring. Cocktail democracy! (The stripes on the straws could mean that these were the now discontinued PAPER straws)

Last not least, a photo page from Stephen Crane's Kon-Tiki menu (both of the above from "Tiki Modern"):

Clearly plastic straws, the double straw being the favored set up for bowl-type drinks. The pineapple has an extra thick one, for that chunky fruit meat. I still maintain that the straws here are slightly thinner than today's, and would have chosen only one for me --and one for my company to taste test. :)

(And now if anybody comes along again and says " I cannot believe that someone spends so much time and goes into this much detail about..." they are missing the whole point of Tiki archeology, and the humor inherent in it! :D )

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-03-24 17:42 ]

And how about this old postcard:

The Zombie didn't have a straw? And the Pi Yi and the above Coconut had TWO! the reason for this might have been that if one straw got clogged with fruit meat matter, one still would work. But then, the Tahitian Rum Punch: TWO straws, very thin, and colored...

You are all forgetting one thing.... the straws are part of the garnish.

at least they can be. Look at the Rum punch, two straws pointing out in two directions, very nice looking.

There is another aspect to straws for this conversation..... Ladies.

Ladies wear lipstick. These days some men wear it too, but in the time period under discussion lipstick was limited to the ladies. Ladies are particular about their lipstick, and are constantly reapplying it. Don't believe me, watch one next time you are around them.

Straws allow a lady to enjoy her drink with a minimum of lipstick loss. Sipping from the side of a drink vessel will remove much more lipstick than your typical straw.

So..... straws should be included in your drink. You are not obligated to drink from it just because it is there. And straws should be treated as garnish which means they should get the same care and consideration as everything else going into the glass.

And, thanks to Google...... http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blstraws.htm

Good point, and great history. But to reiterate:

This thread is NOT about STRAW vs. NO STRAW, it is not about STRAW vs. STIRRER, nor is it about straw color or material (material only in reference to diameter).
It is solely about the DIAMETER of the commonly used party straws today VS. the diameter of the straws used at the inception and at the peak of Polynesian mixology ---and the effect this difference might have on the taste experience.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-03-24 16:06 ]

On 2009-03-24 14:47, bigbrotiki wrote:
Tiki archeology, and the humor inherent in it! :D )

And some folks just won't listen to reason... :drink:

On 2009-03-24 15:57, bigbrotiki wrote:
It is solely about the DIAMETER of the commonly used party straws today VS. the diameter of the straws used at the inception and at the peak of Polynesian mixology ---and the effect this difference might have on the taste experience.

Ohh..... that an easy one!

Straws were originally made of straw (duh moment), commonly from Rye Grass so the diameter was small, maybe half the size of today's common straw, or a wee-bit bigger than today's common sipper/stirrer.

In the very late 1800s some guy tried wrapping paper around a pencil to make paper straws (link included in earlier post) and they were 'well received' by the local drinkers. After some retooling of his factory, Paper Straws were all the rage! These straws were of a smaller diameter that today's typical party straws, mostly because they were made of waxed paper that was overlapped into spiral pattern and then cut. The inner-diameter of the straw was smaller because of the layers of paper.

Bendy-Straws didn't come around until the late 30's, which would be about right for the birth of Tiki Drinks, so I am sure they were used in many bars in many drinks. I haven't seen any pictures with bendy-straws so I am going to suggest simply that they weren't bent when the photos were taken.

Now, if you have ever tried to drink a milk shake through a straw you know two things.... first you probably understand slushy-freeze-brain, but that is a different discussion. Second, you understand that trying to suck a Wendy's Frosty through a straw risks turning your head inside out through your mouth.

Solution? Use TWO Straws.

How does this affect your drinking enjoyment, and thus answer the question at hand........

it doesn't.

The fact that you are drinking from a straw will have an effect on your drink.... the straw allows the drink to enter your mouth and hit the middle of your tongue first which gives the sour-taste-buds first crack at the drink instead of the sweet-taste-buds on the front of your tongue. Try it, you'll be surprised how you perceive the drink and what order the flavors come up.

The size of bore of your straw, however, will have little effect on the actual taste or enjoyment of your drink. Unless you are using a small-bore straw in a slushy drink, or a large bore straw in a pulpy-fruity drink. The first makes you work too hard, the second risks blocking he straw with the pulp.

I challenge each of you to make your next drink and try it with, and then without a straw.

Then! report back your findings.

[ Edited by: Chip and Andy 2009-03-24 16:56 ]

I buy all my straws and umbrellas at Fart-and-Smile. Oops, I mean Smart-and-Final. They have every type and size straw imaginable, and boxes of drink umbrellas for about $4.00 for a box of 144. Sorry for you mid westerners and east coasters, you can only find Smart and Final on the west coast, but any restaurant supply type place should have them.

On 2009-03-24 17:06, Jason Wickedly wrote:
I buy all my straws and umbrellas at Fart-and-Smile. Oops, I mean Smart-and-Final.

They are called G.F.S. in Florida.

And they don't have the umbrellas..... every kind of straw imaginable, including paper straws, but no umbrellas.

On 2009-03-24 16:55, Chip and Andy wrote:
The size of bore of your straw, however, will have little effect on the actual taste or enjoyment of your drink.

Well, I politely disagree, but I will not endlessly repeat myself (like our president). Maybe its because I am not a fan of slushy cocktails.

On 2009-03-24 22:03, bigbrotiki wrote:

On 2009-03-24 16:55, Chip and Andy wrote:
The size of bore of your straw, however, will have little effect on the actual taste or enjoyment of your drink.

Well, I politely disagree, but I will not endlessly repeat myself (like our president). Maybe its because I am not a fan of slushy cocktails.

It is a question of mechanics...... your drink is already mixed so a straw is not going to change any of that formula as it crosses the tongue.

You know, this is kind of like the Blue Curacao question..... Scientfically there is no difference, but the perception of difference can't be overcome or explained to everyone's satisfaction. Small-bore straws allow you to draw less liquid per drink therefore your tongue has less to work with. A large-bore straw allows more drink and therefore covers more of your tongue for the taste-buds to work with. Putting the 'wrong' kind of straw in a drink can cause drinking difficuly, however subtle it may be.

Lets leave it as Straws As Garnish. And Garnish matters.

Of course after I originally read all this I ordered a variety straws so I can serve drinks properly. At the time I couldn't find any long straws but emailed these folks and they just responded with availability of 18-inch straws 200 for $11.95. Needless to say, I have stocked up. Yee Haw...I may serve a bowl at my bar in the future!!!

http://barsupplies.com/volcano-bowl-48oz-p-5224.html

On 2009-04-30 20:29, VampiressRN wrote:
Of course after I originally read all this I ordered a variety straws so I can serve drinks properly. At the time I couldn't find any long straws but emailed these folks and they just responded with availability of 18-inch straws 200 for $11.95. Needless to say, I have stocked up. Yee Haw...I may serve a bowl at my bar in the future!!!

http://barsupplies.com/volcano-bowl-48oz-p-5224.html

I've always purchased mine from Bosko's website. Support the Tiki community!
http://www.tikibosko.com/swizzles.htm

Thanks...have ordered from Bosko before, but not straws. Just snagged some goodies...SHOPAHOLIC :)

What I haven't seen addressed in this thread is the effect that the diameter of a straw has on cooling the drink as it goes into your mouth. It may seem menial (well, if you're reading this thread, NOTHING is too menial :wink:) but it seems that a smaller diameter straw would have the ability to cool a drink better than a larger diameter straw. I think of it like a car radiator; small tubes (thin straw) travel throught the housing (libation) and are cooled by the outside airflow (ice at top of drink.) I understand the ice is already mixed with the drink and all, but maybe the increased surface area that is touching the ice with a small diameter straw (in relation to the AMOUNT of liquid in straw that is not touching outer straw surface) will give the drink one last chilling effect before it hits your mouth. That may be total BS, but it definitely got me thinking.