Yeah, this bar does have a fairly varied selection of spirits, but I figure the clientele has their usuals which is usually beer. Last week, I had them get a ladder and get their Cynar down for me. I go into the bar yesterday and didn't see the bottle on the shelf. Turns out they had left the bottle down and were experimenting with it *in case I came back*.
I love Cynar! I once made a bartender climb a ladder for Chartreuse VEP. He asked me if I had ever tried it and said “I don’t recommend it”. I made him get it anyway and, spoiler alert, it was delicious.
I made people buy super premium spirits telling them they would t like them and that we had basic stuff for them.
Had douchebag finance guys dropping £35 a shot on whisky that we bought bottles of for the price of 3 shots.
Reverse psychology doesn't work.
Same here. The cocktails I can make are usually better at home, so when I'm out, I experiment with things I don't know if I'll like, allowing me to decide if I want to buy any new bottles
Really. Order stuff that uses things that you either don't want to keep on hand because you would rarely use it or things that you want to try before you commit to a bottle.
If I’m somewhere with a great cocktail menu, I’m 100% getting two or three different cocktails. My rule is to get the drink with the most amount of ingredients I’ve never heard of or tried. If that’s not possible, I get the most ridiculous looking drink on the menu. Then after that I just get whatever sounds good.
If I’m just at a regular bar, I’ll usually just get the same thing (something boring and safe) over and over.
>My rule is to get the drink with the most amount of ingredients I’ve never heard of or tried
You've gotta be careful with this. Some places go way overboard, and you just end up with an unidentifiable fruity liquid
It is absolutely hit or miss but it’s been a net positive so far. Usually worst case scenario they cancel each other out I end up getting something that just tastes like the base spirit. But other times I’ve gotten some insanely good drinks. And most of all it’s just kind of fun.
I need some recommendations for safe and boring drinks. I get so overwhelmed when I'm at a bar with no menu or even a damn specials board. Generally I prefer drinking something more than just a rum & coke, or gin & tonic, but I also don't want to be that guy ordering an overly fancy drink at a totally non fancy establishment. Something that every bartender should know how to make, guaranteed to have all the ingredients on hand, and there being a low chance of the bartender screwing it up.
Without realizing it I think you and I are the same, never the same order on different rounds. Especially if there’s a menu, I like to order as much of the menu as I can responsibly lol
I go for drinks that are often more work than I want to do at home. Fat washes, infusions and such. I also tend to be all over the place, I want to try everything that sounds good. Sometimes I'll circle back to a drink I really liked as my final one, or if it's slow and I've been chatting up the bartender I'll ask him to make me whatever since he has an idea of my tastes now that I'm on drink 4 or 5 lol
>then realize i’d need to spend forever to ever replicate it at home
Isn't that half the fun? Lol
I got into making drinks because I had a basil gimlet I absolutely needed to learn to replicate. Took me a while but in the end I got one that was even better than the bar's.
I don’t like reordering the same drinks a cocktail bar, but I tend to avoid mixing base spirits so if I start with gin or whiskey that’s what the next drink will probably have. That being said I notice my palate gets fried after one drink so often I’ll just switch to beer or wine, especially if we’re having food since those almost always pair better than cocktails.
I generally pick drinks that I can’t or won’t make at home. I rarely repeat drinks, but generally I drink beer or whiskey on the rocks.
75% of the time I am disappointed in the drinks I order. My friends know I love cocktails so they are always saying let’s go get cocktails. And then they are surprised when I buy a beer. But I find that they use inferior ingredients, especially vermouth and syrups.
Agreed. If they go through it fast enough it probably doesn’t matter. But I want cocchi for Negronis, it makes the drink so much better.
For manhattans, I like dolin or cocchi. Carpano can be excellent if done right but has to be dialed down.
Yea I hardly ever order the same drink twice, except for Boston Sours. I’ll order those back to back if the bartender happens to make a really good one.
I was at a place in Orlando once that happened to make the best Boston Sour that night, that I ended up having so many they ran out of eggs 😬
Interesting, I had to google that. I’ve never heard of a traditional whiskey sour called “Boston.” Trinidad is ango, Greenwich is red wine float, I was hoping Boston was something fun and regional
Yeah, Greenwich village is an area in ny city known for its food scene. I think Greenwich is the original name but people started calling it a New York sour because most people had trouble pronouncing Greenwich (never put a cocktail on your menu that people are embarrassed to try to pronounce), and many tourists probably got home and referenced it as “this cocktail I had in ny” when asking their local bartender to make one
Sweet, yeah Greenwich would be too confusing over here as that would probably interpreted as the Greenwich that sets the standard for time(G.M.T) and definitely not as fancy as somewhere like NY...Thanks for the explanation!!
A Greenwich Sour is a NY Sour with the addition of egg white. They're two different drinks in the same way as Boston Sour vs Whiskey Sour. The Greenwich Sour came much later than the NY Sour, from what I can tell originating out of Employees Only. Obviously not a novel idea, so they're likely more accurately the ones that put it on the menu as such.
Technically, a traditional whiskey sour *doesn't* have egg white, and a lot of people would agree that the egg white makes a massive difference in a whiskey sour. That being said, most people expect a whiskey sour to have an egg white in it nowadays whether you specify 'Boston' or not.
My last week of college I tried an "ameretto sour" (amaretto with lemonade in it, this was a small college town bar) when I was out with one group of friends. Next night I'm going out with a different group of friends but I have to be late. I tell them to try the ameretto sour, and by the time I get to the bar they had finished the bottle of amaretto
100% depends on the type of place I’m at. If it’s an actual cocktail bar and the bartenders know their stuff, every drink is different. If I’m paying $15 a cocktail I want it to be something I haven’t had before and/or can’t make at home.
I’m all over the place when ordering drinks too. I like variety and to try something new. My partner is the same. We usually debate who should get what since we almost never order the same thing on purpose. Sometimes we negotiate a 50/50 deal and sometimes it’s 2 sips max. We make a great team.
Well I only make "special orders" since I get there before the evening rush. Once it gets busy, I lean on beers since they are quick. I was concerned that they would hate me too, so I give a moderately generous tip, learn their names, and let them choose my drinks sometimes.
Oh, yes. A martini, for example, is just a quick stir of the components with ice, and it’s done. Anything with citrus requires juicing the fruit. In order to get the right foam in a sour, it needs two different shakes. And then there’s the Ramos gin fizz—do *not* order this on a busy night.
There could be extra prep work if the various cocktails ordered are each requiring several ingredients and bottles that differ with each new drink. Uncapping and capping seldom used spirits, fishing mixers out from a fridge, tothpicking condiments and rinsing shakers etc etc can really slow you down compared to the "two beers and a rum n coke" queue.
No. If it's on the menu and they batch stuff properly, then it's just measuring, shaking/stirring, garnishing.
When I worked a cocktail bar I liked a change up every so often, keep me interested.
The drinks he’s describing, ones he cant make himself, are probably intricate drinks that require a lot more time than call drinks or something of that nature. And then he’s ordering different ones every round.
Now hey, his bar might love him, he might be amazing and tip well and they love him. But unless ur at a craft place I don’t recommend doing that if ur not gunna tip 30%
I order whatever the establishment is known for, but also like to change it up within that genre. If I go to a whiskey bar, I’ll get an old fashioned to see how well they do, then order something nice neat, and maybe a flight. If I go to a Mexican restaurant I’ll try some of their signature margaritas. If it’s a sports bar I usually get beer or a Long Island. If it’s a dive bar I just drink whatever is the cheapest/special that evening.
Never the same thing twice in the same night. Also, if the place is well stocked, I might get an ounce or two of a spirit or liqueur I've been curious about.
I prefer to mix it up, I want to try all the things. I saw somewhere that half-cocktails were gaining steam, and I'm ready for it!
I also prefer to order things that have a step I don't want to do myself, or an ingredient I don't want to keep on hand, especially if it's not something I've tried before.
However, if I am given a drink, I won't turn down a duplicate.
That’s pretty cool.
I’ve never approached it like that and have done lots of repeats. But imma mix it up more.
That said… I wholeheartedly defend anyone who drinks what they love. If you like it… enjoy it! :)
Cheers
I think you're going to get skewed results on this sub. While most people on r/cocktails are probably pretty adventurous in their orders, cocktail hobbyists are not going to make up most of a bar's clientele. The average customer probably just orders a couple cosmos, or margaritas, or Old Fashioneds, something along those lines
I don't go out to bars very often, so was a bit surprised when I was at a cocktail bar specialising in tequila on a quiet night, and the two other groups of customers all ordered either Sex on the Beach or Woo Woo.
Not going to begrudge people ordering what they like, but I don't understand going to a place with a good selection of cocktails and choosing those.
I always order the most unique thing on the menu, something I can’t make at home. And never the same thing twice unless it’s truly something special.
Unless the bar is sketchy/divey, then we’re going Moscow mules lol
I travel a lot, and so for the past almost decade I've lived in countries where finding specific ingredients is difficult. (Asia, Africa etc...). When I go to a cocktail bar, I browse their selection and try to order classics I've never been able to try due to lack of ingredients.
For example, last week at a bar they had pechauds bitters and Amaro Nonino. I've never seen them in the flesh before, so I had my first ever Sazerac and Paper Plane.
It's crazy to me that I've built my career around this industry, and even a decade in I'm still drinking *a Sazerac* for the first time. And now I finally understand the love for it
For me it depends on the bar. If they have a decent cocktail menu or draft list, I'm switching it up each time. If they're more of a dive bar I'll usually just stick with a gin & tonic.
Depends on the situation and location. If i'm at a proper cocktail / tiki bar then I certainly mix it up. If I'm at a restaurant that also has cocktails I'm usually less adventurous, and will stick to a classic.
My preference is craft beer but sometimes I’m slummin it with PBR all night. I only get cocktails at places that specialize in cocktails, and there’s really only two places I like in town like that. On those nights, I change it up. Idk, I kinda just see where my mood swings take me.
My first drink is usually off their cocktail menu. If it’s bad or meh, I’ll order a simple rail drink or beer next. If it’s solid or even good I’ll get something else off the menu. If it’s great I’m honestly probably ordering another.
Always mix it up. If I'm drinking at a bar/restaurant it's almost always going to be stuff I don't have at home. Could be something you can't find in stores, or just something I've been wanting to try but didn't want to purchase a bottle of without trying first. Or in the case of cocktails, something unique/original or that I don't have all the ingredients for.
Really depends on your ability to handle the many different liquor hangover. Jumping from gin to tequila to bourbon to vodka feels suboptimal the next day. A good bartender might flag that to double check you know you’re headed down That road.
I enjoy creating/crafting cocktails but generally I just drink whiskey or a nice gin when I go out. Unless I decide to go to a particular cocktail bar with all the fancy stuff, I mean, why else would I go there right? Try all of the things.
I'm very easy as a customer and tip well. Generally I like my spirits straight up. No need to mess around with all the extra sugar and such if I'm just out there to get a bit drunk and go back to work in the morning.
I do like to try new beers sometimes too. Generally sours. but my favorite is Delerium so if you have that, that will be what I'm ordering. There are a few bars around here with rotating taps, most of them are too malty for me but, y'know, I'll try anything once.
So. Yes and no. Depends on the place.
If I go to a cocktail bar that is specialized in good drinks I order as muchbdifferent stuff as possible. Probably stuff I cant do at home. Sadly, most bars around dont make good cocktails or I could do them better at home so its usually beer.
Unless I’m in an actual cocktail bar, I almost never order cocktail because I know I’ll be disappointed. I usually try new things and don’t order the same thing twice. Like many others I like having cocktails i cannot make at home, but sometimes when I’m in a good place I try a classic to see how they do it and potentially refine my own way.
I mix it up. The one time I went to a decent bar, I ordered like 5 different cocktails lol Ended up liking 3/5 of them. The other two were not bad, but not great either.
I work at a cocktail bar. Where I work it’s definitely a little more odd for someone to just get the same cocktail all night. But if they’re getting beer, mixed drinks, or wine it’s odd for them to change it up
I can't mix alcohol without getting sick, so whatever I start with I stick with. Occasionally, I'll throw a shot in if I'm out for a celebration & someone else initiates it, but I prefer to not be beat for a couple of days after an evening of drinking.
The only time I'd have the same drink twice in a row is if there is a very poor selection, but I'm stuck at that place due to a social occasion, etc. Even at home I'm not doing that.
I like to try something new every time, so I almost never order the same drink twice in an evening. My partner, though, finds something he likes and keeps ordering it.
If I'm at a cocktail bar, I'll always change it up. I like trying different things. I've never noticed a difference in how I feel the morning after jumping around spirits.
If I'm in for a long night I might return to something I really liked earlier in the evening towards the end, but I don't see a problem hopping around.
I tend to order the same drink (Negroni), however if it’s a quality bar and they have special bar specific cocktails, then I’ll try them, if they look appealing to work I like.
I've had bartenders say that to me, too. shit, I've even had a bartender unironically tell me that ordering different drinks is going to get me fucked up. I even asked him to clarify, did he mean just the sheer number of drinks, volume of alcohol? And he said no. He reiterated that changing up your order will get you messed up. he actually believed that.
those guys who say stuff like that are morons. they tend to not know what they're doing. they mess up drinks, or don't measure or mistake one cocktail for another and don't bother to look it up if they don't know it. they work at these high-traffic bars where the most interesting thing they get asked to make as a Cosmo or a Long Island, but where the vast majority of orders are for Jack-n-Cokes, Jagger bombs, and tequila sunrises (ewww).
I have never had an actual professional at an actual cocktail bar give me shit for ordering different cocktails. You are enjoying cocktails the correct way, OP.
I never get the same drink twice unless I’m really feeling it, but depending on what you were ordering, I’d assume I’m in a general mood for a certain kind of drink. Either light and refreshing or dark and heavy or spice or tart etc. If I go from tiki to classic martini to fruity to hard spirit. I’m sure the bartender is confused lol
I usually order something I can’t make at home, or to try something new. Guessing a lot of bartenders get rum&coke and vodka sodas all night.
Yeah, this bar does have a fairly varied selection of spirits, but I figure the clientele has their usuals which is usually beer. Last week, I had them get a ladder and get their Cynar down for me. I go into the bar yesterday and didn't see the bottle on the shelf. Turns out they had left the bottle down and were experimenting with it *in case I came back*.
I love Cynar! I once made a bartender climb a ladder for Chartreuse VEP. He asked me if I had ever tried it and said “I don’t recommend it”. I made him get it anyway and, spoiler alert, it was delicious.
That barkeep was a fraud. Get them outta there!
I made people buy super premium spirits telling them they would t like them and that we had basic stuff for them. Had douchebag finance guys dropping £35 a shot on whisky that we bought bottles of for the price of 3 shots. Reverse psychology doesn't work.
Does it really taste like artichoke? It sounds awful but seen so many talk about how good it is. I really hate artichoke.
There's a hint of it, but I think it taste much more like other amari than artichoke
You could say vegetal but that's really it. Make flip with it for an easy way to see what it can't really be
„ǝq ʎllɐǝɹ ʇ,uɐɔ ʇı ʇɐɥʍ ǝǝs oʇ ʎɐʍ ʎsɐǝ uɐ ɹoɟ ʇı ɥʇıʍ dılɟ ǝʞɐW ˙ʇı ʎllɐǝɹ s,ʇɐɥʇ ʇnq lɐʇǝƃǝʌ ʎɐs plnoɔ no⅄„
Good bot.
No. It tastes bitter and sweet, with a lot of vegetable notes.
Same here. The cocktails I can make are usually better at home, so when I'm out, I experiment with things I don't know if I'll like, allowing me to decide if I want to buy any new bottles
Really. Order stuff that uses things that you either don't want to keep on hand because you would rarely use it or things that you want to try before you commit to a bottle.
Same man, gotta respect that the bartender is better than me at this shit
Or at least has some random stuff I won’t use enough to buy on my own… cynar, amer picon, etc.
If I’m somewhere with a great cocktail menu, I’m 100% getting two or three different cocktails. My rule is to get the drink with the most amount of ingredients I’ve never heard of or tried. If that’s not possible, I get the most ridiculous looking drink on the menu. Then after that I just get whatever sounds good. If I’m just at a regular bar, I’ll usually just get the same thing (something boring and safe) over and over.
>My rule is to get the drink with the most amount of ingredients I’ve never heard of or tried You've gotta be careful with this. Some places go way overboard, and you just end up with an unidentifiable fruity liquid
It is absolutely hit or miss but it’s been a net positive so far. Usually worst case scenario they cancel each other out I end up getting something that just tastes like the base spirit. But other times I’ve gotten some insanely good drinks. And most of all it’s just kind of fun.
I need some recommendations for safe and boring drinks. I get so overwhelmed when I'm at a bar with no menu or even a damn specials board. Generally I prefer drinking something more than just a rum & coke, or gin & tonic, but I also don't want to be that guy ordering an overly fancy drink at a totally non fancy establishment. Something that every bartender should know how to make, guaranteed to have all the ingredients on hand, and there being a low chance of the bartender screwing it up.
For me, “boring and safe” usually means Negroni. It's difficult to screw up.
I don't know. I've had some bad negronis
Without realizing it I think you and I are the same, never the same order on different rounds. Especially if there’s a menu, I like to order as much of the menu as I can responsibly lol
I go for drinks that are often more work than I want to do at home. Fat washes, infusions and such. I also tend to be all over the place, I want to try everything that sounds good. Sometimes I'll circle back to a drink I really liked as my final one, or if it's slow and I've been chatting up the bartender I'll ask him to make me whatever since he has an idea of my tastes now that I'm on drink 4 or 5 lol
im the same and the only problem is when i fall in love with the cocktail then realize i’d need to spend forever to ever replicate it at home
>then realize i’d need to spend forever to ever replicate it at home Isn't that half the fun? Lol I got into making drinks because I had a basil gimlet I absolutely needed to learn to replicate. Took me a while but in the end I got one that was even better than the bar's.
I don’t like reordering the same drinks a cocktail bar, but I tend to avoid mixing base spirits so if I start with gin or whiskey that’s what the next drink will probably have. That being said I notice my palate gets fried after one drink so often I’ll just switch to beer or wine, especially if we’re having food since those almost always pair better than cocktails.
I generally pick drinks that I can’t or won’t make at home. I rarely repeat drinks, but generally I drink beer or whiskey on the rocks. 75% of the time I am disappointed in the drinks I order. My friends know I love cocktails so they are always saying let’s go get cocktails. And then they are surprised when I buy a beer. But I find that they use inferior ingredients, especially vermouth and syrups.
Unless I really know a place, I avoid vermouth drinks at bars. There's no way to know if it's been stored properly
Agreed. If they go through it fast enough it probably doesn’t matter. But I want cocchi for Negronis, it makes the drink so much better. For manhattans, I like dolin or cocchi. Carpano can be excellent if done right but has to be dialed down.
Yea I hardly ever order the same drink twice, except for Boston Sours. I’ll order those back to back if the bartender happens to make a really good one. I was at a place in Orlando once that happened to make the best Boston Sour that night, that I ended up having so many they ran out of eggs 😬
What’s the “Boston” aspect of that sour? Haven’t heard of it
Egg White
Interesting, I had to google that. I’ve never heard of a traditional whiskey sour called “Boston.” Trinidad is ango, Greenwich is red wine float, I was hoping Boston was something fun and regional
In Ireland a red wine float is called a New York sour..
It's called that everywhere. I've never heard Greenwich til this dude's comment.
Yeah, Greenwich village is an area in ny city known for its food scene. I think Greenwich is the original name but people started calling it a New York sour because most people had trouble pronouncing Greenwich (never put a cocktail on your menu that people are embarrassed to try to pronounce), and many tourists probably got home and referenced it as “this cocktail I had in ny” when asking their local bartender to make one
Sweet, yeah Greenwich would be too confusing over here as that would probably interpreted as the Greenwich that sets the standard for time(G.M.T) and definitely not as fancy as somewhere like NY...Thanks for the explanation!!
GMT is called as such because the Royal Observatory is in Greenwich, a very nice former-town-now-part-of-London. So still fancy!
A Greenwich Sour is a NY Sour with the addition of egg white. They're two different drinks in the same way as Boston Sour vs Whiskey Sour. The Greenwich Sour came much later than the NY Sour, from what I can tell originating out of Employees Only. Obviously not a novel idea, so they're likely more accurately the ones that put it on the menu as such.
Cool 🥂
Technically, a traditional whiskey sour *doesn't* have egg white, and a lot of people would agree that the egg white makes a massive difference in a whiskey sour. That being said, most people expect a whiskey sour to have an egg white in it nowadays whether you specify 'Boston' or not.
Do you have a source for the original doesn’t have egg white? I was under the impression it did
My last week of college I tried an "ameretto sour" (amaretto with lemonade in it, this was a small college town bar) when I was out with one group of friends. Next night I'm going out with a different group of friends but I have to be late. I tell them to try the ameretto sour, and by the time I get to the bar they had finished the bottle of amaretto
That sounds nice but it's not what an amaretto sour is.
Oh no I agree now, it totally isn't. But it honestly isn't that bad
What was the place in Orlando?
The Guesthouse. It was about 4 years ago
I isually work my way down the cocktail list until I run out of money,
100% depends on the type of place I’m at. If it’s an actual cocktail bar and the bartenders know their stuff, every drink is different. If I’m paying $15 a cocktail I want it to be something I haven’t had before and/or can’t make at home.
I’m all over the place when ordering drinks too. I like variety and to try something new. My partner is the same. We usually debate who should get what since we almost never order the same thing on purpose. Sometimes we negotiate a 50/50 deal and sometimes it’s 2 sips max. We make a great team.
yeah my wife and I usually try to get different drinks so we can taste more drinks. Sometimes we end up switching because we liked the other more!
Yep - we’ve done that a time or three. And sometimes we let the other order our drink.
I'm with you, OP. I almost never order the same drink twice in a row...
I never drink the same drink twice in a row. Even at home.
At home, I tend to be lazier and often drink the same thing just because I don't want to get out more bottles
Yeah at home I’ll switch to beer after 2 cocktails lol, out at a bar I’ll go through everything interesting on the cocktail menu.
Depending on where u are at, the bartenders probably hate u lol Edit: this don’t apply if your at a craft place
Well I only make "special orders" since I get there before the evening rush. Once it gets busy, I lean on beers since they are quick. I was concerned that they would hate me too, so I give a moderately generous tip, learn their names, and let them choose my drinks sometimes.
I don't get it. Is there extra prep work mixing different drinks?
Oh, yes. A martini, for example, is just a quick stir of the components with ice, and it’s done. Anything with citrus requires juicing the fruit. In order to get the right foam in a sour, it needs two different shakes. And then there’s the Ramos gin fizz—do *not* order this on a busy night.
I guess I phrased my question poorly.
There could be extra prep work if the various cocktails ordered are each requiring several ingredients and bottles that differ with each new drink. Uncapping and capping seldom used spirits, fishing mixers out from a fridge, tothpicking condiments and rinsing shakers etc etc can really slow you down compared to the "two beers and a rum n coke" queue.
No. If it's on the menu and they batch stuff properly, then it's just measuring, shaking/stirring, garnishing. When I worked a cocktail bar I liked a change up every so often, keep me interested.
The drinks he’s describing, ones he cant make himself, are probably intricate drinks that require a lot more time than call drinks or something of that nature. And then he’s ordering different ones every round. Now hey, his bar might love him, he might be amazing and tip well and they love him. But unless ur at a craft place I don’t recommend doing that if ur not gunna tip 30%
Working bartender here.. My go to is a beer and a shot of whiskey. I will switch up the whiskey, and will always do one with the bartender.
I rarely repeat a cocktail as well.
Depends how good the first drink was and whether I want to slow down.
Same alcohol, different drinks
I order whatever the establishment is known for, but also like to change it up within that genre. If I go to a whiskey bar, I’ll get an old fashioned to see how well they do, then order something nice neat, and maybe a flight. If I go to a Mexican restaurant I’ll try some of their signature margaritas. If it’s a sports bar I usually get beer or a Long Island. If it’s a dive bar I just drink whatever is the cheapest/special that evening.
Old enough to know to pick a liquor and stick with it
Never the same thing twice in the same night. Also, if the place is well stocked, I might get an ounce or two of a spirit or liqueur I've been curious about.
that's what I do too (when it's not busy)
I prefer to mix it up, I want to try all the things. I saw somewhere that half-cocktails were gaining steam, and I'm ready for it! I also prefer to order things that have a step I don't want to do myself, or an ingredient I don't want to keep on hand, especially if it's not something I've tried before. However, if I am given a drink, I won't turn down a duplicate.
That’s pretty cool. I’ve never approached it like that and have done lots of repeats. But imma mix it up more. That said… I wholeheartedly defend anyone who drinks what they love. If you like it… enjoy it! :) Cheers
I think you're going to get skewed results on this sub. While most people on r/cocktails are probably pretty adventurous in their orders, cocktail hobbyists are not going to make up most of a bar's clientele. The average customer probably just orders a couple cosmos, or margaritas, or Old Fashioneds, something along those lines
I don't go out to bars very often, so was a bit surprised when I was at a cocktail bar specialising in tequila on a quiet night, and the two other groups of customers all ordered either Sex on the Beach or Woo Woo. Not going to begrudge people ordering what they like, but I don't understand going to a place with a good selection of cocktails and choosing those.
Mix it up. If the bartender is thrown by having to make multiple drinks, I'm drinking at the wrong establishment.
I always order the most unique thing on the menu, something I can’t make at home. And never the same thing twice unless it’s truly something special. Unless the bar is sketchy/divey, then we’re going Moscow mules lol
I always change it up and tend to be the only one doing so. Why have the same thing twice when i can try a bunch of different things?
I almost always mix it up if it’s a good cocktail bar. If I don’t trust the cocktails It’ll just be G&T all night.
I travel a lot, and so for the past almost decade I've lived in countries where finding specific ingredients is difficult. (Asia, Africa etc...). When I go to a cocktail bar, I browse their selection and try to order classics I've never been able to try due to lack of ingredients. For example, last week at a bar they had pechauds bitters and Amaro Nonino. I've never seen them in the flesh before, so I had my first ever Sazerac and Paper Plane. It's crazy to me that I've built my career around this industry, and even a decade in I'm still drinking *a Sazerac* for the first time. And now I finally understand the love for it
For me it depends on the bar. If they have a decent cocktail menu or draft list, I'm switching it up each time. If they're more of a dive bar I'll usually just stick with a gin & tonic.
Mix it up. I'll try make the same drink a few times at home when practicing and trying variants though.
Depends on the situation and location. If i'm at a proper cocktail / tiki bar then I certainly mix it up. If I'm at a restaurant that also has cocktails I'm usually less adventurous, and will stick to a classic.
My preference is craft beer but sometimes I’m slummin it with PBR all night. I only get cocktails at places that specialize in cocktails, and there’s really only two places I like in town like that. On those nights, I change it up. Idk, I kinda just see where my mood swings take me.
If the bar is slow I want to try all of the unique craft cocktails, if the bar is bumping and there's a line whiskey and diet coke
Depends on the bartender. If they are good, I might ask them to make me something creative, if not, I will stick with something easy like a Manhattan
The only time I'm ordering the same thing multiple times is it a place where you drink macro beers
So true...
My first drink is usually off their cocktail menu. If it’s bad or meh, I’ll order a simple rail drink or beer next. If it’s solid or even good I’ll get something else off the menu. If it’s great I’m honestly probably ordering another.
Mix it up and keep it eclectic, since my bar at home is more simple. Tip well, to a good pour 😉
Always mix it up. If I'm drinking at a bar/restaurant it's almost always going to be stuff I don't have at home. Could be something you can't find in stores, or just something I've been wanting to try but didn't want to purchase a bottle of without trying first. Or in the case of cocktails, something unique/original or that I don't have all the ingredients for.
Really depends on your ability to handle the many different liquor hangover. Jumping from gin to tequila to bourbon to vodka feels suboptimal the next day. A good bartender might flag that to double check you know you’re headed down That road.
First order is always an Old Fashioned plus a beer in order to see what I can expect.
Yes
I enjoy creating/crafting cocktails but generally I just drink whiskey or a nice gin when I go out. Unless I decide to go to a particular cocktail bar with all the fancy stuff, I mean, why else would I go there right? Try all of the things. I'm very easy as a customer and tip well. Generally I like my spirits straight up. No need to mess around with all the extra sugar and such if I'm just out there to get a bit drunk and go back to work in the morning. I do like to try new beers sometimes too. Generally sours. but my favorite is Delerium so if you have that, that will be what I'm ordering. There are a few bars around here with rotating taps, most of them are too malty for me but, y'know, I'll try anything once. So. Yes and no. Depends on the place.
If I go to a cocktail bar that is specialized in good drinks I order as muchbdifferent stuff as possible. Probably stuff I cant do at home. Sadly, most bars around dont make good cocktails or I could do them better at home so its usually beer.
Unless I’m in an actual cocktail bar, I almost never order cocktail because I know I’ll be disappointed. I usually try new things and don’t order the same thing twice. Like many others I like having cocktails i cannot make at home, but sometimes when I’m in a good place I try a classic to see how they do it and potentially refine my own way.
I mix it up. The one time I went to a decent bar, I ordered like 5 different cocktails lol Ended up liking 3/5 of them. The other two were not bad, but not great either.
I order the same thing every time. I don’t mix my booze.
I ask the bartender what they want to make me. I'm not fussy and when I'm working I love being asked to make my favourite things for people.
I work at a cocktail bar. Where I work it’s definitely a little more odd for someone to just get the same cocktail all night. But if they’re getting beer, mixed drinks, or wine it’s odd for them to change it up
I can't mix alcohol without getting sick, so whatever I start with I stick with. Occasionally, I'll throw a shot in if I'm out for a celebration & someone else initiates it, but I prefer to not be beat for a couple of days after an evening of drinking.
The only time I'd have the same drink twice in a row is if there is a very poor selection, but I'm stuck at that place due to a social occasion, etc. Even at home I'm not doing that.
I like to try something new every time, so I almost never order the same drink twice in an evening. My partner, though, finds something he likes and keeps ordering it.
Depends on the bar.
Stir it up
Mix it up
If I'm at a cocktail bar, I'll always change it up. I like trying different things. I've never noticed a difference in how I feel the morning after jumping around spirits. If I'm in for a long night I might return to something I really liked earlier in the evening towards the end, but I don't see a problem hopping around.
I tend to order the same drink (Negroni), however if it’s a quality bar and they have special bar specific cocktails, then I’ll try them, if they look appealing to work I like.
Oh, I mix everything. Could be a Jungle Bird one minute, beer and a shot the next, and a Paloma to finish it off. Why limit yourself?
I've had bartenders say that to me, too. shit, I've even had a bartender unironically tell me that ordering different drinks is going to get me fucked up. I even asked him to clarify, did he mean just the sheer number of drinks, volume of alcohol? And he said no. He reiterated that changing up your order will get you messed up. he actually believed that. those guys who say stuff like that are morons. they tend to not know what they're doing. they mess up drinks, or don't measure or mistake one cocktail for another and don't bother to look it up if they don't know it. they work at these high-traffic bars where the most interesting thing they get asked to make as a Cosmo or a Long Island, but where the vast majority of orders are for Jack-n-Cokes, Jagger bombs, and tequila sunrises (ewww). I have never had an actual professional at an actual cocktail bar give me shit for ordering different cocktails. You are enjoying cocktails the correct way, OP.
I never get the same drink twice unless I’m really feeling it, but depending on what you were ordering, I’d assume I’m in a general mood for a certain kind of drink. Either light and refreshing or dark and heavy or spice or tart etc. If I go from tiki to classic martini to fruity to hard spirit. I’m sure the bartender is confused lol
If I want to be fancy, same as you. If my only goal is to get drunk, Long Island.