Various cocktail drinks on a wall paper background.
Drinks Bartenders Secretly Hate Making

NEWS

By LYLA PORTER
A closeup of a glass of margarita.
Margarita
Dive bars are unfussy and affordable, and often these local haunts have some great stories, but the last thing you want to order is a margarita.
Glasses of margarita on a wooden board.
Fresh lime juice is a key ingredient in the perfect margarita, but dive bars typically use sweet and sour, which contain high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors.
A glass of Manhanttan on a wooden counter.
Manhattan
Unless you’re at a steakhouse or a cocktail lounge don’t order a Manhattan because most places don’t have the right ingredients like dark cherries and simple syrup.
A glass of Manhattan topped with cherries on a tray.
So stay clear of Manhattans because good bartenders don’t want to disappoint their customers, leading to small tips and wounding their pride.
Friends toasting with mojitos.
Mojito
When a bar is busy, a lot of bartenders will tell you that they hate making mojitos and other labor-intensive drinks that require a lot of muddling.
A closeup of a glass of mojito.
Ordering a drink like a mojito will slow down a bartender's workflow and some places don’t have enough room to prep and lay fresh ingredients for a mojito.
A closeup of deconstructed margaritas topped with a slice of lime.
Deconstructed Cocktails
Most bartenders are happy to create delicious and complex-tasting cocktails, which is why they scoff at customers who order deconstructed cocktails.
A glass of cable car on a wooden counter.
Bartender Julien Whaley said his number one pet peeve is when someone asks him to bring a deconstructed cocktail to the table for them to mix themselves.
A bartender pouring pina colada from a blender into a cooper mug.
Pina Colada
A fun night at a music venue isn’t complete without a few drinks but troubling a bartender for a blended drink like a pina colada is not considerate.
A closeup of a glass of pina colada surrounded by pineapple slices.
The sound of a blender hacking away at some ice cubes while a band is performing will irk everyone at the venue, so stay away from blended drinks.