Many people don’t know what they want at the bar. They stand and stammer, have a default order they heard someone else make, or pick something from the menu that approximates what they think they like. The best bartenders learn to ask good questions to help. Here’s how I do it:
It’s called triangulation. You pick three aesthetic criteria like:
“What kind of spirit do you like?”
“Do you like sours or boozy cocktails?”
“Do you want it up or on the rocks?”
“What kind of spirit do you like?”
“Do you like sours or boozy cocktails?”
“Do you want it up or on the rocks?”
Let’s say someone answers like this:
“Gin, sour, rocks”
Then it would be easy to suggest a Tom Collins.
Or this:
“Bourbon, boozy, up”
Maybe a Boulevardier.
“Gin, sour, rocks”
Then it would be easy to suggest a Tom Collins.
Or this:
“Bourbon, boozy, up”
Maybe a Boulevardier.
You obviously have to know a repertoire of cocktails. But it’s an easy method and works. Eventually you get good at guessing. I used to imagine a cocktail over every customer’s head when they entered the bar. Often I would ask just to test my assumption. I was something like 95%.
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