It’s OK to be specific or make minor substitutions when you order a drink, but try not to be a “poet,” said mixologist Joshua Lucas.
Rattling off your own involved cocktail recipe in a packed bar can be frustrating for a bartender and make your order trickier to get just right.
For example, he said, he never wants to hear something like: “I’ll have a Belvedere vodka martini extra shaken with two cucumbers, no vermouth, a lemon twist expressed and discarded, and save the shaken ice on the side.”
This story was originally published on May 30, 2024, and most recently updated on March 19, 2026.
