Poll: Do You Order Complicated Cocktails?

Do You Order Complicated Cocktails?

December 28, 2009

In a discussion with several colleagues, I discovered that, apparently, complicated cocktails are a bit of a love it or hate it thing. While PartySugar and I appreciate the rise of highly nuanced cocktails — like the Grey Lady pictured here — one co-worker begged to differ. "I hate waiting for fancy drinks," he lamented. "I'd just rather order a vodka and cranberry; it has the same effect, anyway."

He has a point: I once waited twenty minutes on a cocktail at The Violet Hour in Chicago — although my drink's multifaceted flavors wound up tasting perfectly balanced in every imaginable way.

23 Comments

starofsorrow 3 years 20 weeks

It depends....if I go to a nice place, I'm definitely ordering something nice and complicated if it's good, or something that I haven't tried before. However, at bars where I'd probably go with friends for bar-hopping, I tend to order simple drinks that are easy to mix up. It all just depends on how I'm feeling.

starofsorrow 3 years 20 weeks

It depends....if I go to a nice place, I'm definitely ordering something nice and complicated if it's good, or something that I haven't tried before.However, at bars where I'd probably go with friends for bar-hopping, I tend to order simple drinks that are easy to mix up. It all just depends on how I'm feeling.

partysugar 3 years 21 weeks

The other day I ordered three cocktails at Smuggler's Cove (SF's new tiki bar) and it took so long that my friends thought I left. Seriously I waited about 45 minutes for them.

kred 3 years 21 weeks

After many years of bartending I would love to slap the people that invented Mojitos, blended anything, and Cosmo's. I enjoy a good mojito, but I will never order one anywhere becasue I know how much I hated making them. It's eaasy and probably much cheaper to make one at home....

mek123 3 years 21 weeks

If it is a crowded bar; then something simple but I like to try new drinks and will ask the waitress or bartender about their speciality drinks.

limelindsey 3 years 21 weeks

I stick to the simple - gin and tonic, two limes. Pretty much always.

Lauren3185 3 years 21 weeks

I always used to order complicated drinks until I bartended. The worst was to be slammed on a Friday or Saturday and someone wanted a Mojito or some other crazy drink - blended ones were always the worst! Now if the bar is slammed I stick to something simple - but if it's slow I'll ask for something a little fancier.

Spectra 3 years 21 weeks

I don't usually order anything very complicated--I'll either get a beer or vodka and tonic. Sometimes I'll get a mojito or a margarita if I'm in the mood, but I don't like to wait too long for a drink.

kia 3 years 21 weeks

I'll only take a complicated cocktail when the alcohol is cheap quality. Give me a simple drink if it is high-grade... or even straight if it is sip-worthy.

a1stbornunicorn 3 years 21 weeks

My boyfriend hates when I order complicated drinks at crowded bars but when the reason I go to an upscale cocktail bar is for a specific drink, you'd better believe I'm ordering it!! That being said, I love caipirinhas and chiltons... don't worry, I tip extra for the effort.

dclsweetspot 3 years 21 weeks

I usually will order a beer with dinner but if I am sitting at the bar I love to have a drink that involves too many ingredients for me to make at home. I love a Long Beach with no sour but with grenadine to make it sweet. It's a powerful drink so you can sip it for a while and it tastes just like Hawaiian punch.

lisabarn 3 years 21 weeks

It really depends on the Bar - I would never go to a place that specializes in cocktails and order something simple when I go to places like Rickhouse, Bourban Branch or Alembic I like to trust the bartender.

3 years 21 weeks

It all depends on the bar and how crowded it is. If it's busy, I'm not going to risk getting an annoyed bartender. That is, of course, unless the bar is known for their cocktails. At the same time, I tend toward beer (local, small brewers of course) anyway.

RoaringSilence 3 years 21 weeks

Apart from Mojitos, I don't like or even know too many complicated cocktails, I think. I also always make sure to tip a little more when there's more work involved for the bartender.

doogirl 3 years 21 weeks

I prefer a simple cocktail, Amaretto Sours and Lemon Drops.

onlysourcherry 3 years 21 weeks

I'll order a vodka cran if i'm at a really crowded bar, but how boring. I'd much rather try something new and exciting that i can't make at home.

megln1022 3 years 21 weeks

simple unless the place is known for their cocktails- then i'm all about a complex one!

SecondCitySoiree 3 years 21 weeks

Well, Violet Hour is all about waiting for a fabulous cocktail! You wouldn't order a vodka-cranberry there, anyway. Did you check out their "House Rules" posted in the restroom? Something about no dirty martinis, cosmos, Irish car bombs, etc.I usually stick to simple drinks unless the place specializes in cocktails, or I can tell from talking to the bartender that they're more of a mixologist type, stuck in a bartender role.

SecondCitySoiree 3 years 21 weeks

Well, Violet Hour is all about waiting for a fabulous cocktail! You wouldn't order a vodka-cranberry there, anyway. Did you check out their "House Rules" posted in the restroom? Something about no dirty martinis, cosmos, Irish car bombs, etc. I usually stick to simple drinks unless the place specializes in cocktails, or I can tell from talking to the bartender that they're more of a mixologist type, stuck in a bartender role.

courtneyd 3 years 21 weeks

It depends on the establishment. There's nothing I hate more than ordering something beyond rum and coke and being asked how to make it. So I generally stick to very simple unless the place is known for their cocktails.

POPSUGAR Food 3 years 21 weeks

I have a penchant for complex cocktails. The exception would be when it's the bartender's treat. When a drink's on the house, you don't want to make them labor over a cocktail for 10 minutes!

3 years 21 weeks

If there's time and the company is pleasant, I do not mind waiting a while for a cocktail. Although I'm a teetotaler, I like the non-alcoholic mixtures which are often very pleasant. However, it can be a little frustrating when everyone else has been served but not you :)

3 years 21 weeks

It depends - sometimes a vodka cran is good, but other times I need a Lemon Drop or a Mojito. I know Mojitos are no walk in the park, but they are SO good!!!

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23 Comments

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