You may want to think twice about grabbing a pint at your local dive.
Bartenders have revealed the alcoholic beverages they wouldn’t dare order themselves, from draft beer to margaritas.
Daniel Yeom, the general manager of Santa Monica-based Esters Wine Shop & Bar, is wary of on-tap beer or a glass of wine at a local dive, he told HuffPost.
Patrons don’t know “the last time the draft system got cleaned,” which “can be really nasty in there with fruit flies and gunk” — not exactly the refreshing brew you might hope for. And, while ordering a glass of wine may seem like the safer option, you also “don’t know how long that wine’s been open.”
Instead, he would recommend sticking to a classic gin and tonic or whiskey and Coke.
“No bartenders ever order a Long Island iced tea,” warned Lauren Lenihan, the director of operations for New York City’s Paris Café and Common Ground Bar.
The famed cocktail packs a punch — calling for vodka, white rum, tequila, gin and triple sec — giving boozers more bang for their buck, but Lenihan described it as “juvenile.”
“Most customers just want it because it’s strong and they’re looking to get drunk quickly,” the experienced bartender explained, adding that she doesn’t mind serving one up, but many mixologists will refuse.
While espresso martinis may be the poison of choice for many “It” girls this year, industry experts caution against ordering them at establishments that don’t have proper espresso.
“Most bars are not equipped with a decent espresso machine and the coffee might be old and sitting for a long time behind the bar,” said bartender Alejandro Echeverria, who also serves as the beverage director for New York City’s Sushi by Bou.
The caffeinated drink — which also could wreak havoc on your health in more ways than one after a few too many — requires a fresh espresso shot, vodka, Kahlua and simple syrup, but some bars swap fresh coffee for refrigerated drip or cold brew, which doesn’t have the same je ne se quois.
“Most of the time it comes out unbalanced and flat or bitter,” Echeverria explained. “It’s a really tricky cocktail to pull off. From the quality of ingredients to the consistency of the shake, every factor can affect the end result.”
Next on the chopping block: Margaritas.
It seems like a difficult cocktail to botch — just shake tequila, lime juice, triple sec and ice — but some bartenders are still on the hunt for “the perfect one.”
Karla B., who works at Vermont’s Neshobe Golf Course, lamented that “the sour mix is wrong; I like sugar over salt. Some people put peach schnapps in it, or sometimes they’ll use triple sec.”
She noted, “You really never know what you’re going to get.”
A Ramos Gin Fizz is a specialty cocktail that requires an experienced hand, calling for a delicate balance of egg whites, gin, cream, simple syrup and citrus.
“It’s a labor-intensive cocktail that needs a lot of shaking so the cream and egg ingredients can emulsify and basically turn into a meringue,” Mauro Villalobos, the beverage director at the Las Vegas restaurant Superfrico.
“If you have proper bar etiquette in a busy bar, don’t order this,” Villalobos added. “Or, order it if you hate the bartender.”
It’s cumbersome to create, requiring five minutes of dry shaking ingredients, and is a no-go for a busy night at the bar, said Wish You Were Here Vice President Julien Calella, from Los Angeles.
“Needless to say, it is a huge pain for a busy bartender, and I will only have one at a bar if it is a high-quality cocktail bar, with hardly anyone else in the building, and the bartender offers,” Calella said.
The same goes for a Guinness, which needs the perfect, two-part pour from a nitrogen tap.
“I wouldn’t get a Guinness at a busy dive bar, because it takes about a week to 10 days to pour the dang thing,” said Interboro Spirits & Ales bartender Jack Tynan. “I’ll sit in a nice quiet pub and get a Guinness because they’ll take the time and do it right.”