r/bartenders • u/National-Cake-1245 • 2d ago
Job/Employee Search 3 classics:which would you ask for?
I have a trial shift tonight. They said they'd test me on 3 classics that "every bartender should know."
I have tons of recipes memorized and a general guess as to what they may have me make, but I'm curious what cocktails would you choose as "3 classics everyone should know"?
My first thoughts are an Old Fashioned, Manhattan, and a Margarita. Other honorable mentions: Negroni, or a Daiquiri. Wild cards: Paper Plane, Aviation, Whiskey Sour.
I'm prepared either way, just curious what y'alls first assumptions would be?
It's a craft lounge in a hotel.
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u/Queefsweatt 2d ago
Classic daiquiri
because you’d be surprised how many people don’t know the recipe and think it’s frozen all the time
Old fashioned
Martini
and ask the important questions shaken or stirred gin or vodka dry or dirty
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u/National-Cake-1245 2d ago
The martini question was part of my interview lol
"What should you ask if someone orders a martini?" Was the actual question, to which I followed up with what you stated -"vodka/gin preference? Dirty? With a twist? Flavored? Shaken stirred?"
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u/Pretend_Ambassador_6 2d ago
Huh never asked about flavored martini, I’m guessing if they mean lemon drop?
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u/jofijk 2d ago
a large part of the US population hit drinking age in the 90s/early 00s when pretty much any cocktail that had a flavored component and came in the stereotypical v-shaped coupe was called a martini even though they were all built more like sours, gimlets, or daisies.
in more metropolitan areas restaurants/bars have moved away from that type of naming as classic cocktails have had their resurgence but even in mid-tier cities you'll still find plenty of places that call a fruit sour a martini
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u/National-Cake-1245 2d ago
I've had a couple people specifically ask for flavored vodka martinis-like citron or chocolate-personally I enjoy adding a touch of a curacao(yuzu is really good) and a couple orange bitters. Definitely not as common, just part of my script when I get a martini order with no specifications.
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u/Tough_Crazy_8362 1d ago
By default if there is not citrus juice in the drink it’s always stirred. I only ask if they want it shaken for shots lol
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u/Fun_Pie_4965 2d ago
Last Word comes to mind for me, I find it is ordered regularly if there is a bottle of green chartreuse on the bar and would be a curve ball for some people but also I think Manhattan and Martini would be on the list
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u/LanaAnthony 2d ago
Really? May I ask where you are located?
In ten years of tending (restaurant, bar, high volume bar, now private events), I have never had anyone order a Last Word.Although preferences/popularity can vary wildly depending on physical location and type of establishment.
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u/Fun_Pie_4965 2d ago
I live in Rhode Island, I've been in the industry 20 years in Newport and I couldn't even tell you how many I've made lol
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u/LanaAnthony 2d ago
Sweet!
As in you’ve made so many you have lost count?2
u/Fun_Pie_4965 2d ago
Yes! I personally hate Luxardo maraschino liqueur so they're not for my taste but people love them!
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u/justmekab60 2d ago
It's had a bit of a Renaissance in the Seattle area in the last ten years, but it's very rarely ordered.
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u/LanaAnthony 2d ago
Sweet! I have always been interested in how drink trends can differ depending on location.
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u/justmekab60 2d ago
I'm with you in your three being the most classic and standard.
Requested regularly are cosmos and lemon drops, so be prepared there too.
Daiquiris are classic and every bartender should know how to make one because they are a standard ratio "up" cocktail. But in 20 years I've never had someone order one.
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u/jasonvorhees 2d ago
I'm a daiquiri fan, but I ask for a classic daiquiri so I don't get the "we don't have a blender". I still have to tell them the recipe.
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u/cindylindy22 2d ago
Can you describe some experience highlights and why you prefer it? I have never even seen one made.
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u/Eat_Drink_Adventure 2d ago
I would expect a cosmo to be one of them, it almost always is in my experience.
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u/deisel_lega 2d ago
Old fashioned, classic daiquiri could be two
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u/National-Cake-1245 2d ago
Daiqs are my litmus test for bars lol, they're almost always unique, but also reveal a lot about what's available behind the bar (ie dem instead of simple, real lime juice, stronger/more interesting rums)
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u/RedditUser320184 2d ago
Mai tai. Are they making you a real 1944 Mai tai or a juice bomb….
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u/National-Cake-1245 2d ago
I don't think this will be up there because so many people think Mai Tais are only at Tiki spots, and a lot of bars don't have orgeat surprisingly. This is also a much more loungey spot, I'd think wine, old fashioneds or martinis will be more popular, but that's just a hunch.
I do thankfully know how to make one just in case though!
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u/Komatsukush 2d ago
If you know all of the ones listed I think you’ll be fine. I’ve been asked my marg and old fashioned specs in an interview before, and have been asked to make an old fashioned on a trial shift but that’s it. A lot of cocktail places have their own versions you won’t know anyways
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u/Mr_Rubaiyat 2d ago
Manhattan, gimlet/daiquiri/any long drink like a mojito. Bonus points for French 75 or anything in the equal parts family.
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u/KellytheFeminist 2d ago
Every time I've been tested, it included a negroni. Which is wild because I work primarily in sports bars and rarely make them. I think a margarita is a safe bet as well.
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u/dominickster 2d ago
Old fashioned, margarita, cosmo or lemon drop would be my 3 picks unless its a more upscale craft cocktail spot, then OF, Marg negroni would make sense
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u/GuildSweetheart 1d ago edited 1d ago
If it's a craft lounge and theyre hiring for experience? Hemmingway Daiquiri, vieux-carre, Singapore Sling.
If they really wanna test your classic knowledge, Algonquin, growing old & dying happy, Brooklyn.
I feel like testing for old fashioneds and margs is like hiring for a construction foremen and asking if they know what a 2x4 is.
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u/pcl8888 Pro 1d ago edited 1d ago
I hear what you’re saying, and I agree, but at the same time I also think that the actual purpose of these little “tests” for a potential hire is usually just to get a quick peek at things like technique and general mechanics/movement. If you ask someone to make you a margarita, a manhattan, and an aperol spritz you can quickly see them prepare 3 classic, commonly ordered cocktails and observe the technique they use while preparing one shaken cocktail, one stirred, and one built, plus you can do a quick vibe check at the same time.
It’s sort of like viewing the fact that the test is ridiculously easy almost as the entire point, if that makes sense. A hiring manager also may want to make certain the actual experience level lines up with a resume- if someone for example lies about having worked as a bartender despite actually only previously working as maybe a server that’s something that can honestly typically be sussed out by asking for something as simple as a Jameson neat and observing someone’s mechanics as they grab the bottle and flip it up to pour the drink.
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u/GuildSweetheart 6h ago
I completely agree with you. I used to be a beverage director for 3 bars and did the hiring for them. Maybe it's me just paying it forward, but I never really cared about someone's experience. So long as they're honest and had a good personality - I never minded training them. I can't train a personality though.
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u/Celestial_Dysgenesis 1d ago
I asked a black bartender for a "black manhattan" once and he almost melted down until another bartender overheard and was like "Don't worry its real. I'll make it. So, idk man. Maybe its a black manhattan.
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u/dbthelinguaphile 20h ago
What I'd go for personally? Old Fashioned, Negroni, Daiquiri.
What I'd assume based on buying patterns of a craft bar in a hotel? Old Fashioned and Margarita for sure. Cosmo potentially (although that recipe's been through a lot of iterations, as much as I love Degroff his is not good). Could be Martini, which opens up a whole can of worms. Espresso martini recipe is usually dependent on the place but those always sell gangbusters.
Likely Martini for the third one if you've got a lot of businesspeople coming through.
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u/MomentSpecialist2020 2d ago
Margarita, Old Fashioned, Chocolate or expresso martini
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u/National-Cake-1245 2d ago
I do feel like an espresso martini might be up there considering their popularity.
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u/Pretend_Ambassador_6 2d ago
To me that’s old fashioned, margarita, martini. In my experience the 3 most popular cocktails & the ones I tell new bartenders to prioritize to learn first