Let’s be honest. Nobody behind the bar will admit it openly at first. There’s a code, a kind of professional poker face we all wear while wiping down the bar top and nodding politely. But after 12 years of late nights, sticky counters, and thousands of drink orders, I can tell you plainly: yes, we judge you.
If you’ve ever wondered whether bartenders judge you based on your drink order, they do. How could they not? It isn’t malicious, most of the time. It’s more like pattern recognition that switches on automatically after years on the job. A customer’s order – what they choose, how they phrase it, when they pause – is rarely just about flavor or alcohol content. It’s often a micro-expression of identity, emotional state, and social intention. So here are the nine drinks that have me reading you like a book before I’ve even reached for a glass. Be surprised by what I actually think.
1. The Long Island Iced Tea: The Universal Red Flag
Of all the drinks I’ve made over the years, this one sends the clearest signal. Despite its pleasing color and mix of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic ingredients, bartenders never assume you’re ordering a Long Island Iced Tea for its looks or flavor. This cocktail order is considered an instant red flag and an indicator that you’re probably not interested in having a nice quiet night out.
A Long Island Iced Tea contains essentially the entire liquor cabinet – vodka, gin, rum, and tequila all come together in this cocktail. It can have an alcohol content of around 22%, though the actual ABV can vary. The high proof of this cocktail can lead to overly inebriated and problematic bar patrons. And that is exactly why we’re watching you closely the moment you order it.
Bartenders can be held legally accountable for the actions of those they have overserved. They’re always on the lookout for people whose goal seems to be getting as drunk as possible for the least amount of money. The surest sign of that intent is ordering a cocktail like the Long Island Iced Tea. Bartenders know that traditionally, people have ordered this drink for one reason and one reason only: the high alcohol content.
As Lauren Lenihan, director of operations for Paris Café and Common Ground Bar in New York City, and a bartender with over 20 years of experience, puts it plainly: “No bartenders ever order a Long Island iced tea.” That says it all, really.
2. The Appletini: A Nostalgia Drink That Carries Baggage
Ordering an appletini in 2026 is a bold and confusing choice. The drink dates back to 1996, with its invention generally credited to Lola’s, a West Hollywood restaurant. According to a survey, a whopping nearly half of bartenders said they have a negative opinion of folks who ask for the drink. That’s a pretty damning statistic for something garnished with a maraschino cherry.
Some drinks are simply embarrassing to order, and no cocktail may be more likely to draw a raised eyebrow than the appletini. Even if you’re ordering one that’s easy on the ‘tini, the odds are high your bartender will be displeased. Honestly, I don’t hate the person ordering it – I just wonder if they’ve explored literally anything else on the menu in the past two decades.
3. Frozen Drinks: You Just Declared War on the Bar
Ordering a frozen drink on a packed Saturday night is, in my professional opinion, an act of aggression. One veteran bartender called out anyone ordering anything frozen as someone who “hates their bartender and wants us to suffer.” That’s dramatic, sure. It’s also not entirely wrong.
Most frozen cocktails bear little resemblance to their original, unfrozen forms, which might explain why roughly two in five bartenders think negatively of people who order them. Consider the daiquiri, for example: while a strawberry daiquiri is essentially a strawberry smoothie spiked with rum, a classic daiquiri simply consists of rum shaken with sugar and lime.
Bartenders most dislike drinks that are slow, inconsistent, risky, or create waste – especially when those drinks are low-profit or highly customized. High-volume pubs particularly hate frozen margaritas and anything that breaks the rhythm of service. When 30 people are waiting and you want a blended piña colada, yes, I’m judging you. I’m judging you hard.
4. The Mojito: My Personal Nemesis
Here’s the thing about mojitos. They’re delicious. I genuinely love a well-made one. But ordering them during a rush is something that puts every bartender into quiet survival mode. Once the club gets packed, it starts to be a bit of a hassle to muddle a mojito. Some dive bars and clubs don’t have enough room to perfectly prep and lay out the ingredients. Whenever someone ordered one, the bartender has to rummage around in the fridge, pick off the mint leaves, race back to the bar to muddle them – and by that point, a dozen more drink orders have stacked up.
Muddled mint bruises easily – over-muddling makes it bitter, while under-muddling makes it flavorless. Fresh mint and individual builds are slow, and the drink requires per-drink preparation, lots of waste, and extra time during busy shifts. Read the room before you order this one. If the bar is three-deep in customers, maybe go with a gin and tonic tonight.
5. “Surprise Me” – The Lazy Order That Infuriates Everyone
The most annoying bar behaviors, according to a survey of bartenders, include asking for a free drink, whistling to get the bartender’s attention, and telling the bartender to “surprise you” when ordering. The last one though – it is somehow the one people still attempt with a proud little smile, like they’ve just said something charming.
A bartender’s least favorite order on a busy night is “Surprise me!” That leaves way too much up in the air for a busy bartender with a limited supply of fresh ingredients. “Do you like sweet drinks? Do you like bitter drinks? Do you like whiskey?” Those aren’t rhetorical questions. We genuinely need to know before making you anything.
Not every bartender takes issue with a “surprise me” order. If there’s time to discuss a customer’s specific preferences, asking a bartender to creatively craft a cocktail may not be annoying at all. But whether someone is bothered depends on how busy they are at any given moment. If a bar is slammed, they’re unlikely to afford the mental bandwidth required to concoct a special beverage.
6. The Espresso Martini: Wildly Popular, Wildly Complicated
Love this drink personally. Hate making it at 11pm after the espresso machine has already been cleaned. The espresso martini saw significant growth in recent years, experiencing a 116% increase in orders year-over-year in one recent quarter. So we get it – people are obsessed. That still doesn’t make it less of a nightmare on a Friday night rush.
It’s out there, everyone wants one, and every spot does them differently. There’s no real standard recipe, and because they’re so popular, people are really particular about the one they prefer. As a former barista will tell you, you can burn your espresso – there are so many things that can go wrong with this drink.
As one general manager and bartender puts it plainly: “I think both Mojitos and Espresso Martinis are universally hated by bartenders.” When you order one right before closing time at a packed bar, just know that somewhere behind that smile, there’s a quiet scream. I say this with complete affection for the drink itself.
7. Sex on the Beach: The Name Says It All
If you order a Sex on the Beach in 2026, something very specific is being communicated. Not about your palate. Not about your sophistication. About your willingness to be taken seriously as a bar customer. No one really seems to be quite sure where the Sex on the Beach came from – it’s got several contradictory origin stories. Regardless, roughly two in five bartenders say they have negative opinions of people who order them. Whether it’s about the goofy name or the quality of the drink remains to be seen.
According to bartenders on Reddit, one of the worst cocktails to make behind the stick is the Sex on the Beach. It’s not that it’s technically difficult. It’s that it signals you haven’t thought much about what you actually want from the experience of being at a bar. It reads as a default choice made by someone who hasn’t made up their mind yet. Which is fine – just own it.
8. The Skinny Margarita: The Drink With No Clear Definition
The skinny margarita is a curious beast. On one hand, studies show that roughly two in five consumers actively seek low-calorie or low-sugar cocktails. So I completely understand the impulse. On the other hand, when someone says “skinny,” every bartender in the building quietly panics a little because nobody agrees on what it actually means.
Other bartenders lament the skinny margarita because there aren’t hard rules on what exactly makes a drink “skinny.” A lack of sugar? Less tequila? And what in the world are people looking for when they order a margarita “extra skinny”? I’ve been asked for an “extra skinny” margarita once and I genuinely stood there for a full three seconds trying to figure out if that meant they wanted club soda in it.
It gives what bartenders call “first-date energy” – self-conscious, unsure, trying hard to make the right impression. Ordering a Bloody Mary is a sign that you possibly had too much fun the night before, but a skinny margarita? That’s a sign you’ve been Googling calorie counts on your phone while standing in line. It’s harmless. It’s just a little telling.
9. “Make It Strong” – The Request That Makes No Sense
This one isn’t a specific drink, but it is absolutely a judgment trigger. Asking a bartender to “make it strong” ranks among the most annoying customer behaviors, according to bartenders surveyed, right alongside asking for a free drink or whistling to get attention. It’s not charming. It’s not funny. It’s actually a bit of an insult.
As one Reddit bartender noted about Long Island Iced Teas: “Long Island iced teas rarely get tips and are almost always asked to ‘make it strong.’ It’s nearly an entire cup of liquor. How am I supposed to make it stronger?” Another simply said: “Long Island iced tea equals let’s get messed up, fast.” The sentiment carries over to virtually any drink ordered with the “make it strong” addendum.
Seasoned bartenders don’t just mix drinks – they read people. Not with pseudoscientific intuition, but through years of pattern recognition, contextual awareness, and calibrated empathy. When you ask me to “make it strong,” what I hear is: you don’t trust me to do my job properly, and you probably aren’t planning on tipping well either. It’s a small thing that signals a big attitude.
Does Any of This Actually Matter?
Here’s the thing I want to leave you with. According to survey data, roughly four in five bartenders will change their opinion of you based on your drink order. That’s a significant number. Yet none of us are going to refuse to serve you or make your experience miserable over a cocktail choice. We’re professionals.
What really matters isn’t what you order, but how you order it. Are you patient when the bar is slammed? Do you say please and thank you? Do you treat the person serving you like an actual human being? Honestly, that matters so much more than whether you ordered a dirty martini or a frozen piña colada.
The key, as one general manager puts it, is to “read the room.” A great order at a fancy cocktail lounge can be a terrible choice at a dive bar, and vice versa. Context, manners, and a decent tip will make up for almost any drink order you throw at us. Almost. Ordering a Long Island Iced Tea at last call though? That one’s on you. What’s your go-to order – and are you brave enough to share it in the comments?
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