Bartenders Sound Off: The Cocktail You Should Order At Every Bar
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - When you find yourself at a cocktail bar, do you feel overwhelmed by the menu options? Do you fear judgment for your unsophisticated taste?
If so, you're not alone.
CBS2's Elle McLogan met Chaim Dauermann, bar manager at The Up & Up in Greenwich Village. He remembered a recent customer, who hesitated to reveal her appreciation for sugary drinks.
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"She was embarrassed to admit to me that she likes Mudslides and piña coladas. And I said, 'Look, everybody likes Mudslides and piña coladas. You're just honest. Most people come in here trying to impress us with what they like.'"
Owner Matt Piacentini isn't interested in changing patrons' preferences.
"If what they really want is a Mudslide," Piacentini said, "we will try and make as good of one as we can."
At Pouring Ribbons in the East Village, partner Joaqín Simó aims to dispel customer anxiety.
"When you walk into a bar, the last thing you should ever fear is judgment," Simo said.
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"I want to make sure that you actually like what you're drinking. You're paying for it," said Pouring Ribbons bartender Brooke Toscano.
Some drinks are unfairly perceived as unsophisticated, according to Dauermann. The Midori Sour, for one, earned a bad reputation in the 1970s disco scene. His labor-intensive version uses top-notch gin, Midori, egg white, and house-made lime cordial.
Toscano is working with similarly exceptional ingredients.
"We're bringing in a lot of things from the culinary side that you're not used to seeing, and a lot of things that are just out of a normal comfort zone," she said. "I kind of don't want you to know all those things. It takes the fun out of me explaining why we're pulverizing sugar and corn flour."
Some customers skip the experimental menu items in favor of a beer and a whiskey shot.
"I don't need you to want the super fancy things we're working on," Toscano said. "If you're interested in that, great. If not, also great."
Their expert opinion on your best cocktail experience? Ignore your friends' eye-rolling, order exactly what you like, and enjoy it.
Check out where Elle got her drinks:
The Up & Up
116 Macdougal Street
New York, NY 10012
(212) 260-3000
UpAndUpNYC.com
Pouring Ribbons
225 Avenue B
New York, NY 10009
(917) 656-6788
PouringRibbons.com
What's something nobody knows about but everybody should? Whatever it is, Elle McLogan is tracking it down on The Dig. Join her hunt for treasures hidden across our area. Follow Elle on Twitter and Instagram.
