Anyone who’s worked in the service industry knows the pain of trying to decode what a customer actually wants.
One bartender’s encounter with a particularly confusing martini order has sparked a heated debate about who’s at fault for the confusion.
Did He Want A Martini?
In a viral video with more than 647,000 views, Denver bartender Gabriella Masseran (@gabriellamasseran) recounts an interaction that pushed her patience to the limit.
It started simple enough. A guy approached the bar and asked for a martini.
“I’m like, ‘F— yeah. What kind do you want?'” Masseran recalls.
But when he responded “Just a martini,” she says she tried to narrow it down by listing options: espresso, dirty, lemon drop, apple. His answer remained the same.
“He goes, ‘Just a martini,'” she says.
Masseran says she attempted to clarify whether he wanted vodka or gin straight up with a twist—still no luck.
“He goes, ‘No. I want a martini,'” she explains. “I’m like, ‘All right. I don’t know what you’re asking.'”
She says she suggested a dirty martini—made with olive brine—thinking maybe that’s what he meant. He agreed, so she started making it. Then came the curveball.
“He’s like, ‘No. I want fruity,'” Masseran says.
Confused, she asked why he was objecting. That’s when things got truly bizarre.
“He goes, ‘Why are you putting olive juice in it?’ I’m like, ‘You asked for dirty.’ He’s like, ‘I want dirty and fruity,'” she recounts.
At this point, Masseran was completely lost.
“I’m like, ‘Dude, honestly, I don’t know what that means.’ I’m like, ‘Do you know what a martini is?'” she says.
The customer, she says, doubled down, insisting he wanted it dirty and fruity. Masseran says she tried explaining that those terms don’t work together in cocktail language.
“I was like, ‘I’m about to pour a f—— orange juice with just your vodka, with olive juice. Like, I’m just about to make this monstrosity of a concoction. What do you want?”‘ she recalls asking.
His response? He just wanted a dirty martini with fruit.
“And I’m like, I was like, ‘Dirty as olive juice, sir?’ He goes, ‘No. It’s not.’ I’m like, ‘Cool. OK. Never mind,'” she recounts.
Understanding Cocktail Terminology
Ordering drinks at a bar comes with its own vocabulary, and misunderstanding the terminology can lead to confusion—or some truly bizarre concoctions.
According to Bogue Sound Distillery, here are some common bar terms every customer should know:
- Dirty: Adding olive juice to a martini
- Neat: Liquor poured straight from the bottle with no ice
- On the rocks: Served with ice
- Up: Chilled and strained into a martini glass (no ice)
- Dry: Very little vermouth added to a martini
- Straight up: Shaken in a shaker and strained into a glass
- Back: A chaser, usually non-alcoholic
When it comes to martinis specifically, there are dozens of variations. The bartender in this video mentioned several common types: espresso martinis (made with coffee and coffee liqueur), dirty martinis (with olive juice), lemon drop martinis (vodka with lemon juice and a sugar rim), and apple martinis or “appletinis” (made with apple schnapps).
A traditional martini, however, is just gin or vodka with vermouth—no fruit involved.
The Cocktail Novice emphasizes that proper ordering etiquette means naming your liquor first, then the mixer, and being specific about how you want it made.
“You can order the same drink in 100 different bars and get 100 different variations,” explains Spirit Sirens, a craft spirits blog. “If you like a drink to be made a specific way, let your bartender know EXACTLY how you want it made.”
Spirit Sirens also notes that many bartenders have a pet peeve about customers ordering drinks incorrectly, particularly when they list the mixer before the liquor.
@gabriellamasseran That was a new one fs #martinis #bar #bartender #denver #bartendinglife
Commenters React
In the comments section, some viewers defended the customer.
“He didn’t know it, but he actually wanted a cosmo lol,” a top comment read.
“Dirty and fruity?? Sounds like my type,” a person joked.
“‘Tell me what you think a martini is’ usually gets them,” another shared.
“If someone seems confused about what a drink is, explain to them what the drink consists of or ask them what ingredients they want,” a commenter added.
BroBible reached out to Masseran for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct message.