The recipes for classic cocktails tend to spark conversation and sometimes controversy. They look simple on paper, which makes people assume they’re easy. In reality, the fewer ingredients a drink has, the more every detail matters.
Things like the ice, the ratio, the base spirit, and even the garnish matter a lot more in a classic cocktail recipe.
Because of that, there’s also a certain etiquette that comes with ordering them. One Florida bartender recently shared a single question customers ask that changes the mood for the worse, and plenty of other bartenders agreed.
One Question That Frustrates Your Bartender
TikTok creator and bartender Nicole posted a short clip in which she pours a drink while looking visibly irritated. Text on the screen reads, “Bartender Pet Peeves.”
A second line follows: “The good mood leaving my body as soon as I hear ‘Do you make a good old fashioned?’”
Nicole doubled down in the caption, writing, “No Jim, I make a really sucky old fashioned.”
Her video got over 260,400 views.
What Actually Makes An Old Fashioned ‘Bad’?
An Old Fashioned isn’t a drink that leaves room for creativity. It’s a fixed, classic recipe built around whiskey, sugar, and bitters, finished with an orange peel and often a Luxardo cherry. When it’s good, it tastes balanced and clean. When it’s bad, it usually goes wrong for very specific reasons.
If you’ve ever had an Old Fashioned and thought it wasn’t very good, it could be because the bartender didn’t muddle the ice enough, added too much sugar, used the wrong alcohol percentage, or didn’t follow the recipe; the list is long.
Regional differences add another element to it. In Wisconsin, for example, bourbon often replaces rye or whiskey, which changes the flavor profile entirely. Someone used to a sharper rye-based Old Fashioned might take one sip of a bourbon version and assume the bartender messed it up.
That’s why many bartenders argue there’s a better way to ask. If you care about quality, asking what kind of whiskey or bourbon the bar uses gives you real information. It also signals that you understand what actually makes the drink work, instead of questioning whether the bartender knows how to do their job.
Bartenders Say They’ve Heard It All
In the comments on Nicole’s video, bartenders shared their own experiences with the dreaded question.
“I respond: ‘I do, but I’m out of peppermint schnapps’,” joked one user.
“Omg the other night a guy at my job asked if I know how to make a Negroni because everytime he orders it, it wrong,” someone else shared. “I told him it’s only 3 ingredients, all equal parts and he said ‘WE’LL SEE ABOUT THAT’ like wtf do you mean?! He liked it.”
Others, however, shared a different perspective.
“I always say no! lol I work at a tiki bar and we don’t have big cubes,” chimed in another. ”Most of the time they appreciate the honesty.”
“As someone that loves Manhattans and old-fashions I ask what kind of cherries they use,” a fourth suggested. “A good quality cherry usually indicates you’re gonna get a solid drink.”
Nicole responded to that comment directly: “& im very happy to reply if someone asks about the ingredients but do you make a good one just make it sounds like idk what im doing.”
@nicolepujazon No Jim, I make a really sucky old fashioned actually #bartender #fyp #bartenderstories #serviceindustryproblems #annoyed
Women Bartenders Share Stories Of Sexism
Female bartenders often deal with constant skepticism, especially from male customers who assume incompetence before ordering a drink.
On r/bartender, women shared stories that mirrored the frustration Nicole described, with several pointing out that the scrutiny often comes bundled with sexism and racial bias.
One woman described her experience working at a high-end bar, writing, “There was a high end bar I worked at once. I’m 5’1” Latina with a very curvy figure and a straight face, the amount of men who would come up to the bar and say either ‘margarita time!’ Or ‘do you know how to make this (very simple and basic drink)’ were probably 90% of the customers.” She added, “As a woman who is also a person of color in the industry, I have a LOT of stories.”
Another bartender recalled working at a resort where she was the only person making drinks, yet still faced disbelief from customers. “At one resort I worked at I was legit the only bartender. Multiple times guests would come up to me, behind the bar, and ask if there was a bartender there,” she wrote, adding that she would just look around “shaker in hand.”
“I always love when men see me behind the bar by myself making cocktails and ask me if I’m the bartender,” a third shared. “No this is just performance theater?”
BroBible has reached out to Nicole via email to find out more about her experience.