Drinks You Should Order at a Bar, According to Bartenders

• We asked three bartenders which drinks they enjoy making and wish more patrons would order.
• Champagne-based cocktails, like the French 75, can be easy and fun to customize.
• Some bartenders like making sotol cocktails or a simple but elegant smoked Old Fashioned.

Although it’s great to have a go-to drink order that never lets you down, it can be fun to try something new. By doing so, you might just find your new favorite cocktail.

So, Business Insider asked bartenders and mixologists which drinks they love to make and wish patrons would order more often.

Here’s what to try if you’re looking for your next favorite sip.

Champagne is good for more than just mimosas

Alex Cabrera, head mixologist at Puente Romano resort, said he loves to create Champagne-based cocktails.

One of his favorites has just three ingredients: Champagne, passionfruit juice, and strawberry juice. He said it’s refreshing, and the simple ingredients let the fruit flavors shine.

Plus, wine-based cocktails like these are generally solid choices for those looking for low-ABV (alcohol by volume) drinks.

There are some great spins on a French 75

Monica Wells, a Florida-based mixologist, said she enjoys playing with a classic French 75. It’s typically made with gin, lemon juice, Champagne, and simple syrup.

She called it a solid base drink for bartenders to customize and add flair to. Sometimes, she makes it more unique by swapping the lemon out for a regional citrus or tropical fruit.

A smoked Old Fashioned isn’t as complex as it seems

Wells said her favorite cocktail to make is a smoked Old Fashioned because it has a simple, yet elevated vibe.

Although it’s only a three-ingredient drink — usually made with bourbon, simple syrup, and bitters — it’s surprisingly complex.

She said the cocktail can also be customized by switching up the age of the liquor and the wood chips used to smoke it.

Try a sotol cocktail if you see one on the menu

Instead of another tequila-based cocktail, try ordering one with a different Mexican spirit: sotol.

Sotol has a “distinct earthy, herbal, and slightly smoky profile,” said Eder Leon, restaurant and bar manager at Bonny Moon beach club.

The former bartender said sotol usually has a strong taste, so it shines in cocktails like the Durango, which often contains ingredients like mezcal, grapefruit soda, and jasmine syrup.

The mezcal supports the bolder spirit’s smokiness while the grapefruit and jasmine uplift its floral and herbal notes.

You can’t go wrong with a Dark and Stormy

Sotol aside, Leon said his favorite cocktail to make is a Dark and Stormy. It’s typically made with dark rum and ginger beer and served over ice.

“The combination of deep, caramelized rum flavors with the zing of ginger beer makes it both bold and refreshing,” he said. Plus, it’s versatile and easy for bartenders to put their own twists on it.

“You can add a splash of bitters, swap in a spiced rum, or experiment with different types of ginger beer,” Leon told BI.