Ask a Bartender: What is Your Favorite Drink to Make?

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Pam Martin, GoLocalWorcester Ask A Bartender Columnist

In place of the Irish Car Bombs, and Greatful Deads, and frozen drinks, there are a lot of other drinks that bartenders enjoy making. Of course, there is one clear winner. The same bartenders who griped about their most hated drinks all responded unanimously when asked what their favorite drink to make is: Bud Light. We all will gladly crack open a Bud Light for you, or any other bottled beer within arms length. But where is the fun in that? Here are a few of the our favorite drinks to make:

1. Cosmos, Raspberry Cosmos to be specific. Cosmos are fairly basic drink that women, in particular, love. Girls’ Night Out. Dinner. Date Night. Bad day. Monday. You name it, and you can find someone who is looking to a Cosmo to quench his or her thirst, even if it’s more of an emotional thirst. New York bartender Stef Toch loves making these wine bar, not only because it breaks up the night at her busy wine bar, but also because they are easy to make and easy to customize. “It is so easy to please a customer with Raspberry Cosmo. They always want the recipe,” says Toch. But as the saying goes, mind your Ps & Qs. “It’s four counts of deliciousness, and two counts of whatever is to my left,” she says.

2. Sex On The Beach. Not my favorite, per say, but a sure thing when someone asks for “Umm, something fruity and sweet, but not too sweet. Maybe something pink?” If you haven’t asked for this at a bar, you definitely know someone who has, and you’ve seen the bartender respond with a sly grin. Kaya Abramo, bartender at the Union Tavern, loves making these fruity drinks. “It’s my go-to,” says Abramo. “It is simple to make and really delicious. Plus, people who aren’t particular about they’re drinking love the color. Completely irrelevant, but it’s true.” Add an orange slice and people go wild.

3. Old Fashioned. An altogether different flavor of simplicity. “I don’t get asked to make these nearly as much as I should,” says the Compass Tavern’s Sebastian Bilentschuk, “Maybe that is why I love to make them. These are a true classic, dating far back to the turn of the 20th century. Made with bourbon, they offer a variety of bold flavors without drowning the liquor in fruit juices. “It is sophisticated, but laid-back. Customers who drink these genuinely appreciate a well-crafted drink. They respect you a little bit more when you make this right.” Can’t argue with that.

4. Hair of the Dog, and by that I mean brunch drinks. To start, a Bloody Mary. For the record, I hate drinking these hangover favorites, but being a Sunday Football bartender for over four years, I have grown to enjoy making these. The first bar manager I ever worked with taught me a recipe that I have tweaked along the way, but find customers love almost every time. Yes, almost. There’s always one. You can customize these with different flavor vodkas, spices, and garnishes. Disclaimer: Do not ask me to make a Bloody Mary on any day other than Sunday, especially if it is after 5:00pm. Just don’t.

White Russians are right up there on the brunch menu. I’m not a fan of milk-based drinks, but one White Russian with flavored vodka can really turn things around on a Sunday morning. I prefer espresso or cake flavored vodkas. Yes, they are a bit sweeter, but if you are drinking before 1:00pm on a Sunday something tells me sugar-intake isn’t your first concern. Again, don’t ask for this on a Friday night after the dinner rush is over. It’s just not right.

Pam Martin bartends at Compass Tavern at 90 Harding Street in Worcester every Friday night and Sunday afternoon.

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Ask a Bartender: What is Your Favorite Drink to Make?

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