The One Statement Customers Say That Makes Bartenders Roll Their Eyes

A general rule of thumb when going out to bars and restaurants is that you never want to get on your bartender's bad side. Unfortunately, there are many things that customers do that bartenders absolutely hate, but criticizing an expertly-made drink might be the worst. More specifically, calling out a cocktail for not being strong enough is sure to prompt a major eye roll from most bartenders. 

We spoke to Yu Jiang Zhao, the founder of Kobayashi Bar, who explained why bartenders tend to scoff when they're told the drink they just made doesn't have enough alcohol in it. "If a customer cannot taste the alcohol, he is referring to the fact that the drink is balanced," Zhao reminded. "Sugars, acids, and dilution were invented to make spirits drinkable. When it is possible to taste two ounces of gin in a drink, it means the balance is lost."

It's also important to note that, while claiming a drink doesn't have enough alcohol in it can be done in a relatively polite way, it oftentimes appears to be a slight toward the bartender and their ability to make the drink properly. "It is annoying because, generally, the bartender is believed to skip some of the ingredients of the drink, which is rarely the case," Zhao added. "We measure ingredients either by count or with a jigger, and the specification is always the same." This is also why requesting a drink to be "made strong" is essentially pointless; practically all cocktails are meticulously constructed with balance in mind.

So, if you shouldn't request a strong drink and shouldn't complain if your cocktail doesn't have enough alcohol, what should you do? Well, the simple answer is to order a drink that better suits your needs. Yu Jiang Zhao says bartenders can help with that and encourages them to inform customers that their initial drink of choice may not be ideal. "Just redirect the guest," Zhao advised. "If a guest wants alcohol to be prominent, don't pour him another vodka in a cosmopolitan," Zhao said. "Recommend martini, old fashioned, or Sazerac — something that has spirits as its key element. Nine times out of 10 this solves the problem without any embarrassment for both parties."

However, if you're a customer who knows they like strong cocktails and want to be proactive, there are a few naturally strong drinks to add to your go-to list at the bar. For example, if you're a fan of rum, the Zombie Rum Cocktail is a favorite of many alcohol aficionados, as it features three different types of rum alongside a handful of fruity and sweet ingredients — maintaining a balance while still being very alcohol-forward. Alternatively, if you're a fan of brandy and gin, the Aunt Roberta is known as one of the strongest cocktails you can get — and it tastes pretty good, too. However, if you want to keep things as simple as possible, you can ask for a Long Island Iced Tea (or its offshoot, the AMF) and hope for the best.