2 hours ago, EvergreenDan said:I agree with a Daiquiri as a test of skill, but a Martini, Manhattan or Negroni? They are good made with almost any reasonable ratio or ingredient choice. This makes them a good choice in a bar I don't trust. If I get a cold glass of gin with an olive, I'll still happily drink it. But if I get a Daiquiri with sour mix, I'm just going to pout.
Showing skill in making a Martini for example is asking for the customer’s preference (for the gin, garnish, etc), stirring properly, using a chilled glass, expressing the lemon peel, etc - you can tell a lot by these little things. On the other hand, if it is served barely cold with ice crystals at the surface... you know right away that you are not in good hands.
With Manhattans, you’d be surprised at what you get sometimes (even in bars that have decent cocktail menus) - once I got a drink that had been shaken and was served on ice, garnished with neon cherries and a couple of little black plastic straws. Still drinkable of course. But that drink told me that their cocktail program was mostly for show and that they were lacking the foundations.
I once had the most beautiful Negroni at a bar in Japan. They must have spent at least 20 minutes making it and I had no idea why it was taking so long. It arrives in a beautiful old fashioned glass with clear ice, and a thin strip of orange peel that was must have been the length of an entire orange, coiled inside the glass (a bit like a horse’s neck). This clearly showed their attention to detail and presentation even for a cocktail as simple as a Negroni.
