Bartenders share the 8 drinks you should never order in a crowded bar

Former bartender Jamie Robinson called a Long Island iced tea “a big no-no, especially at a busy bar.”

She explained that it requires too many ingredients — including multiple kinds of alcohol that she would never personally mix — which makes it more time-consuming to prepare.

If there’s a sea of people waiting to order at the bar, it’s considerate to order beverages using ingredients the bartender likely has on standby.

Unfortunately, the heavy cream required for a White Russian isn’t readily available at many bars.

“Save your bartender the time of having to go check to see if they have some in the back, and save your stomach from mixing dairy with whatever else you might be inclined to drink that night,” Robinson said.

There’s usually nothing wrong with ordering a mojito at a bar. However, you might want to think twice if the place is packed because they can take a while to make.

“A proper mojito should feature hand-muddled limes and mint, plus whatever flavor you might be adding to it,” Robinson told BI. “They are a labor of love, to say the least.”

Spicy margaritas can be refreshing with ingredients like tequila, jalapeño slices, chili powder, lime juice, and agave.

However, they are very involved, said Zulay Duran, executive bartender at Taste My Aruba. Because of this, they can be easy to mess up.

“This is a specialized drink that takes careful execution, which isn’t feasible for most bartenders on a busy night,” she told BI. “Opt for a proper glass of wine instead, if you can.”

Vodka and tomato juice is a fan-favorite combination. However, Bloody Marys aren’t a great night-out drink, said bartender and beverage director Aliz Meszasi.

After all, they tend to require ingredients and garnishes that won’t be readily available at a standard bar.

Unless it’s brunch time, Meszasi said, finding all the ingredients and garnishes for a Bloody Mary is like a doomed scavenger hunt for bartenders.

Some cocktails, like gin fizzes or amaretto sours, call for egg whites to produce a nice foam. However, this key ingredient makes these drinks a bit of a pain to make on a busy Friday night.

Making drinks like a Ramos gin fizz is “very labor-intensive,” Nick Jackson, head bartender at The Rum House, told BI.

After all, achieving those foamy whites “requires shaking for several minutes and is very difficult at a crowded bar,” he added.

Meszasi said to avoid ordering an Irish coffee at the bar. The layered beverage with lightly whipped cream and hot coffee can be time-consuming when you’re one of 10 people in line.

The same thing goes for espresso martinis, said bartender and beverage operations manager Vinny Spatafore.

“The strong, lingering espresso smell means bartenders have to wash the shaker extra carefully, which can be time-consuming,” he told BI.

It’s OK to be specific or make minor substitutions when you order a drink, but try not to be a “poet,” said mixologist Joshua Lucas.

Rattling off your own involved cocktail recipe in a packed bar can be frustrating for a bartender and make your order trickier to get just right.

For example, he said, he never wants to hear something like: “I’ll have a Belvedere vodka martini extra shaken with two cucumbers, no vermouth, a lemon twist expressed and discarded, and save the shaken ice on the side.”

This story was originally published on May 30, 2024, and most recently updated on March 19, 2026.