The Most Overrated and Underrated Cocktails, According to Houston Bartenders

We ’re creature of habit . So when it comes to drink orders , we ’re sure you have your predictable , all - too - obvious go - tos . The drink club you hollo out after panic because the bartender finally looked at you , and the rout behind you is worse than a caboodle of Beliebers trying to push their way to a selfie with the back of JB ’s head after a concert ( ahhh , Friday night in Midtown , so lovely ) . Well we rick to some of Houston ’s most intimate barkeep on what you should and should n’t be order to break up your boozing routine . Hope you did n’t spend too much money buy everyone those sick Moscow mule mugs last Christmas .

Chris Morris,Hunky-Dory Tavern

HeightsOverrated cocktail : foul vodka martini“I mean , as much as I really want to say the Moscow scuff here , I have to give the nod to the dirty vodka martini . If for no other grounds than the diaphanous letdown of the order . A guest coming , and confidently asks for a " martini , " and I get this picayune glimmer of hope in my eye . ' predilection of snare ? , ' and they wait at me weird and go , ' Gin ? Ugh . No . Tito ’s , extra dirty , ' and a little slice of me die . Like , it ’s watered - down neutral disembodied spirit with green table salt water . It ’s yucky , and the antithesis of cocktail civilisation . I ’ve tried so severely over the geezerhood to sweep up and elevate it , giving dashes of this or that to try and channel some sort of balance ( sherry vinegar currently ) , brine my own olives to make for some actual flavor , and it ’s always just this awkward green hatful . It ’s a drink that ’s beyond repair , and it needs to pass away . ”

Underrated cocktail : Wet gin rummy martini“The flipside to this fib of two martinis is the ( far- ) older cousin . Not the 5 oz of kind - of - cold - cotton gin - in - a - glass thing the steakhouses have championed for year , but a decent stirred martini with a sizeable dosage of character vermouth ( and a hint of orangish bitters ) . It ’s the perfect aperitif when made the right way , but that almost never happens . Instead , we started see novel and imaginative ways to put as little vermouth into the glass as we could , so we could still call it a " martini . " Rinsing the glass , atomise the vermouth , seasoning the icing , it ’s all shit . Vermouth is crucial to a big martini . It play with the botanical of the snare , it add mouthfeel , and make the deglutition not so incredibly boozy . It ’s underrated because people just have n’t had it . On the rarefied affair I can talk someone into trying a 3:1 or 4:1 martini , it ’s been nothing but smiles , every clip . badly . render it . ”

Leslie Ross,Canard

HeightsOverrated cocktail : A margarita!“Why ? Because not every barroom uses fresh constituent , like calcium hydroxide succus , you know , from real hydrated lime . Many post , even restaurant bars , choose to apply preservative - tied , shelf - stable " mix " , which is no bueno . Between that , and inexpensive , low - quality ' tequila ' , you could be left with a bad gustatory perception in your backtalk . ”

underestimate cocktail : The Martinez“This vermouth - forward precursor to the New - day gin martini is a lovely means to roll down at the ending of the twenty-four hours . humiliated ABV than a Martini , but all of the endearing bed of feeling from the sweet-flavored vermouth , Old Tom Gin , maraschino liqueur , and a elan of Boker ’s bitters . This cocktail is perfect before , during , or after dinner party ! ”

Tommy Ho,Anvil Bar & Refuge

MontroseOverrated cocktail : Moscow cule“Ginger beer is large and all , but why not mix it with gin , or whisky , or anything else for that matter ? Something with more character that complements the feeling of the ginger , unlike vodka … ”

Underrated cocktail : Vieux Carré“A classic New Orleans cocktail that gets crusade to the roadside due to the tempting Sazerac . The Vieux Carré is the perfect nightcap , blending rye whiskey and cognac together . ”

Elyse Blechman,Captain Foxheart’s Bad News Bar & Spirits Lodge

DowntownOverrated Cocktail : Moscow mule“As a bartender , I see the parentage and lifespan of most cocktail trends . Some are obviously more lasting than others , whether it be that a particular cocktail is universally pleasing , or perhaps contributing with picky climates or seasons . But one cocktail trend that go on building steam to ostensibly no end is the Moscow mule . This drink is overrated in the sense that it ’s craze popularity is absolutely dominate an intact family of cocktail feature gingerroot beer , with a hell of a lot more flavour and intrigue . surely , no two Moscow scuff are the same when moot how many types and mode of ginger beer impregnate the market and are useable to both bar computer program and the general consumer , not to mention some programs make their own in - sign of the zodiac . No matter the lawsuit , the job is that we as bartenders are n’t using this basic AF lodge to springboard our node to something radical like a Suffering Bastard , or El Diablo , or Gin Gin Mule , or Bourbon Buck . ”

Underrated cocktail : A pep beer cocktail with something more than vodka & lime juice

Caleb Gutierrez,Stone’s Throw

MontroseOverrated cocktail : Fire - flavor whiskeys“Just ….. no . ”

Underrated cocktail : The SazeracSimple and delicious . Most people seem to get turn off because of the absinthe rinse , and that is a shame . All of the components coalesce lend for a attractively blended cocktail that has all the complexity anyone could want without being too busy .

Matt Dulaney,The Nightingale Room

DowntownOverrated cocktail : Moscow mule“It ’s simpleton to make , and you could regain one anywhere nowadays . Also , you do n’t need it in a bull mug . Please turn back asking why we do n’t have them . ”

Underrated cocktail : A well - made martini“I mean this in the virgin sense of what a martini is . No flavored vodkas ( in fact , do n’t apply vodka at all ) . find fault a really tasty gin and a high - quality ironic vermouth , mix 2 oz of gin to 1 oz vermouth in a mixing meth , and call down . Add a gamboge zest and enjoy . It is ridiculously smooth and refreshing . ”

Kehlen Selph,The Pastry War

DowntownOverrated cocktail : Moscow mule“I have nothing against the Moscow mule . I enjoy them myself . But the way I think of it , if you go to a restaurant specializing in seafood , you would n’t order a grilled cheese . You would face at the carte du jour , or expect the recommendation of the waiter / chef on what you should order . Do n’t go in to a barroom and tell a Moscow mule “ grilled cheese . " take care at the menu , talk to the bartender , distinguish us you like Moscow mules , and call for what we would commend . I undertake we can make you something you will enjoy . ”

underrate cocktail : Sidecar“I was preface to this cocktail by the cleaning woman who teach me how to bartend , and it has been a favourite since then . So simple : three ingredient , and it ’s implausibly well - balanced . Cognac is such a brilliant life and can make a attractively delicate cocktail ( that pack a clout ) . ”

William Stewart,Beaver’s

WashingtonOverrated cocktail : Ramos Gin Fizz“I’d never turn one down or say it ’s bad , but the feat - to - quality ratio on this drink is not worthwhile . Because of its long milkshake time and corresponding high-pitched cost , it ’s become something of a statement drink . ”

underestimate cocktail : Sherry Cobbler“Maybe the Sherry Cobbler is too antediluvian or not visible enough to be considered underrated , but this drink is bare , gorgeous , and delicious . The best part is that it can be downcast ABV , so you’re able to indulge a niggling with pocket-sized consequence . ”

Justin Hamrich,Weights + Measures

MidtownOverrated cocktail : Lemon Drop“If you care the approximation of lemony flavor , could you at least upgrade to a French 75 to bring yourself into the New cocktail historic period ? ”

Underrated cocktail : The Last Word“It ’s a great swallow for those who exact to not like gin . I always suggest it . ”

Kevin Hutchins,Weights + Measures

MidtownOverrated cocktail : Moscow mule“It was invented to deal Smirnoff vodka . The pig sucker was used to trade it to those who were in the Browning automatic rifle and not order it . ”

underestimate cocktail : The Hurricane and the La Louisiane“The Hurricane has never aim its due thanks to years of debate about its line and bastardization by Bourbon Street bars . I ’ve always preferred the most simple recipe of it that I ’ve ever found from Beachbum Berry’sGrog Log(not a book known for skimping on booze ) . Many other cocktail historians utilize things like Galliano , ananas , or grenadine which seem to take forth from the rum and rage fruit . Recipe : 2 oz sour rum , 1 oz lemon , 1 oz passion fruit . sway , melody , service on the rocks and garnish with a cocktail cerise . The La Louisiane [ is ] one of New Orleans original boozy boozing that never flummox its due . Recipe : 2 oz rye , .75 oz vermouth , .75 oz Benedictine , 3 dashes absinthe , 3 dashes Peychaud ’s , stirred and served up . ”

Thomas Reyna,Barringer

DowntownOverrated cocktail : Ramos Gin Fizz“Not because of the cocktail but the deficiency of education that does n’t persuade with the popularity of this prison term - consuming cocktail . Best time to order is not on a weekend when the bartender is in the weed ! ”

Underrated cocktail : The daiquiri“This one I use as a quizzer when visiting new bar … usually with an overproof rummy , no disgrace here . I ’ll apply this as a gauge to square up what type of drinks I ’ll order . It ’s a round-eyed cocktail to make but also so gentle to mess up up . I say underrated because most hoi polloi think of something frozen in a hurler . ”

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