While it’s routine to ask for a sandwich without tomatoes at a deli or swap out skim milk for almond at a cafe, there’s always a certain point where modification requests get out of hand. (We all know what it’s like to wait behind someone ordering a tall latte with no foam, a double shot, and three pumps of hazelnut at Starbucks.) But what level of alteration is acceptable at a bar?
Even though bartenders have a full arsenal of tools at their disposal, it’s not always wise to assume that they can whip up just about anything imaginable. There are classic substitutions like replacing the gin with mezcal in a Negroni or even swapping out Aperol for Cynar in a Spritz, and while quick fixes like these are to be expected, sometimes the orders that guests dream up can come out of left field.
We asked bartenders from across the country to share the weirdest modification requests they’ve ever received, and here are eight of the most ridiculous.
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The weirdest order modifications, according to bartenders:
“One of the funniest moments I’ve ever experienced working behind the bar was when a guest made a very unusual request. Amid the hustle and bustle, a lady sat at the bar and said, ‘Can you make me a Margarita that tastes like my favorite Caesar salad?’ I love a good challenge, so I decided to give it a shot. If I remember correctly, I added some sea salt and celery to the cocktail. She ended up loving it. Who knows, maybe Caesar Salad Margaritas will be the next big thing!” —Elvis Rosario, beverage director, Chica & The Don, NYC
“I have to say the weirdest drink order I ever got was just last year. I was running a bar in St. Lucia where virgin cocktails and Amaretto Sours were all the rage. One night, a sweet woman comes in and tells me it’s her birthday and I offer to buy her a drink. She says, ‘I’ll have a virgin Amaretto Sour.’ The words just stunned me. I opened our prep fridge and hopelessly stared inside, waiting for divine intervention. Then I remembered a friend of mine had brought me some orgeat when they came to visit me a month earlier. I basically made her a lemonade sweetened with orgeat. She got about halfway through it when I asked how it was. She said ‘delicious.’” —Brian Miller, bar manager, Stockton Inn, Stockton, N.J.
“One that still haunts my dreams is the request for a Grey Goose Watermelon Jungle Bird. It didn’t necessarily sound awful, but at that point you’re just making a weird jungle juice.” —Rhys Williams, former bartender and brand ambassador, Faccia Brutto, NYC
“The funniest and weirdest drink orders that I constantly got during my nightclub days were always a Grey Goose and Vodka, a Tito’s and Vodka, a Stoli and Vodka, or an Absolut and Vodka. It would happen repeatedly every night. Any bartender can tell you they have had this conversation with a guest all the time. When you would ask, ‘Grey Goose and what?’ the reply was always — wait for it — vodka. Every. Single. Time.” —Gabe Sanchez, cocktail expert, Midnight Rambler at The Joule, Dallas
“A few that will live forever in my head include a guest asking for a weak, dry Martini, a request for a virgin Old Fashioned, and a ‘Spritz, but not bubbly.’ There’s also always a good restrained chuckle or side-eye resulting from orders such as a Gin & Tonic made with vodka and soda or ‘I don’t like alcohol, but want something strong.’” —Cody Pruitt, managing partner and beverage director, Libertine, NYC
“I have had so many strange requests, but a few that come to mind are a warm Margarita, a cup of hot coffee with a whole egg, and a shot of simple syrup — not to add to a drink, they actually drank it.” —Tiffanie Barriere, former bartender + cocktail educator, Atlanta
“I was asked once by a customer to add gin to his Cuba Libre. Apparently he discovered some dead sea scroll with the ‘actual recipe’ and gin was a forgotten component. I don’t know if this is weird but it’s definitely wack and certified-bozo behavior. What’s next? Rum in the original Vodka Soda!?” —Kelvin Uffre, former bartender + strategic market manager for Lalo Tequila, NYC
“When I was working at Bar Pendry, someone ordered a double Martini, which is an insane amount of booze. None of the glasses we had at the bar were large enough, [so I thought] maybe a wine or beer glass could hold 6 ounces of Martini. Me being a people pleaser but also somewhat chaotic, I asked if I could use something other than a glass, and after they said yes, I dashed to the kitchen to find a suitable alternative. I ended up using a clean 21-quart Cambro for the cocktail. The scene was so absurd that cameras started snapping pictures of what appeared to be a bit of Dirty Martini and a skewer with three olives inside the 21-quart Cambro.” —Steve Martin, head bartender, Figure Eight, NYC
