I thought this was interesting, a whiskey sour is how I evaluate a bar, my reference drink. Never thought of it as difficult, maybe I’m not picky enough because different doesn’t equal bad, but I do rate a bar higher if there is egg white, it’s not too sweet, and an amaretto cherry.
Margarita they can only be overthinking, I don’t think it’s difficult, but it’s bad so often I always think there must just be budget constraints. I don’t even order this as a margarita if there is visible margarita mix - I ask for tequila and orange liqueur with lime, shaken.
A good curve ball cocktail test is a Trinidad Sour. If your bartender knows how to make on then they have either been around long enough or give enough of a shit to actually make a good drink.
For me, I’ve never had one that was as good as the one from the bar that actually had it on the menu. I’m on the verge of making my own orgeat to figure out what’s missing when I make one at home.
True, i guess a good orgeat is the actual test.