The Sommelier

No matter how often you read Wine Spectator or how much vino you guzzle, the sommelier knows more than you do, and it shows strength, not weakness, to ask them for advice. Most importantly, they know what goes best with the dish you are ordering. Tell them what you like in a wine, give them a price point and your wine steward will not disappoint.

The Bartender

You have no choice but to interact with the bartender at some point if you want a drink in a watering hole, but you can choose how you interact with them. And that choice will mean the difference between good and bad service for the rest of the night.

Do: tip well.
Don’t: be the one schmuck to order complicated cocktails, like a mojito, in a hipster bar; save that for the rooftop lounge.

Recipe for Disaster

There are no two cocktail bibles that will have identical recipes for every mixed drink you’ll ever order. So if you’re trying to be trendy by ordering an Old Fashioned but you have no idea what’s in it, and therefore no idea of whether you usually prefer it made with bourbon, rye, whisky or brandy, don’t blame the bartender for getting it wrong if you don’t like it.