Best-of list · Bar Guide
The right way to ask bartender for recommendation and actually get a great drink — James Harlow's guide to the questions, timing, and bars where this.
The short answer
8 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
The phrase "surprise me" is the worst thing you can say to a bartender who is trying to help you. We know this because we have asked bartenders what they hear when a customer says it: a request with no useful information, at a time when they have six other orders to fill. Knowing how to ask bartender for recommendation correctly is a specific skill, and when you have it, the drinks you end up with are consistently better than anything you would have pointed at on the menu yourself.
When you want a bartender's recommendation, give them three pieces of information: what spirit you like, whether you want something spirit-forward or refreshing, and a rough indication of how much sweetness you want. Those three variables narrow 200 possible cocktails down to 5 or 6, and a knowledgeable bartender will land on one within 10 seconds. "I like whisky, I want something strong, and I prefer dry" is everything they need. That is the correct way to ask bartender for recommendation.
How we picked
Asking a bartender for a recommendation is a two-way transaction. You give them useful information. They give you a better drink than you would have chosen yourself. The more specific you are, the better the result. The three variables that matter are spirit, intensity, and sweetness level. Everything else is secondary. If you walk into any of the eight bars in this guide and use those three variables as your opening statement, you will not need to read the menu at all.
James has spent 13 years building relationships with bartenders across New York, London, and Chicago. He genuinely never says "surprise me" and has strong opinions about which questions get the best results.
Last reviewed 2025-12-28 · The editors recheck hours and closures against current local coverage.