Forget James Bond

By Kim Khan and Sharon Lorimer for MSN City Guides

Martinis are no longer strictly the domain of 1950s housewives, traveling businessmen and the Rat Pack. Celebrity bartenders like Sasha Petraske, Audrey Saunders and Todd Smith have opened bars that cater to sophisticated drinkers who appreciate fresh ingredients and well-mixed cocktails.

Hundreds of books have been published detailing how to make a good cocktail, but advice on how to order a cocktail is harder to come by. The best way to enjoy a libation is to thumb your nose at James Bond, know your tastes and have confidence in what you order.

Know what you like
No bartender can make you a great cocktail if you don't know what booze you like. Take a trip to the liquor store for samples, then head to the library for information on the ingredients used to make each spirit (or perhaps the other way around). You may like bourbon, but prefer rye—a smoother whiskey—in a mixed drink. And if your choice of spirit is vodka, you probably don't really like good cocktails, just fruit juice with a kick.

Also, if you like your drink more sweet than sour, speak up. A desire to add Mountain Dew to a classic champagne cocktail may raise some eyebrows, but no bartenders worth their salt will quibble about an extra pour or two of simple syrup.

And don't be pressured into ordering high-end, expensive tequila or other spirits. Very expensive liquor is best savored neat, and it is very hard to discern 12-year-old scotch from 18-year-old scotch in a drink with three or four other ingredients. You can impress friends and clients with a quality cocktail, not simply a pricey one. As long as there isn't the name of a supermarket on the bottle, the house brand should be fine.