Photo: bbernard / Shutterstock
Plus, find out the ideal drink order.
By Tiffany McHugh — Written on Dec 27, 2022
A good first-date first impression is almost as essential as a strong first-date cocktail. Maybe you're tired of being the bad boy, and you really want to wow this girl with some newfound, genuine charm. Or, maybe you're sick of being given the girl-next-door treatment, and you're more interested in seeming every bit the sexy siren this evening.
Either way, tons of consideration goes into the type of vibe you're trying to send. Once your outfit is picked, your meeting place secured, and your transportation arranged, it's time to move on to the promised land, otherwise known as the bar.
So, what do you order? We decided to leave this one up to the professionals and get some firsthand advice from a couple of bartenders who have seen it all.
Read on to see what your first date drink says about you:
1. Red wine
According to one bartender at a first-date hotspot, ordering a glass of red screams seduction.
"There's this one guy who comes in here, I'd say once a month, every time with a new woman. He always drinks red wine, and always sways her to drink red wine. Now, if I really want to get a girl in the mood, it's going to be with red wine."
However, another seasoned bartender cautions first-daters who order red wine at his more low-key bar at a popular chain restaurant.
"I've been doing this long enough to make some broad generalizations. And I've never seen anyone pull the swirl-and-sniff at this place. That's just some pretentious bullsh*t."
2. White wine
Both bartenders were in agreement that white wine is the more feminine pour of the two.
"Women tend to be the white wine drinkers in here, and honestly it has a lot more to do with the selection of the wine than the fact that she's ordering it."
What's the biggest mistake that patrons make when requesting their vino of choice? Ordering a glass of the house blend.
"People who order house wine are being frugal. It will cost you $40 to drink a bottle of house wine, and that bottle that you're buying at $10 per glass will cost the restaurant $13 to replace, so you might as well go with something nice."
3. Martini
While martinis definitely exude urban sophistication on the big screen, our bartenders' observations say otherwise.
"Anybody that orders a martini looks like an alcoholic. I'm sorry, but that's just straight alcohol."
Even if martinis are your favorite, you might want to save this potent cocktail for date number two.
4. Bay Breeze
Just as red wine screams seduction, and house wine screams cheap, fruity drinks like this one scream, "I just discovered my parents' liquor cabinet!"
"Girls that order Malibu Bay Breezes are idiots," one bartender says. Jeez, a little harsh?
"Seriously, it's like 'Ooh, a fruity drink!' but then really, it's all sugary juice, hardly any alcohol, and a surefire hangover."
5. Manhattan
According to both bartenders, ordering a Manhattan signifies that you want to get drunk, and you want to get drunk quickly.
6. Beer
One thing is for sure: guys love a girl who can enjoy a cold beer.
"I think it's awesome when a girl orders a beer, especially when they want to hear the specials. It shows that you’re not limited to just one type of drink, and I think it's more attractive when someone is into being surprised by switching it up with a different type of beer."
"But then there's also Craft-Beer-Guy. He wants to hear every single weird beer that we serve, and then tries to act like a snob talking about the hint of lemon zest this one has, or how hoppy that one is."
Not every restaurant is a brewery, and Craft-Beer-Guy ranks one step below the Red Wine Swirl-and-Sniffer.
7. Anything "on the rocks"
Both bartenders agreed that it's only OK to order hard alcohol on the rocks if you have the personality and look to back it up.
"You do have those guys that order vodka on the rocks, and I honestly don't know how they do it, but it clearly takes the edge off of their first date jitters."
While it's better to start with hard alcohol if you're planning to transition to beer or wine with dinner, you also have to be aware that ordering something on the rocks could make you seem a bit ridiculous.
"Sometimes you'll get a 25-year-old douche that orders a Bourbon on the rocks to make himself look sophisticated." Both bartenders advise first-dates to leave this drink to the cast of Mad Men and order something else.
So, what IS the perfect first-date drink?
One bartender says, "A good drink to order on a first date would be a Stoli Rasberry and club with a splash of cranberry juice. That way, you get a little bit of flavor, and it still looks like a nice drink with the hint of pink from the cranberry. You aren't ordering house vodka, but you also aren't ordering something ridiculous like Grey Goose either."
However, the other bartender doesn't think that your drink order actually matters on a first date.
"Don't be scared of ordering the drink you want. The best first dates I've observed involve people who aren't afraid to act true to themselves, even if some people might not like it. On a first date, you shouldn't be afraid to show who you are."
Tiffany McHugh is a new-media journalist who has been featured in HuffPost, Time Out New York, Women's Health, and more.
Photo: MAD_Production / Shutterstock
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