A Bartender Reveals 11 Of The Most Overrated Cocktails & What You Should Order Instead

A cocktail's popularity waxes and wanes over the years, and it doesn't always have to do with the drink's quality. Just as with fashion, music, or movies, trends come and go in drinking culture, too. Occasionally that ebb and flow results in a particular cocktail getting a ton of attention and a bigger reputation than it perhaps warrants based on taste alone. This doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad drink, or even a mediocre one — it just means that it's become somewhat overrated.

This happens with great cocktails just as often as it does with middling ones. A drink can become so popular, and so well-known, that people forget there are other options out there. If you've found that your usual cocktails have become a bit boring, and you're looking to branch out to more adventurous libations but don't know where to begin, start here. As a longtime bartender, I've put together a list of the cocktails that are the most overrated and over-ordered, along with alternatives to try if you're looking for something new. There are some great drinks on this list, to be sure, so no need to take it personally if your favorite is considered overrated. If you're up for it, take a leap and try the alternative the next time you visit your favorite watering hole.

There's no question that a Moscow mule hits the spot on a warm day, especially if it's served in its signature copper mug, which keeps both the drink and your hands cool. It's refreshing and invigorating, to be sure. What makes this drink overrated is that you can get the same flavors and stimulating experience simply by having an ice-cold ginger beer with a wedge of lime. Vodka, the spirit called for in this drink, doesn't add much in the way of flavor; it's really just there to add alcohol. There's no synergy of different ingredients here, really, when it comes down to it.

Now, take ginger beer and lime and swap out the neutral vodka for something more complex and flavorful, and you've got yourself a cocktail. The Dark 'n Stormy takes the Moscow mule to another level by utilizing dark rum, specifically black rum (sometimes called blackstrap rum, referencing the type of molasses it's usually made from). This intense, opaque, rich and robust style of rum goes toe-to-toe with spicy ginger beer and zesty lime, resulting in a drink that's just as refreshing as a Moscow mule but will bowl you over with its punchy flavors.

The mojito, a mixture of sugar, lime, mint, and rum, topped with soda water, has been popular in Cuba for ages, but really took off worldwide in the early 2000s. When made well, it's a crisp and fresh cocktail, perfect for beach vacations and hot summer nights. The problem with this drink is that far too often it's not made well, and if just one ingredient is off, the whole drink suffers. A lot of time and labor goes into making a great mojito. The mint needs to be gently muddled, not crushed or shaken, and it needs to be super fresh. The lime juice should be fresh-squeezed, and the rum should be high quality — you don't want any off-flavors to take away from the bright, clean character of the drink. Mojitos are so difficult to make well in a fast-paced environment, such as a busy bar, that many places will use mint syrup or sour mix instead of fresh ingredients. Sadly, cutting corners results in a subpar mojito experience.

With so much uncertainty around this drink, it's almost not worth ordering a mojito unless you are absolutely certain the establishment you're at makes a great one. Luckily, though, there's another rum and lime concoction that's just as delicious and a far safer bet: the daiquiri. A classic daiquiri is simply good quality rum, fresh lime, and sugar shaken together. The result is a refreshing summery beverage that is the perfect balance of boozy, sweet, and zesty.

The apple martini, often shortened to appletini, may have reached its apex of popularity in previous years. Still, plenty of people haven't moved on from this iconic neon green cocktail that took the bar world by storm in the late 1990s. This drink is all about the sweet and sour flavor of green apple schnapps, an unapologetically artificial liqueur that gives the cocktail its signature color. This ingredient is combined with vodka and citrus to create a drink that's flavorful, certainly, but not particularly balanced or complex. It's often described as tasting like a Jolly Rancher, an accurate assessment.

Vodka, being a neutral spirit, takes on whatever flavors you add to it without changing them much. Thus, the appletini really just tastes like a glass of chilled schnapps. For a vodka martini-style cocktail that's still fruity but has a bit more subtlety and nuance, try a French martini. Rather than overpowering the vodka base with sugar and artificial flavors, it's mixed with splashes of pineapple juice and Chambord, a berry liqueur made with real fruit, as well as vanilla, citrus, and honey. Think of the French martini as an apple martini that spent some time abroad and came back more grown-up and sophisticated.

Like the mojito, the mint julep utilizes fresh mint in its recipe. Thanks to that one ingredient, it suffers from the same potential pitfalls. Mint needs to be handled delicately in order for it to add just the right flavor. You want to bruise the leaves enough that they release their flavorful and aromatic oils, but not so much that you pulverize them into limp shreds. There's a little more room for error with the mint julep than with the mojito, as bourbon has a more intense flavor profile than light rum, so it can better cover up other subpar ingredients. However, if the mint isn't fresh and flavorful, you'll basically just be drinking a glass of sweetened, icy bourbon at best, and a sludge of unpleasant scraps of decomposing leaves at worst.

If you're looking for another whiskey-based cocktail that's summery and refreshing, give the Irish buck a try. As the name suggests, it's made with Irish whiskey rather than American bourbon (but there's no rule against substituting one for the other if you wish). Freshly squeezed lime juice, a bit of sweetness from simple syrup or honey, and a top-off of ginger ale give the Irish buck a delightfully light and bright flavor, and no need to muddle around with fussy herbs.

The lemon drop is simple and inoffensive. Vodka, triple sec or other orange liqueur, and fresh lemon juice are its basic ingredients — Meyer lemon juice, if you want to follow Martha Stewart's lead. It can be made sweeter with simple syrup and a sugared rim, or without for those who want to taste the booze a bit more. Even without the added sugar, though, it's still a pretty sweet drink, and doesn't have much to offer in the way of depth or layers. It's basically boozy lemonade, or spiked citrus spa water. Nothing wrong with either one of those things, but they're not the most exciting beverages out there.

Consider instead the French 75. It's got lemon and simple syrup too, but uses gin as its base spirit for a more complex flavor. This combination is then topped with Champagne or other bubbly wine, making it an even more fun and festive cocktail than the lemon drop. If you're not a gin drinker, you can always ask for it to be made with vodka instead, which makes it more lemon drop-esque, but with an air of elegance and old world luxury.

A Long Island iced tea is a hangover in a glass. It should automatically be served with some aspirin and a doctor's note getting you out of work the next day. Unfortunately, it's also a dangerously easy cocktail to drink, often sucked down before the drinker even feels the effects of the shelf's worth of alcohol that's present in just one glass. This drink's been popular for a long time, made famous for its ability to cause inebriation with unparalleled speed and efficiency. That might be a perk if you're a broke student or someone who just wants a one-and-done cocktail, but it can be a danger if you don't know what you're getting into.

If you want a flavorful, refreshing tall drink that won't have you regretting your life choices the next morning, try a Pimm's cup instead. It's lower in alcohol, meaning you can enjoy more than one and still be on your feet, and it tastes better, too (a subjective claim, but one that's hard to argue against). Pimm's No. 1 is a British gin-based liqueur that's flavored with various spices and herbs, similar to an Italian amaro. The Pimm's cup cocktail recipe can vary, but it's typically served tall over ice with lemonade, lemon-lime soda, ginger ale, or a combination, and the glass is adorned with cucumber slices and fresh fruit such as strawberries and orange slices. With lower alcohol drinks trending, it's a good one to keep in mind.

There are many well-known cocktails that involve Champagne or sparkling wine as an ingredient, but there's only one that bears the name Champagne cocktail. This is an old recipe, going back to the 19th century, and it consists of just a few ingredients: Champagne, of course, along with sugar and bitters, and a citrus twist garnish. To make the drink in the traditional way, you place a sugar cube at the bottom of a Champagne glass, soak it in bitters, and top with Champagne. The result is bubbly, bitter, and slightly sweet. The problem with this drink is, if you're lucky enough to get your hands on real Champagne, why would you mess with perfection? You can make it with less rare or expensive sparkling wine, if you wish, but then it's not really a Champagne cocktail.

If you're craving a cocktail that has a bitter-sweet balance and festive bubbles, try a negroni sbagliato. This drink welcomes the use of cheaper bubbles than Champagne, and is particularly good with Prosecco should you want to keep with the Italian theme. The other ingredients are Campari and sweet vermouth — it's lighter than a gin-based negroni cocktail, and arguably more fun to drink because of it's spritziness. It can be less fun to order, but if you need a pronunciation example, just ask Bobby Flay or actor Emma d'Arcy who both call the drink their favorite.

It's hard to imagine a more vacation-coded drink than the blended pina colada. Fruity, creamy, cold, and tropical, it's basically a grown-up milkshake, spiked with light rum which is well-hidden by the other ingredients. There's certainly nothing wrong with enjoying a decadent pina colada while laid out on a white sand beach or swimming up to a poolside bar. However, it's not the kind of drink you'll want to order all the time, or from every type of bar. Still, sometimes only a sweet tropical drink will do.

In that case, seek out the painkiller, a tiki classic. It's quite similar to a pina colada, with both pineapple juice and coconut cream as main ingredients. The painkiller is served on the rocks, however, rather than frozen and blended. It typically contains dark aged rum rather than the more neutral light rum, giving it a boozier character and a more intense flavor. A garnish of freshly grated nutmeg atop the drink enhances the rum's complexity and depth. Pusser's rum is the original brand that was used at the cocktail's invention, but any high-quality aged rum can be used.

Old fashioneds are great when done right, but can be underwhelming or even unpleasant if made with a subpar whiskey or not crafted properly. It's not a super complex cocktail; you basically just get the taste of the base spirit and not much else, save for a touch of sugar and a dash of bitters. There's a fine line to toe between whiskeys that are good enough to work well in an old fashioned, and whiskeys that are so good you would probably rather drink them unadulterated. It's a tough balance to achieve, and takes not only the right ingredients but also a skilled bartender to make the drink a success.

A similar cocktail that has more of a unique character is the sazerac. Whiskey based, it specifically calls for rye, which has an intensely spicy character compared to bourbon or other types of whiskey. Peychaud's bitters and absinthe, which both have a strong anise flavor, work with each other to deepen the rye's spice while also enhancing it with bracing herbal aromas. The sazerac might not be for everyone, but it's a drink with a strong personality that's worth a try if you like whiskey cocktails.

Manhattans are classic for a reason: They're simple, involving only three ingredients, yet they offer a deep complexity of flavor; they're satisfyingly strong without sacrificing balance or elegance. A well-made Manhattan is truly hard to beat and one of life's simplest pleasures. Even so, the cocktail is a victim of its own success. It's all too easy to fall into a Manhattan rut if you're a fan of the drink, and they're not always made with the precision they need to be properly enjoyed. If the vermouth isn't fresh, the whiskey is mediocre, the stirring isn't done right, or the ratio is off, you can be left with an unpleasant and virtually undrinkable glass of booze.

If you're a Manhattan fan, give the vieux carre a try the next time you're in the mood for something different. This New Orleans classic gives Manhattan vibes, but has a few subtle tweaks that separate it. Rather than just whiskey, it has a split base of both rye and Cognac. Along with sweet vermouth, a small amount of Benedictine is stirred in, a brandy-based botanical liqueur from France. Two types of bitters, Peychaud's and Angostura, both add spice, aromatics, and complexity. Once you have a vieux carre, you might never go back to the simpler Manhattan.

The tequila sunrise, a drink popularized by the Rolling Stones in the 1970s, is certainly a cool looking cocktail. When it comes to balance and flavor, though, it's somewhat lacking. Mostly consisting of orange juice, the tequila is barely noticeable. The visual sunrise effect is achieved by pouring grenadine into the drink until it sinks to the bottom, meaning if you drink it with a straw, you'll suck up a mouthful of sugary syrup unless you aggressively stir the drink first. If you're looking for a dose of sugar and vitamin C, there are worse ways to get it. However, if you want to enjoy a well-crafted tequila cocktail, there are certainly better options.

One example is the paloma. This tequila-based drink also involves citrus, with both fresh lime and grapefruit juice. A little bit of simple syrup is typically added to balance out the tang and bitterness, or it can be omitted if a sweetened soda is used to top off the drink. Grapefruit soda is traditional, but lemon-lime soda or plain soda water are also sometimes used. A key element is a salted rim, which ties together all of the ingredients beautifully, just like it does with a margarita. A stimulating, refreshing tequila cocktail, the paloma is much lighter and livelier than the overrated sunrise, but works just as well as a brunch drink — although it's certainly worth enjoying any time of day.