1. Bad Ice

This isn’t something we typically have to worry about at a fancy cocktail bar with high-tech ice machines or hand-carved cubes. But there’s nothing worse than ordering a bourbon on the rocks and having it come out filled with tiny pebbles that will melt in a grand total of five minutes. It leaves you with a watered-down, tasteless drink—and no one wants that. Plus, who knows when that ice maker was last cleaned? When we’re out at our favorite dives, we always go neat.



