Hi Gloria,

I'm a bartender and I love talking about liquors with my customers and making up new drinks based on their tastes. I am guessing other bartenders will too, if you find the right ones.

Some tips on talking to bartenders, since you said you're intimidated by them:

1. Go to a bar that isn't swamped so that the bartender has time to talk to you about your tastes without being hounded by other orders coming in.

2. Find a bartender who looks like he likes his job. The ones with surly looks on their faces or who look like they're counting down the minutes till they can go home. Once you find a knowledgeable and friendly bartender, become his/her regular--go in frequently and use this person as a teacher.

3. Start small--taste a couple of each kinds of liquors (rum, gin, vodka, whiskey, tequila are the basics) and see what you like. You may find that although you thought you didn't like tequila, what you really didn't like was the ever-present Jose Cuervo you had tried in the past.

4. Once you figure out what types of spirits you enjoy, buy some at the store and take it home. Mix it with different juices, sodas, heck, even water, and taste how it changes. You'll start to get a good idea of the flavor profiles that work well together.

5.When you have a good handle on that (don't need to get too complex to start--two or three ingredients is a good place to start), go out to bars. If you found you loved a certain kind of whiskey, go to a bar that has that whiskey and ask the bartender to make you something with it, keeping in mind what you learned from mixing it at home. (you can also just do this first before the previous suggestion of making drinks at home).

All that said, a cocktail you will probably enjoy is a French 75--traditionally, it is made with lemon, sugar and gin which are shaken together (I muddle the lemon with sugar, but everyone does things differently) and then strained into a martini or high ball glass and topped with dry champagne/prosecco/sparkling wine and a lemon twist. I love it.

Old Fashioneds and Manhattans are excellent drinks, but if you don't enjoy them, maybe what you don't like is the vermouth they contain. If you have just been afraid to try them because of what you think is in them, know that you can order any drink, anywhere, any way you want it. That's why James Bond can say "shaken, not stirred" about his martinis--it's not the tuxedo, it's the culture of the bar.

Figure out what you like and then order it that way. I have people order Manhattans from me in all sorts of ways "made with Knob Creek, stirred with a little bit of maraschino and half each of dry and sweet vermouths, extra bitters" or "well Manhattan" are equally okay.

I hope that helps. You're learning and it should be fun because you're learning about alcohol. Enjoy!

Oh, one last note, about wine: the same thing I said about tequila can be said here. You may not dislike all red wine--it could be that what you've had in the past has been too dry or sweet or tannic or just straight up bad wine. There should be several wine tastings available in your area, a lot of them free. Check with wine shops, wine bars, and even local grocery stores to see what they have to offer. Go check one out.