If you are sitting at the Bar Top and it is not terribly busy, I will gladly make you what ever you want. And let you sample about anything within reason. Any good bartender should be able to talk shop about cocktails.
Typically, when someone orders a drink, you put what they are drinking into the speed-well so one could quickly make them a second. I would assume that if you wanted me to gather several ingredients, that I should keep them handy for your second drink. So you’re just asking for a lot of actual labor for 1 drink that maybe difficult to make for what the bar is actually set up to make.
I make TONs of martinis/Manhattans/Old fashions/vodka sodas. So I can make any of those in seconds. To make something like a sazerac or a paper plane or last word? I can do it, but I’m minutes, not seconds. If it’s a busy Friday night, and I am making 20-40 drinks every 15 minutes. I am going to put a low priority on making something very complex. Monday night when there are 10 people in the restaurant, yeah let’s come up with some new shit.
Read the situation and most importantly tip wells if you feel like your asking for a lot
Likely the only comment I have understood all fucking week