12 bartenders share their favorite drink to make

• Lots of bartenders love making a perfectly balanced classic cocktail, like a Negroni or Old-Fashioned – and sometimes they add their own twist to it.
• Some said their favorite cocktail to make a less well-known traditional recipe or a variation thereof, like a Sazerac, Bijou, or Clover Club.
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Whether you're visiting a dive bar or a fancy cocktail lounge, chances are, the person behind the bar has some serious skills, and if you order well, you may just get to see them. In between slinging draft beers and vodka sodas, bartenders can flex their mixology chops. And for many, there's one particular cocktail that really lets them shine, or impresses their customers, or that they're just downright proud of because it tastes so good.

We heard from bartenders around the US about the drink they most enjoy making – here's what they had to say.

SEE ALSO: Bartenders reveal the drinks you should never order at a bar

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Renato Brignardello, general manager of the Telefèric Barcelona in Walnut Creek, California, loves taking the modest gin and tonic to the next level.

"At Telefèric, I love turning gin haters into gin lovers! Most experiences with gin and tonics consist of terrible gin, watered town tonic, and rotting lime wedges," which might explain why gin is so passionately loathed by a vocal subset of the population.

"But, surprising customers with a beautiful gin and tonic with high-quality botanical gin and herbs, spices, and fruit over hand-cut ice makes it my favorite cocktail to serve. The balance of acidity and sweetness is perfect, plus, it's quick to make!"

Maurice Juarez, restaurant manager of Heirloom Restaurant at The Study at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut loves pouring a true NOLA-style Sazerac.

"My favorite cocktail to make is a Sazerac," which is a cognac cocktail made with an absinthe rinse, sugar, and bitters. "After my experience in New Orleans, the birthplace of this classic, I find myself being persnickety when I order it anywhere else. I love making this cocktail for Heirloom guests as it is such a detailed libation and preparing it is truly an art form."

Billy Cox, the bar chef at Ocean Prime Boston, appreciates the classic balance of a good Old Fashioned.

An Old Fashioned is one of the oldest, if not the single oldest popular cocktail recipe and it's still ordered at watering holes across the world for a reason. It doesn't have many ingredients, but mixing one is a detailed process.

"The old fashioned is a very in-vogue cocktail," Cox says, "and customers really appreciate watching the process of it being made."