Recommended Drinks?
Landed a second round interview with two VPs in a boutique firm. I am supposed to have a formal interview with one of the VPs and go out for drinks after.
Any recommended drinks for someone who doesn't drink that often? I don't want to kill the post-interview vibe when it's time to hold casual conversations with them.
Honestly, there is no such thing as a recommended drink. If you're not a big drinker, keep it simple and easy. This way you're not thinking too much about it. Brand names and easy orders are your friend.
Liquor and Soda (ex. Rum and Coke, Jack and Ginger) is always a good choice. Maybe have a beer and keep it simple (again, pick a big name that you've had before because it's not going to be too crazy). Unless you end up going to a place that's known for cocktails, in which case you can't go wrong with anything, no one is going to judge you for having what you want.
First go-to: mirror their order. "One of those sounds great" is a fine strategy.
Alternate: get a beer. If you dont drink much, don't go toe to toe with liquor. Drink it slow and stay relatively sharp. You might finish 2 beers for their 3 cocktails.
^^^this
if you don't drink a lot and they're ordering bourbon neat, you'll look like a chooch if you can't get it down. just get a vodka soda, gin & tonic, or a beer. keep it light
Dirty martini, stirred, ketel one, blue cheese olives, be sure you say "make it filthy" and wink at the waitress when you order. If it comes with two olives, send that shit back.
.
"Bartender get me an Overthinker. And make it a triple!"
Double Everclear on the rocks
So much trash advice in this thread. Ordering a drink with the VP after the interview isn't rocket science. Ordering a drink is something every man (and nowadays, woman) needs to know how to do. It's not complex, but there's essential rules - just like dressing for work. Do these simple things well and without looking like an oaf, or a tryhard, and you will be accepted. Here's a few steps to consider in your situation, in order of importance:
Basic social intelligence 101 - don't deviate too much from your drinking mate's order. If they do beer, do a beer, or a simple mixed drink. If they drink a cocktail or neat liquor, do the same (if you can handle it). It's (somewhat) subtle, but you want to communicate that you have the social intelligence and self-restraint to follow cues. CAVEAT: If your order is taken first, then go ahead and get what you want - it's more important in this situation to show confidence in your choices than it is to guess what your table mate will enjoy.
When drinking with new acquaintances, don't order something obnoxious - m_1 recommended a Corpse Reviver #2 and while this is an excellent drink, the waitress will have to ask what it's called twice, the bartender won't know how to make it, your table mate will find all this rather loud, and it will make for social turbulence. Stick to drinks that anyone will know how to make.
Shine: If you want to make an impression with your drink, order something simple, made well, and do it with authority. When the waitress asks what you want your martini made with, don't say "whatever" and don't say whatever plastic handle drek you're accustomed to drinking at the local college town watering hole. If you're drinking vodka, go with Goose/Stoli/Ketel One - something quality but not over the top. If it's gin, bombay sapphire/tanqueray (I reccomend tanq 10). This logic applies with all liquors, wines, and beers. Think it out ahead of time with a few options for each so that you know what you're going to get. Ordering a grown-up drink with a grown-up brand of liquor will do more to impress your interviewer than perhaps anything else in this situation.
Follow the lead. If another round is ordered, go ahead and join.
Hard stop rules
Dont attempt to impress people by acting like you know more than you do. This reeks of desperation.
Don't get sloppy. If that means sitting it out even when the others go full-steam ahead, so be it. You're here to cinch a job, not lose face and forget what was said.
If offered the lead on any decision, take it and don't be afraid to make clear your limitations. When people with authority over you offer you the reigns, they are looking to see that you know how to wield them responsibly - that is, comfortably, but within your limits. If you're asked to pick a bottle of wine and you really aren't familiar, just say this. If you are, then go ahead. You get my drift.
If they suggested going out for drinks after the formal interviews, they either already intend to give you the job, or the drinks are part of the interview. I tend to believe it's the latter. Assuming it's the latter, you have two options as I see it.
The first is to confidently order something relatively weak. If you don't drink a lot it would be a mistake to get a martini. There is a reasonably good chance that you will have more than one drink. After all, I can drink a martini in 15 minutes without thinking too hard about it. You need to be able to have at least two of whatever you order, so if you can't drink two martinis without getting tipsy, order something else. Gin and tonic is fine as is vodka & soda.
The other option is a bit riskier, but perhaps more endearing if you sell it appropriately. If you don't drink a lot because you're a 22-year-old kid who only recently graduated from college, just say so. The VP is probably 28-30, and has been grabbing business drinks a lot longer than you have. If you haven't spent a lot of time in high-end cocktail bars, admitting to that isn't a negative. Falsely projecting confidence when you don't know what you're doing is fairly transparent. Admitting you don't know a lot and asking for a suggestion from the VP might not be the worst way of making conversation.
Do you know the nature of the place you're going for drinks? Is it a dive bar, a cocktail bar, a private members' club? In any of those locations, you can grab a beer. Only in a cocktail bar should you ask for something like a Corpse Reviver, Old Fashioned, Old Pal, Vieux Carre, etc. Most members' club have shitty bartenders (in the sense that they're not adept at making cocktails outside some fairly basic ones). At a dive bar, you can only really order straight alcohol, beer, wine or very simple mixed drinks (gin and tonic, whiskey and coke, etc.).
Just don't do something weird like order a glass of champagne. Champagne is for celebrating, not after-work drinks (though I do love my champers).