If you scan across the back of any bar in the world you can get a pretty quick picture of the kind of cocktail you are about to receive.  Do you see the standard national brands prominently displayed front and center?  Likely.  Perhaps you notice some harder to find bourbon or rum.  That can be promising.  What about a dozen or more flavored vodkas?  Thats usually a bad sign if you want a well made drink.  Regardless of what you see, you should always for what  you want.  A good bartender will let you know if they can make it and if not, should suggest something in the neighborhood.  But lets say you end up in one of the many bars popping up nowadays where a few guys with some money said "Dude! lets open a craft cocktail bar" but none of them had any talent or experience.  In places such as these you will likely find some top shelf rum and spirits but be challenged to find anyone behind the counter who can do anything with them.  You will have two options.  You can ask for your spirit neat or on the rocks and keep things simple.  Or, you can throw a very simple recipe at the barkeep and keep an eye on him while he fools around back there.  You may just teach him or her a thing or two.  On this episode of the podcast we explore this predicament along with listening to some very chill exotica.