For celebrity chef Ina Garten, testing a bar’s worthiness and the bartender’s expertise involves ordering her favorite cocktail, a Whiskey Sour, and judging how it’s handled.

Made of bourbon or rye whiskey, lemon juice, and simple syrup, a Whiskey Sour may be easy to whip up, but some of its characteristics make it a good skill-check for bartenders.

For instance, it takes real skill to achieve a perfect balance of the rich flavor and aroma of the whiskey, the tartness of the lemon juice, and the sweetness of the syrup.

Additionally, low-grade ingredients or bottom-shelf whiskey can ruin a Whiskey Sour, so the quality of ingredients used by the bar can also indicate whether it’s top-notch or not.

While there’s nothing wrong with a classic whiskey sour, a good bar will also offer customers a unique tasting experience by experimenting with new ingredients or techniques.

Lastly, you have to consider the garnishing, too. Garten, in a discussion with The New York Times, mentioned that she likes to upgrade her drink with a few bourbon-soaked cherries.