TL;DR
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A VinePair report describes how American visitors’ bar habits in Europe mix curiosity and openness with familiar preferences, including vodka Martinis, specific garnishes and spirit substitutions. The report draws on interviews with drinks professionals and a traveler; its observations are anecdotal, not a representative survey of American tourists.
A VinePair report describes American visitors to European bars as increasingly curious and willing to talk, while still bringing familiar preferences such as vodka Martinis, customized orders and requests for American spirits. The account, based on interviews with drinks professionals and traveler Regine Rousseau, offers a snapshot of bar interactions rather than a statistical study of U.S. tourists.
Giorgio Bargiani, assistant director of mixology at London’s Connaught Bar, told VinePair that American customers tend to engage readily with staff and other guests. He described their interest as feeling genuine, and said conversations can spread across the bar as customers discuss what they ordered. Bargiani’s view comes from a luxury venue where North Americans make up the majority of its clientele, a setting that may shape what he sees.
He also recalled that when he moved to London in 2014, American guests often arrived with a precise idea of how they wanted a Martini, frequently preferring vodka over gin. At the Connaught, which he said makes about 30,000 Martinis a year, those preferences form part of regular service. Arturo Burzio, head mixologist at Madrid’s Rosewood Villa Magna, told the publication that U.S. customers sometimes request blue-cheese-stuffed olives, particular American spirits or familiar drinks such as a Cosmopolitan and Vodka Cranberry.
Burzio also described requests to change traditional recipes to resemble sweeter versions familiar to U.S. customers. He said some Americans ask for Margaritas “without sugar,” even though the traditional drink does not contain added sugar. These examples are individual bartenders’ observations, not figures measuring how commonly such requests occur across Europe.
How U.S. Habits Travel
The report illustrates how travel brings local drinking customs into contact with travelers’ expectations. A request for a specific vodka, garnish or familiar cocktail can prompt a bartender to interpret what a customer wants, while curiosity about a bar’s own specialties can open the door to drinks and practices a visitor might not otherwise encounter.
That distinction matters for travelers and hospitality businesses: recognizing a preference is not the same as treating it as a rule about every American customer. The report’s most useful takeaway is that visitors can retain their tastes while showing interest in the place they are visiting. Rousseau describes asking bartenders what they make especially well, rather than assuming a familiar order is the best option.
There is also a limit to what the article establishes. Its interviews provide personal perspectives from several venues, not a broad comparison of nationalities or a measure of changing behavior over time. The suggestion that American visitors are becoming more open is a reported impression, not a demonstrated trend in the interview data.
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From Tourist Stereotype to Bar Order
The source report places these bar habits within familiar stereotypes of American tourism, including loud conversation, generous tipping regardless of local expectations, takeaway coffee and a preference for vodka. It also notes that Americans may bring strongly held opinions about how classic drinks should be made. Such descriptions are cultural shorthand; they should not be read as traits shared by all U.S. travelers.
Rousseau, a Chicago-based wine consultant and senior sales advisor at Verve Wine Chicago, offers a contrasting account of travel. She says her approach is to understand the culture she is visiting and spend time in a place rather than rush through a list of stops. A wine-focused drinker who also enjoys cocktails, she described asking bartenders in Portugal and Ischia for their specialties. Her comments frame openness as attention to local people and practices, not an effort to disguise her identity.
The article cites International Trade Administration data indicating that international travel by U.S. tourists rose roughly 71 percent over the decade, though it does not provide the precise start and end years in the supplied material. It also reports that Americans took a record 24 million trips to Europe in 2025, with a further 5 percent increase expected by year’s end, citing The Wall Street Journal. The forecast is an expectation, not a confirmed final count.
““There is always interest that, in my eyes, feels genuine.””
— Giorgio Bargiani
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What the Interviews Cannot Show
The report does not establish how representative the bartenders’ observations are of American travelers overall, or whether requests for vodka, Martini customizations and U.S. brands have become more or less common. The interviewees work at particular high-end bars and hotels, and their customers may not reflect the wider mix of European drinking venues.
It also remains unclear how the report’s travel figures were calculated and what exact period underlies the cited 71 percent rise. The projected 5 percent increase in U.S. trips to Europe is an expectation cited by the article, not a finalized outcome. The source material does not provide a survey or systematic count of drink orders.
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What Travelers Can Expect
The report does not announce a policy change or a scheduled follow-up. For travelers, the next interaction is likely to remain practical: bartenders will respond to each customer’s preferences, while local menus, ingredients and service customs vary by venue. Asking what a bar makes well, as Rousseau says she does, is one way to explore without assuming that a familiar drink will be prepared in the same style everywhere.
Whether American visitors’ habits are changing more broadly would require comparable data over time, rather than a handful of interviews. Until such evidence is available, the report supports a limited conclusion: the bartenders interviewed see many U.S. guests as conversational and curious, while also recognizing familiar drink requests.
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Key Questions
What did the report say makes American bar customers noticeable?
The bartenders interviewed described American customers as confident and conversational, often engaging staff and other guests. They also mentioned specific drink preferences, including vodka Martinis and customized orders.
Do the interviews prove that all Americans order vodka?
No. The report gives bartenders’ anecdotal observations from particular venues. It does not provide a survey or data showing how often American travelers choose vodka.
Which American-style cocktail requests did bartenders mention?
Arturo Burzio cited requests for American spirits and drinks such as the Cosmopolitan, Vodka Cranberry and Skinny Bitch. He also described customers asking for particular Martini garnishes and changes to Margarita recipes.
How many Americans traveled to Europe in 2025, according to the report?
The report, citing The Wall Street Journal, says Americans made a record 24 million trips to Europe in 2025. It also cites an expectation of a further 5 percent increase by the end of the following year; that figure is a forecast, not a final count.
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