A business lunch (if it's not an everyday lunch with your workmates) is essentially a business meeting over a meal. It serves to improve your relationship with business partners and potential business partners and strengthen your personal ties. There are certain fixed rules of business lunches which include, e.g. the sequence of courses - cold appetizer, soup, warm appetizer, main course, dessert and coffee.
Another rule of business lunches is that they begin with small talk while business issues are discussed later. An ideal opportunity to summarize the most important conclusions of the whole meeting, including the followup steps, is over a drink which may be served after coffee. What kind of drink should you choose at the end of a business lunch to make a great professional impression on your partners?
The following list of mixed drinks you should order was published on Chiefexecutive.net. Other drinks that should be avoided at business lunches were highlighted too.
What to drink
- Gin Martini or Vodka Martini. All clear drinks inspire confidence.
- Scotch neat. Neat Scotch whiskey is a classic business drink. The more important the opportunity, the older (more mature) it should be.
- Bourbon or whiskey with ice. It can also be served with soda. Again, a classic and clear drink.
- Moscow Mule. This traditional mixed drink of vodka, ginger beer and lime juice has been around since the 1940s. It represents the right balance of sophistication and accessibility.
What not to drink
- Any "-tini" drinks except for Martini. All cocktails named in this way look like Martini imitations and lack credibility.
- Rum and Coke. You're not a poor student anymore.
- Long Island Iced Tea. Do not be fooled by the name which evokes tea. The name is derived from a similar color, not from the content. This cocktail of vodka, gin, tequila and rum is the right choice when you want to get drunk quickly.
- Seven and Seven (7 and 7). A combination of the Seagram's 7 whiskey and 7 Up. If you want to drink whiskey, order it without a lemonade.
- Tequila Sunrise. This cocktail of tequila, orange juice and grenadine is mainly associated with immature youth. Abroad, it is also considered a symbol of the 1980s.
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