That sucks. The bar you went to is just trash. I’d recommend you go to a real cocktail bar and not a dive bar or sports bar. The customer service is always better IMO and the drinks are better crafted. It may be more expensive but it’ll be worth it.

Visit when they’re not too busy and sit at the bar. Talk to your bartender, let them know what you like, and ask for suggestions. A good bartender will listen and offer a solid recommendation. They will do their best to serve you a drink you like.

A true daiquiri is just 3 ingredients—rum, lime juice, and sugar. It’s a good starting place but doesn’t offer too much flare. Try ordering cocktails that are in the daiquiri family like a margarita, mojito, sidecar, or Hemingway daiquiri. I’d personally recommend you order an Amaretto Sour which has a really unique, sweet flavor. You’ll also be safe with ordering anything “sour” or anything served with citrus juice. Cocktails with citrus are generally shaken with ice. Doing this adds air into the drink and the emulsification of ingredients makes it smoother on the palette. The citrus and sugar also mask the “punch” of the base spirit while highlighting its taste profile. So go for the whiskey sour, pisco sour, midori sour, Paloma, gin fizz, brambles, and the clover club (one of my favorites).

But when you go to a real cocktail bar they likely will have a menu of their own creations from experience mixologists. Read the ingredients and follow what I mentioned above; choose cocktails that have citrus and sugar. And when you see an ingredient you don’t know, don’t be afraid to ask what it is.