These are the best, and worst, drinks to order on a first date

Panicking about not finding someone to be with on February 14th? Your drink of choice might be putting off potential partners, according to new research.

“You got us both Syrah and you didn’t think to ask first!?” Your choice of drink could be damaging your love life. (Photo: Antonio Guillem/Istock)

In the run-up to Valentine’s Day, dating app TrueView surveyed over 1,000 of its users to find out the best, and worst, drinks you can order on a date.

As it turns out, the UK’s daters are rather picky when it comes to ordering at the bar.

The survey found that 14% of people would judge their date based on what they ordered, while an astonishing 45% said they would be put off by their drink of choice straight away, reports the Manchester Evening News.

It turns out men are more picky than women in this respect. More than 70% of guys said they would judge their date harshly if they ordered a drink that didn’t meet their no-doubt discerning tastes, compared to just 30% of women.

Of course, quantity matters as much as quality. Nearly a quarter of daters (22.4%) said they believed you should never order more than five drinks on a first date.

But on the other end of the spectrum, 12% of those asked said they would judge a person who only drank soft drinks.

We’ve ranked the best and worst drinks genres to go for when you’re trying to spark romance.

Keep scrolling to see which of these drinks you should avoid on a first date.

Shots

Dutch courage can be useful if you’re prone to first date jitters, but you need to stay classy, according to the survey.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the least popular drinks order on a first date is a shot.

Over a quarter of those surveyed (27%) said it was the most unattractive drink someone could order during an evening aimed at getting to know each other, and would put them off their companion entirely.

Cider

The second least-popular drinks order was cider.

Around 25% of people said ordering cider on a first date was a turn-off, news which will no-doubt be devastating to single employees at US drinks giant Molson Coors, which announced its acquisition of Suffolk cider brewer Aspall just last week.

On the other hand, cider’s unattractive appearance on dates may come as a relief to Scottish singletons, as the country’s new 50p minimum alcohol unit price — which will come into effect on 1 May 2018 — will raise the price of cider as much as 90%.

Beer

Though beer was far more popular than both neat spirits and cider, a large number of those surveyed see it as a turn off on a first date.

Around 13% of people said ordering a pint of beer is unacceptable, which perhaps goes some way to explaining why they’re still single.

Beer may not be the most romantic of beverages, but it hasn’t stopped drinks makers from attempting to re-brand their products. In 2014, Scottish brewer Innis and Gunn launched a special edition “performance enhancing” pale ale infused with aphrodisiacs promising to get your in the mood.

The beer, which was named 50 Shades of Green (see what they did there?) blended 50 different types of hops with ingredients known for their sexually stimulating properties, including ginseng, which is said to boost sexual desire; ginkgo biloba, a herb said to get blood pumping; and damiana, a nerve stimulant.

In the clear

TrueView’s survey found that 14% of people would judge their date based on what they ordered, while an astonishing 45% said they would be put off by their drink of choice straight away.

While shots, cider and beer all received the most negative feedback, it seems that white wine and cocktails are the safest options. White wine was deemed acceptable by 100% of respondents, while cocktails and a spirit with a mixer followed closely behind.

While red wine is considered an aphrodisiac by some experts, it wasn’t the safest order. Just 90% of people said they wouldn’t be put off by someone who chose red wine on a first date.