Ordering a cocktail shouldn't be an ordeal.

The swell of enthusiasm for mixed beverages - astutely documented in these pages here and here - has had a liberating effect on the bartenders, many of whom now offer drink menus that run several pages.

It's a trend that we've seen before. "Cocktails are now so numerous" claimed the New Yorker, "that no bartender, however talented, can remember how to make all of them ... and nine-tenths of them, I believe, would hardly be worth trying." Thus spoke H.L. Mencken in 1948, a decade before the setting of "Mad Men."

Of course, in the era of iPhones and cocktail databases, the challenge for bartenders is not memory, but hospitality and common sense, which unfiltered drink lists tend to bump up against.

“Sorry, we'll need another moment, please ..." was the consensus last weekend, when an exceedingly patient server greeted the table next to ours, ready for an order, for the third time.

More common is the opposite approach. At a certain point, many drinkers simply lose interest in the cocktail list - multi-sectioned, color-coordinated tomes at more than one local dispensary - drop it on the table and settle for a beer and a bump.

No frills, no fuss.

And while any number of abominable drinks may find their way onto drink menus, most are as thoughtfully assembled as food menus, and sometimes more so.

Whether the uptick in cocktail consumption is a case of supply following demand, life imitating pop culture, or whatever, the bartenders will tell you that thirsty drinkers are becoming more adventurous.

All of this points to the question: What should we drink?

In an effort to begin answering this important question, an intrepid group of tasters - including two local chefs, two bartenders, two barflies and a culinary historian - were recently dispatched to survey the city's drinks, as found in the restaurants and bars.

Among early reports from the field were an assortment of intriguing signature drinks - proprietary creations, rather then classic cocktails - that (attempt, at least, to) represent the vibe of an establishment.

Here are some of the more remarkable signature drinks we turned up.

Your favorite didn't make the list? Tell us about it in the "comments" section below.

Ari Sussman can be reached at ari.sussman@gmail.com