Ric Addison knows all about pleasing the hard to please. As the owner of three upscale Manhattan lounges, Ava Penthouse Lounge and Rm. Fifty5 at the Dream hotel, and Inc. Lounge at the Time hotel, his clients tend to be well heeled, well traveled, and familiar with high-end cocktails. He was made for the challenge, presiding over cocktail menus that satisfy and stimulate the palate in equal measure. Here, Addison talks about his background, the changing of the (cocktail) seasons, and the effect of an open sky on drink orders.

What kind of background do you have in hospitality? I worked with (hospitality legends) Rande Gerber and Ian Schrager for years and learned a lot from them before I opened my own venues.

How are your cocktail menus structured? I have the menu separated by individual spirits, and I stay on top of the trends and feature the best cocktails in each section. We provide a little bit of everything for everybody, because our customers come from all over the place: upscale world travelers and high-end clientele such as bankers and entertainers.

What's popular these days? Flavored vodkas are very trendy. All of the Grey Goose flavors are very popular within my establishments. We work a lot with Grey Goose L'Orange. It goes well in so many cocktails.

Does your cocktail menu change with the seasons? It does. I change our menu twice a year, spring/summer and fall/winter. We keep it light for summer, with refreshing flavors such as cucumber. Winter brings out the brown sugar, cinnamon, things like that. Our fall/winter 2011-2012 cocktail menu was introduced last week and we've had great feedback so far.

So you're into fresh, natural ingredients for your cocktails? Absolutely. We try to use locally-sourced, organic ingredients whenever possible. For example, we always used fresh-squeezed juices.

Since your venues boast outdoor space, have you found that people order different kinds of cocktails when they're under the sun or stars? When people are outside, they tend to order more tropical-style drinks, like mojitos and punches and things like that. Citrus flavors are big.

Suppose a customer has a basic idea of what they like, but needs some guidance in what to order. How would you help them? All of our bartenders are very well trained, and if somebody needs help in deciding what to order, we'll ask them about what kinds of flavors they like. The bartender will always put together something special.