Reader: I'd rather get a good cocktail made quickly than a lecture from a bartender

By Patricia Calhoun Thu., Jan. 3 2013 at 6:57 AM

Custom cocktails, beer cocktails, cocktails made with local ingredients, cocktails made with gluten-free local ingredients: Is there no end to the trends in mixology?

Just give me my drink already, says one reader.

Says thedude:

I'd rather have a good cocktail made quickly then watch a bartender fondle a piece of ice for ten minutes while explaining to me how important it is the drink.

Would you like to see the ice obsession put on ice in 2013? What other trend should end this year? Post your thoughts below, and come back to Cafe Society later today for another installment of "Trends without end."

Follow @CafeWestword

We Recommend

zombyboy

I dunno. I'm not in that much of a hurry; if I were, I would have ordered a beer. I'll wait for a truly good drink especially if the bartender is friendly. The drinks at Adrift, for example, don't flow the fastest in town, but I do enjoy their attention to detail.

Mantonat topcommenter

1 Like

I had a cocktail at Ace the other day that was served in a tall skinny glass with a single, tall skinny ice cube. The ice cube (or rectangle) actually stuck out about an inch past the top of the glass, which meant that the only option was to drink the cocktail with a straw, something I'm not really fond of. The presentation was certainly pretty, but I don't think it made the drink any better.

I get the idea that a single large ice cube has less surface area than a bunch of small pellets or cubes and will dilute the drink less, but if it makes the cocktail harder to drink or if it makes the customer feel ripped off because it looks like there's no room in the glass for a decent pour, then it's probably a bad idea. I love creativity and playfulness in the kitchen or bar, but only if they enhance rather than detract from the plate or glass.

Philo99

1 Like

I couldn't agree more. This force fed trend of bartenders becoming mixologists seems to be embraced by everyone but the paying customers, who find it annoying and pretentious.

I go to a cocktail bar for a stiff drink not a lecture on how I'm drinking wrong. Not once has the "mixologist" enticed me to patronize a particular establishment.