Discussion for article #233302
This pretty much covers the period of my early drinking and crappy cocktails are one reason Iâve long avoided âcocktail loungesâ and anything other than a gin and tonic or a martini and even those easily get screwed-up.
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Loved the article - and I donât even drink, since my tastes run towards the herbal variety. About the only good thing these vile mixology abortions did was inspire a great song, âBlack Cowâ by Steely Dan.
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Give me a good bottle of wine any day. Canât stand liquor. Never have. If it werenât for my grown son and some of his friends buying some artisanal beer to share with me, pumpkin cinnamon I think, over Halloween (limited edition Iâm told), I would have said the same âehâ about most beer too. That did make me want to try other artisanal beers just for the heck of it though, I will say.
Iâm fortunate thattThere is a neighborhood restaurant that has great cocktails. Not all of them, but they do a great Manhattan, and a Negroni with fresh blood orange juice and Campari. Iâm not a martini fan, but am told that their martinis are the best in town.
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Canât afford to be a wine snob? Lack the neckbeard requisite for beer snobbery? Never owned the tweed jacket of a Scotch snob?
Never fear! We can invent entire Hegelian historical discourses around COCKTAIL SNOBBERY just for you. No matter who you are or where youâre from, we have a snobbery for you. Mix and match!
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Itâs all an acquired taste. Do yourself a favor, and stay away from âartisanlâ beers. If you must, try some good bourbon.
I think most cultural development hiccuped between the '60s and '80s, not just cocktails, and the US has been going through a reawakening of sorts. The confluence of corporate standardization, profit taking, and chemically-synthesized ingredients permeated our country in the most unhealthy ways possible, leading in large part to the current spate of public health issues.
Iâve finally taken to the process of making my own simple syrup, spending the money on premium spirits, and using only fresh juices or ingredients when I get in the mood for cocktails. It has really informed my palate about how beautiful a good cocktail can be, and while expensive, is an excellent âsometimeâ event. It does take some readjusting of your palate to accommodate the higher relative alcohol of a good cocktail, which doesnât result in vapor choking, if you find the right balance and quality of ingredients.
Excellent article!
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The author writes as if barkeeps force customers to drink sugary drinks. In fact, I have never had one say he was incapable of providing me with a gin and tonic, (regular) martini, or scotch rocks. People order what they want to order, and drink what they want to drink. Barkeeps are eager to sell what the customer wants to buy. And on the subsequent level: barkeeps promote and advertise what they think they can sell the most of.
What a snarky piece!
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Interesting thesisâProhibition+Fern Bars = The Chocolatini, but the author fails to deliver anything by way of evidence supporting his pat little narrative and there were many other factors, not least of which being the post-war worship of technology/convenience/beter living thru chemistry (blenders, soda guns, drink mixes with preservatives) and rejection of the old & fusty. C+
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Oh, please. I am likely to scream if I encounter one more 20-something with an arm band and ironic facial hair who acts as though his generation invented refined drinking.
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It doesnât appear as if you read the articleâŚhis argument is kind of the opposite.
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I donât get all this fancy drinking going on. I donât drink anymore. Gave it up 20 years ago. When some of my younger coworkers tell me what they spend on one drink, Iâm amazed. That was my entire bar tab, usually at the seediest dive bar I could find. Are people spending their entire paycheck on booze these days?
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Mixed drinks are still terrible. 
Uhhh, the facial hair and armband are an implicit acknowledgement that they do not think they invented itâŚ
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I knew I would regret reading this. Fool me twice, shame on me.
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TPM is so cool.
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I did read the article and I disagree. The clear implication of the article and of ânewâ cocktail culture in general is that we were all wallowing in filthy, dark age ignorance until millennials came along to save us from ourselves.
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Agreed!
Why the heck do people feel so bound and determined to raise themselves above others based nothing more than how they like their alcohol to taste? If you like sweet and fruity drinks, have at it! If you donât and you prefer a cocktail based on a vintage recipe, drink up!
The one possible exception to this are experts on bourbon. A few years ago, I decided I wanted to learn to drink bourbon. So, I did what anyone in a modern country with adequate resources does, I googled it. The results led me to articles by people in the industry (distillers, bartenders, taste critics etc.). They appeared to be pretty universal in what I can only describe as an open and welcoming approach (this is different from a lot of acquaintances who would like to hold themselves out as bourbon connoiseursâi.e. snobs). They basically said, âLook, NOBODY likes bourbon when they first start drinking it, even the expensive good stuff. It is an acquired taste for everyone. Anyone who claims to have liked it from the first sip is liar who is putting on airs. Decide what you like as a mixer. It really can be anything (though club soda, water and ginger beer/ale are most common). Just whatever floats your boat and makes it taste good to YOU. Then, over time, slowly reduce the amount of mixer until you donât need it at all.â
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How sad, yet true it is that a bartender can screw up a gin and tonic. Ugh.