In the spirit of Dia de los Muertos, the folks at Espolón Tequila thought it would be fitting to put to rest a few tired trends. We agree! We took Espolon’s idea and came up with our own list of drink trends that we would like to be to rest. Here are our top five drink trends we would like to bury in 2011:
- White Whiskey –– we have been flummoxed by the White Whiskey trend. Isn’t there a reason why Whiskey is aged? We say yes! The wood flavors imparted by the wood and the mellowing that occurs with age defines the essence of what Whiskey is. If you want to drink White Whiskey, call it what it is – Moonshine – and charge prices accordingly (we simply can’t understand paying more for a 375 ml of White Whiskey than for a nice bottle of Irish Whiskey, Scotch or Bourbon).
- No Vodka Bars — we have jumped into this fray before. We believe that bars are a place to enjoy your favorite drink, even if it involves the currently out of vogue Vodka. We were at an unnamed bar (which makes killer drinks) and the gentlemen next to us tried to order three drinks (all involving Vodka) before the waiter politely informed him that the bar didn’t carry Vodka. He seemed truly perplexed and disappointed and ended up ordering a beer. Isn’t that the opposite result of what fine craft cocktail bars are trying to do – instead of trying an amazing cocktail, he opted to drink beer. I have to ask, is Vodka really that bad?
- Amari — we like Amari (bitter liqueurs) but do they have to be in every drink? Amari definitely have their place in the liqueur pantheon and I appreciate what they bring to the table. But, I don’t need every drink to be bitter (we recently attended a cocktail pairing and every drink but one were made with Amari and guess what, we weren’t tasting the underlying spirit that was being highlighted but the Amari). I feel like its 1999 again but instead of sweet drinks made with various shades of Pucker (apple being the fave), we are in the midst of a bitter drink wave.
- Speakeasies – very cool at first but has definitely jumped the shark. Do you really want to be walking around not so great neighborhoods just for the opportunity to beg the doorman to let you in when you can’t remember the secret passcode? We wouldn’t bag on all speakeasies as there are certainly a number of them that we enjoy drinking and make great drinks. We just think that what once made these places great has become tired as more and more of them sprout up.
- Overpriced Spirits — we had a friend that bragged to us about paying top dollar (and I mean top dollar) for the privilege of buying a Vodka that was allegedly distilled 14 times and made from single vintage wheat. Interesting given that the United States government definition of Vodka is as a colorless, odorless and flavorless alcohol. While we don’t completely agree with the government’s definition of Vodka (we believe that in some, you can sense the underlying base through faint aroma and flavor or texture), does distilling something 14 times really do anything other than strip any modicum of flavor? Check out this interesting taste test that 20/20 did on Vodka back in 2006.
What trends do you want to give a Eulogy, too?
Drink Recipe: The Eulogy.
