Cocktails are getting weird these days. It’s no longer acceptable to fill a glass with whiskey and bitters, garnish it with lemon, and call it a masterpiece. That’s called an Old Fashioned. It’s a cocktail legend, but it’s starting to live up to its name in a less-than-desirable way.
People are demanding creativity behind the bar. They can’t bear the thought of pairing a whiskey cola with their $30 wasabi-infused halibut tataki. That’s sacrilege. So they scour the cocktail menu like amateur sommeliers, scanning the list of ingredients to find the perfect pairing. Habanero tequila with fresh papaya and lime zest? Too Mexican. How about single malt scotch with ginger syrup and hickory chips? Yeah, that’s the one.
Welcome to haute mixology. It’s the latest trend in drinking, one that brings culture to chaos and a false sense of security to wealthy alcoholics. Rejecting some traditions, reinventing others. It’s a wheat-free alternative to the craft beer revolution, yet was forged in a similar vein – one that turns drinking alcohol into a much more creative, personal experience. Bartenders (excuse me, mixologists) like H. Ehrmann and Scott Baird are at the helm of this new movement that abandons mixers and syrups in favor of fresh, natural flavors. Lemon juice instead of sweet and sour. Fresh herbs instead of extracts. A new wave of farm-to-bar practices (fittingly concentrated in San Francisco) that conjure up images of Alice Waters behind the counter.
Some criticize this new movement as overly extravagant and bourgeois. A rich man’s game that leaves the rest of us in the dark, doomed to a lifetime of whiskey colas and Tom Collins. But I disagree. You don’t have to frequent swanky rooftop bars to enjoy the fruits of creativity – just go to the grocery store. Buy things you’ve never heard of. Then put on your lab coat, grab your cocktail shaker, and get weird.
Ingredients:
ice
6 oz tequila
6 oz lemonade
1 avocado
4 limes
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp fresh ginger
1 serrano chile
sea salt
Directions: Pour tequila and lemonade into a blender. Add avocado meat, lime juice, honey, ginger, and a SMALL piece of the chile (a little goes a long way). Add ice and blend until smooth. Pour into 4 glasses. Sprinkle with sea salt and garnish with lime wedge.
