A Few Thoughts On “Against Mixology”
Sarah Deming skewers the craft cocktail world, employing valid points as well as troubling ones.
Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jan 24, 2011 at 09:51AM
4 Comments
There’s an essay bouncing around the internet called Against Mixology. The writer, Sarah Deming, skewers the craft cocktail scene (I have a feeling she would curl her lip at the words “craft cocktail scene”) for what she perceives as generalized pretentiousness and delusions of grandeur.
Deming describes taking her father to a New York City cocktail lounge where he was treated disrespectfully. “The mixologist doesn’t like Amaretto,” he was told by a server, after attempting to order an amaretto sour. He then asked for a mojito, which earned him more scorn.
“[Dad] felt like a hick, and I felt like a jerk for exposing him to such unkindness,” writes Deming. “And Dad and I were always out of step in each other’s world….A bar should be the kind of place that lubricates such tensions, rather than aggravating them.”
I couldn’t agree more. Bottom line: A bar with rude service can never be a good bar. Even if it makes the world’s best drinks. There’s no cocktail-maker equivalent of the soup Nazi, because at a bar experience is an essential piece of the puzzle. A friend of mine was derided, recently, at a local cocktail bar for ordering a Heineken, even though Heineken was clearly listed as one of the beer choices on the menu. This shouldn’t be, and it’s an unfortunate side effect of the new seriousness with which people are treating the cocktail.
On the other hand, that seriousness has led to a renewed enthusiasm for artisanal products—creating a market for small, local businesses making bitters and vermouth and vodkas using antiquated techniques rediscovered in old books and records. For those of us who enjoy cocktail history, it has provided a community for delighting in the strange and fascinating stories surrounding booze. And for a generation of bartenders, it has engendered a pride in profession that helps them engage with customers on a deeper level, exposing their patrons to novel flavor combinations and obscure spirits. Done right, the craft cocktail experience transcends a simple trip to the bar—it’s educational, it’s interesting, it’s fun, and it’s anything but elitist.
Bar owners and tenders who lose sight of of good service are all over the place—at craft cocktail bars, at dive bars, everywhere—and most end up with a business towards which nobody directs tourists, one where few celebrate birthdays or bring their dads in for a drink. Bar owners and tenders that take service seriously, well, there’s a reason that the barstools at Zig Zag are in such high demand.
But back to the essay. Here’s how “Against Mixology” begins:
When I walk into a SoHo gallery, I expect to be snubbed. One look at my shoe-handbag combo and even the intern knows I can’t afford the art. At an alt-rock show in Williamsburg, I am game for shame at the door. I’m not that young anymore, and all my piercings are hidden. Basically, if art is on the line, I’m okay with elitism."
This troubles me, this idea that there is ever a situation where treating people poorly is okay. Does the staff of a Gucci purse store have the right to disrespect people wearing cheap shoes? Where is this line drawn, exactly? Personally, I think everyone should expect respect at the bar and the art gallery and the rock show and the…whatever. And if they don’t get it, my recommendation would be to go elsewhere.
Tags: Cocktails, Booze News, Zig Zag Cafe, Seattle Cocktail Scene
I completely agree! I think Zig Zag takes its stellar mixology to the next level. They do this by engaging in a conversation with you and trying to gather your preferences in a drink! And then poof a well crafted, creative, and your own though inspired drink appears before you.
What makes this such a great experience is the time the servers take to help you figure out the sometimes intimidating bar menu and the not so typical spirits.
There is never an excuse for rudeness, bars that forget their purpose of providing the customer with what they order should reevaluate themselves and remind themselves of their purpose.
One vote for respect and nice service! I recently came to a realization that my favorite bar usually provided better-than-thou service, so I decided to frequent other bars instead. I don’t enjoy bar staff treating me like I’m the bane of their existence when I ring-up the bar tab. (Written from the perspective of a post-cocktail server/current well-behaved and decent-tipping customer.) :)
Long ago when I worked in sales and marketing the golden rule was used and the customer was always right. The latest “cool and chic” lounges have to justify their $10-$20 drinks, thus the artificial elitism has replaced good service. The local landscape is full of shuttered bars/restuarants that sought the instantly famous elusive cache of cool while snubbing the customer and allowing poor service. I am tired of going to bars that are way too noisy and crowded, charge too much, and have poor service. Elitism has no place in a bar or lounge. The bartender is there to serve the customer first. The bartender can educate, and make reccomendations, but should NEVER EVER belittle a person’s choice of drink. A bartender that refuses to make an amerretto sour should be fired on the spot.
I don’t know how to sum up my feeling about this article thread except to use bullet points:
-Sometimes snobbery and pride look the same.
-Think whatever you want about other people, just don’t emote your disdain.
- In my opinion, the more expensive the menu, the more attentive the service should be.
-If you want better service, sit at the bar instead of a cocktail table.
Side note: a big trend now to give the bartender, notes, or a flavor, and then they create whatever they want (think Vessel [RIP] or Tavern Law). If you are not adventurous, don’t go for this option, stick w/ something you know you’ll enjoy.