Where are Cocktails going?

Much like the wages divide that seems to be brought up at the minute whenever any conversation remotely touches on money, cocktails seem to be seeing a similar parting. We seem to be heading into an era where you have at one end the fruity, fun, aesthetically exciting drinks served in long extravagantly shaped glassware, which have a small fruit bowl attached to the top or a garnish that takes half the time the making of the drink does. At the other the cocktail that employs fewer ingredients, but meticulous mis en place meaning a simpler and swifter steps to make on the fly, catering to more elegant and regal market often with a nod to the classics and their methodologies.

Now, obviously this is not as bad a thing as the money/class divide debate, so do not think that is where I am heading with this. I don't really think either side is necessarily better than the other, both hold a market and both have a captivated audience who drink each style for different reasons.

The reason I bring this up is to highlight the absolute melange of cocktail styles, ingredients, methodologies and knowledge we have at our disposal. Whether it be the rich history that has steeped the bartending culture and the new range of old school re-printed books now easily available, or the very modern forward facing techniques that are taking front stage, often edging closer and closer to a absolute union between science and drink making. The stage is very much set to push boundaries and brek out of old routines.

With that in mind over the coming weeks I hope to bring you some insights into the world that is the Drink Factory Lab. What wonderful and misunderstood machinery they use and how all of the techniques can be applied practically and easily within any bar without slowing down service.