Continuing the discussion from Freezer cocktails:
More on the “blooming bitters” from Toby Maloney in Robert Simonson’s recent Substack post:
I’ve programmed a lot of freezer cocktails and have always defaulted to something along the lines of “This is the coldest Martini in The City” as an answer for guests who raise an eyebrow. Never had anyone who wasn’t convinced after a sip though.
I feel like the prejudice against batched cocktails has less to do with any quality or flavor issues and more to do with the fact that people enjoy having a drink specifically prepared for them. That’s why I think if you batch drinks it’s good to have a narrative behind why it’s the preferred method. If you can’t give them a show you should at least give them as story. As @Billiam say’s it’s “the coldest Martini” or it’s a mix of gins or it’s infused with something special. Otherwise you’re losing some of the hospitality element behind the cocktail bar experience.
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I agree with this completely. Similarly, that’s why when I make a big bowl of Punch at an event I try to stand there with a ladle chatting with the people as I dispense their Punch and relating the story behind it.
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I have an idea. I for one personally like the theater of bartending. If the default menu option is a batched cocktail for let’s say $15, how about an upcharge for one made in front of you from “scratch”? That way, people can pay extra to be entertained.
I also think there is a point of diminishing returns, as with just about any luxury item. And face it, most cocktails are a luxury these days. Personally, my definite cutoff price is $25, and even then, I’d probably choose two fine craft draught beers and enjoy them twice as long.
I learned this from you! Your book Imbibe! inspired me to pre-batch for parties instead of constantly making different drinks all night.
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I guess I have to toot @Nosestradamus ‘s horn for him vis The Everlasting Daiquiri:
There is always something pre-batched in a bar. Syrups, juices, house tinctures, garnishes…
And batching makes complete sense in certain professional situations. Back of house service bar, catered event, there was even a bar in Manhattan that had a brilliant tasting menu of half-cocktails. I can’t imagine something like that being feasible without being pre-batched.
Non-professional situations? No question, super convenient. Parties, picnics or just storing something in the freezer to have ready as (um… frequently) needed.
But a paid drink from a point bartender? If I get something noticeably pre-batched right in front of me, that just makes me question the skill of the bartender, the quality of the establishment and the value for dollar of my drink, delicious or not.
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I don’t have anything new to say about speed of service, “the show,” or repeatability. But there is an element to batched/freezer cocktails that tends to get overlooked, which is that many drinks are ideal at temperature/dilution conditions that can’t be reached by shaking or stirring. If you want to control temp and dilution independently, adding water to the batch then sticking it in the fridge/freezer is the best way. Also, people are citing dilution levels to 1% accuracy, and then just saying the drink should be “very cold.” Or, just whatever temperature the freezer happens to be at. I would encourage a similar level of precision for temperature as well as dilution. I found that most drinks are ideal in the 20-35F range, and fall off quite quickly outside that range. Like by 40F a daiquiri is awful, and it only takes a few minutes on the bar top for a drink to go from 35F to 40F.
At my bar (Castalia, in Detroit) we don’t utilize freezer door cocktails much, but we do have different freezers set to different temperatures, and a digital thermometer on hand for when we are serving freezer drinks.
Roughly 3 chapters of my book (Cocktail Theory) are dedicated to the idea of separating temp and dilution through batching for drinks with longer lifetimes.
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Maybe best of both worlds is to pre-batch the cocktail at perfected specs, then decant it into, say, a larger, squarish bottle, a smaller one of green glass, maybe a bitters bottle with a shaker top. A bartender can then give a show of combining everything just right and just for you, without needing actual expertise or care! 