During recent years, many drink menus have become a canvas for uber-creative cocktails—visually appealing concoctions best served with a sidecar of social media posts.
Our resident cocktail expert Mike Henderson, Breakthru Colorado’s beverage development specialist, believes that trend may tone down a bit this year.
“I think consumers are beginning to experience palate fatigue from the complicatedness of Instagram-able cocktails and 2018 will show a return to more focused, streamlined cocktails with fewer ingredients,” Henderson said.
You read that right—the classics are coming back! But which ones will bartenders be serving up the most this year? Henderson has a few suggestions on new ways to present traditional cocktails.
“There’s no question that the Old Fashioned is the king of classic cocktails right now. That said, it can be a little tricky trying to do a variation on one because you can’t stray too far from the three key ingredients, but you don’t want the cocktail to be boring, either. This recipe solves both those problems. At the end of the day, it’s just a classic Old Fashioned, but smoking the glass first with a whiskey barrel stave perfectly complements the cocktail and the presentation of firing up a torch and smoking a barrel stave in front of a guest wins every time.”
“I love this little cocktail. It’s a simple play on a French 75, but the use of grapefruit vodka and the addition of egg white gives it an entirely different flavor profile and the presentation is absolutely lovely.”
“When I’m consulting on a menu, I always recommend there be at least one homerun cocktail that anyone can get into. This Gin Sour fits the bill with its simple, recognizable ingredients, yet it is still attractive on a menu with the rosé worked in. A rose petal garnish seals the deal.”