What's Really in Your Drink? Reasoning Behind Costly Cocktails

All decent chefs will tell you that the trick to making a great meal is using fresh ingredients of the highest quality. You may be paying more, but it's all made up for in the flavor. A good mixologist is going to tell you the exact same thing. Even an inexperienced bartender knows a screwdriver with Belvedere vodka is going to be a lot better than a screwdriver made with well vodka. Most of us are already aware of this fact, but many people are still astonished over the expensive cocktail prices at different bars and restaurants.

If you're venturing outside your local Applebees or regular pub, you can expect to pay as much as $15 (or more) for a drink. In a city like New York where everything is already expensive, it's easy to write these drinks off as overpriced rip-offs. I'm not going to completely rule this out, but there are many more reasons that cocktail prices have been soaring. Housemade ingredients prepared by experienced mixologists both play a huge role in the price of your drink. A bartender can mix up several rum and Cokes in the time it takes to make one Sleeper Car at Orient Express. Making a delicious cocktail is an art. It requires time, patience and the freshest ingredients available. Additional preparation such creating herb-infused simple syrups or crafting specially formed ice cubes is also widely practiced and contributes to high prices.

Case in point: the ever-popular Cosmopolitan. One can order this girls-night-out staple for $5 at TGI Fridays or for $14 at Employees Only. The difference, described by principal mixologist Jason Kosmas in his book SPEAKEASY, is all about ingredients. Kosmas makes his cosmos with lemon vodka, Cointreau, freshly squeezed lime juice and all-natural cranberry juice. He even adds fresh orange zest for garnish and extra flavor. In the cheaper version, expect a slurry of cheap triple sec, a dried out lime wedge, and in Kosmas' words, "enough cranberry juice to cure a bladder infection." The difference in taste and quality speaks for itself.

Of course, overpriced drinks do exist, and most talented mixologists scorn at bottle service, where $500 bottles of Grey Goose discredits the industry. But for the most part, you are paying for the ingredients in your drink. Paul Abercrombie, a skilled mixologist from Tampa, stated, "Individually juicing a lemon or lime and, say, muddling fresh sage or other herbs, will make for a superior drink. Are you willing to pay an extra buck (or two) for a really well made drink? If you don't care, get a well drink. Or better yet, a beer."

The difference in taste is obvious. A delicious cocktail is going to be made with ingredients that take time as well as skill to prepare, but they're worth it. Although you don't have to blow the big bucks every time you go out, every now and then a fabulous drink is as necessary as a phenomenal meal.

— Written by Valerie Cario

Photo credit: topper10.net

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Tags : cocktails, expensive, natural, fresh, organic, alcohol

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