The Most Tedious Drinks to Make When You’ve Gettin’ Swamped
When I sit in a restaurant and I look at the colourful drink menus. I have noticed before how decadent the drinks are becoming. More ingredients, more colour, fancier glasses. The whole bar and restaurant experience has become a watered-down experience. Suppose you go to a patio in Manhattan, NY and order one of these fancy drinks. Is it going to come to your table as quick as a pint of beer? Of course not.
The following five drinks when ordered are sure to make any bartender cringe when working in a busy bar. The time it takes to make this drink properly is more time then the bar or restaurant allows for speedy service standards.
5-The Mojito
This drink really takes the cake. Start with mint leaves in the bottom of the glass. Add Rum and simple sugar then you begin the tiresome muddling process. After you muddle for 30 second add soda and simple sugar. Then you muddle some more, finally add some lime and some more mint and you are finally at the finish line. I have had quite a few Mohito in my life and let me tell you never to order this drink in a busy restaurant. If the sugar/soda ratio is, off or its not muddled properly. The drink is a write off. Very hard to maintain a standard with this drink regardless of how great a barkeep you have.
4-Ramos Gin Fizz
I have not heard of this drink before today and I think it is for a good reason. The following are the ingredients in this very complex drink.
- 2 ounces gin (Old Tom gin if you can get it)
- 1/2 ounce lemon juice
- 1/2 ounce lime juice
- 1 ounce simple syrup
- 3 small dashes orange flower water
- 2 drops vanilla extract (very optional; there’s some controversy over whether this was ever really used, but it does add a nice touch)
- 1 ounce cream
- 1 egg white
- Soda water
Now it is not so much the ingredients that concern me as the time they think it should be shaken. (3 minutes minimum). So realistically this drink would take 5 to 7 minutes to whip up. No, wonder its going extinct.
3-Long Island Ice Tea
The traditional Long Island requires the five whites of the bar rail to be considered proper. Do not be fooled though by my last sentence. It is not quite that simple.This drink is pretty darn easy to screw up if not made properly. The ratio of alchahol has to be right dead on.
1 part Vodka
1 part Tequila
1 part Rum
1 part Gin
1 part Triple Sec
1 1/2 part Sweet and Sour mix
just a dash of Coca Cola
Mix ingredients together over ice in a glass. Pour into a shaker and give one brisk shake. Pour back into the glass and make sure there is a touch of fizz at the top. Garnish with lemon.
To a busy bartender this drink would be time consuming and quite difficult to create in the right context .Just a side note that now there is the Long Island mix in a bottle. However, no matter what that is not considered traditional Tea.
2-Marinis or Manhattan
I really feel these particular drinks deserve an honourable mention. It is not that I feel they are that difficult to make. I just feel that people who order Martinis or Manhattans are people who have very specific tastes. If the bartender adds too much or not enough Vermouth then the drink is ruined. Garnish no garnish, well you get the general Idea.
If I walked into a bar and ordered a Martini, I would have to be very specific as to the specs because there is no way the barkeep would know my preference. No doubt that this is a very difficult drink to create.
1-The Sazerac
This drink is over 200 years old. The process itself is so intricate but wait, I am getting ahead of myself. Let me start with the Ingredients.
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 11/2 oz rye whiskey
- 1 dash Deva absinthe
- 2 dashes Peychaud bitters
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- 1 twist lemon peel
- Ice
Chill an old-fashioned glass by filling with crushed ice. In another glass, mix the sugar with the bitters dissolving the sugar. Add some ice, stirring to chill. In the old-fashioned glass remove the ice and pour in the absinthe coating the entire glass. Remove the excess absinthe. Add the rye whiskey and bitters/sugar mixture. Add the lemon twist. What a pain in the ass to make but it l must admit I would love to try it.
This article is not about difficulty of making drinks but the difficulty of making these drinks properly behind a busy bar. With the printer spewing out drink chit after drink chit on a hot patio day any, one of these drinks would bring your flow to a slow crawl.