Why Not Try a New Cocktail This Valentine’s Day

I learned recently at the Western FoodService Expo from Mixologist and Bar Rescue star Rob Floyd: It’s the women that are setting the trends in our bars and – occupying the most bar seats.
From my own notes from what Floyd shared, “Drinking is not a ‘man’s world’ only thing anymore. A whopping 75% of your bar customers are women. Beginning with the popularity of the Cosmopolitan when Sex and the City was in its heyday, ladies now want more savory-based (think whisky) cocktails. It’s also been proven that women have a better palate.”
While I agreed with the first statement about the number of female bar customers, and the last about the power of the female palate, I wasn’t so sure the brown-spirit savory-based cocktail craze had really hit Awesometown.
So to further my research I asked my Facebook followers – local business ladies and men that imbibe – what their preferences are. My rough calculations tell me that Ladies in Business, as well as Gentlemen in Business, should strike out in the this year r and try some of these favorites if they haven’t already discovered them:
As I suspected, the Cosmopolitan, often referred to as a “Cosmo”, quickly took the lead. But, much to my surprise, our local ladies (and a few gents) had veered away from the sweet side as votes for drinks such as these listed below, many resurrected from the past and back on many local bar menus, took over…have you tried:
Brown (savory)
Manhattan: rye whisky, sweet vermouth, aromatic bitters and/or orange bitters, garnish with Luxardo brand of Maraschino cherry and orange slice.

Old Fashioned: Muddled sugar cube, aromatic bitters to taste, bourbon or rye, ice is up to you, garnish with orange peel or slice.
Rusty Nail: Drambuie (Scottish liqueur with herbs, spices and honey) and blended scotch whiskey over ice.
Sazerac: This cocktail originated in New Orleans and is made with an Absinthe rinse, Rye whiskey (or cognac), and bitters.
Rum Drinks included: Mint Juleps, Mojitos and Mai Tai.
Other Brown Spirit Drinks: Single Malt Scotch Whisky, Bourbon, Irish whiskey with water, rocks, lemon twist, Whiskey and lemonade, Whiskey Sour, anything with a brown spirit.
Clear (sweet – unless it’s one of the non-fruit based martinis listed below)
Moscow Mule: Vodka, ginger beer and the squeeze of one lemon – all measured to taste. (And one gentleman suggested swapping out the vodka for Southern Comfort, while I swap for rye.)
Other Vodka drinks: Martini, Dirty Martini (vodka, vermouth, olive brine) an *Aviator (made with violet liquor) seasonal martinis, vodka gimlet and 7-up or vodka and soda.
Gin drinks: Vesper/Casino Royale (gin, vodka and Lillet Blanc.), *Bombay Sapphire with a splash of lime on the rocks, Pomp and Whimsy gin liqueur on the rocks or with sparkling wine.
Tequila/Mezcal: Margarita, Skinny Margarita and mezcal neat.
Anything “with heat” that uses Jalapeno and cilantro – we got at least three votes for heat.
*Pimms and Stones: Pimms #1, Stones ginger wine, sliced cucumbers, over ice. (This recipe came from a pal.)
*Corpse Reviver 2: Absinthe rinse, gin, Cointreau, Lillet Blanc and lemon juice, shaken.
(Drinks with an * are new to me and I’m willing to try. Some of the recipe sources were EveWine101.com and Liquor.com)
In a tally of the comments there were about 25 for sweet cocktails, 30 for brown spirit/savory drinks, and the most interesting were two pals that opted for seasonal drinks – clear spirits in the summer and brown for the fall. So it would appear that our Ladies in Business, and a few men that were happy to accompany them to answer my query, were all about exploration. Are you?
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video, authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Long Beach Grand Cru. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits. You can also seek her marketing advice via Eve@EveBushmanConsulting.com