your opinion does matter... promise!

by Scott Tyrer

 I really couldn't pick a better industry to work in; I get two days off a week, brilliant, I get paid to have fun on a weekend, which is amazing. Then on top of that I get to make some bloody good drinks.  The only problem is the guests; and  I've said it time and time again, my job would be so much better if I only had to serve bartenders exclusively. But alas that kind of business model would get me laughed out of any investment meeting,  leaving me to deal with such annoyances as, 'make me a nice drink' or 'make me your favourite cocktail'. 

 My job would be a lot easier (and undoubtedly boring) if there was a flavour that was universally liked by everyone, all we would have to do is make the same drink over and over again, maybe with the odd twist here and there. I'm sure there are a few people out there who have blissfully drifted off into some fluffy utopian daydream of the day when everyone orders variations of the same thing, maybe even rows upon rows of pre bottled versions of the one 'size' fits all drink (a bit of literotica there for Bacardi/Diageo's of the world).
> But, when has anyone ever chosen the easy path?  Its almost as though humans are hardwired with a subconscious masochistic drive; in terms of bartending we create drinks that require all the technological gubbins and knowledge of a modern day lab and its inhabitants, then we put it on the menu and complain every time someone dares to order the bloody thing. 

There is no universally liked flavour combination, it'll be a sad day for the culinary and libationary arts when some div discovers it.
 which means that when people do ask me for the best drink on the menu or if I'm asked to make a couple of amazing drinks for the two girls you're trying to impress, I will be at a loss until you tell me what is amazing to you (or the two bints).
Of course I'll be able to gleam a little bit of info from the guest visually, but that will only lead me to make a drink they will like. when I would rather make them a drink they will love, something tailored to their tastes, they are after all paying for it. 

 If I wanted to dish out the mediocre I'd go back to the branded chains of our industry, but as it stands the mediocre bores me to death, I too have the masochistic desire to keep taking the difficult path as long as the rewards are self evident (the chance to look smug because of your creation). 

 I wish people would understand this difference between the objective and the subjective.
 I'm finding it a little annoying that people are getting the two confused, they are after all intrinsically very different concepts. One is based on the provable and irrefutable fact whilst the other is founded in pure opinion, which is liable to change from extrinsic influences. The people that are getting these two things confused are not just my guests, I hear it quite regularly from my peers. No one persons opinion is fact and therefore you cannot convince me that one product is quantitatively better than another, its just the product that you prefer. Take sadomasochists for example, if someone hit me with a whip or a chain mid-coitus I'd be pretty ticked off, but they love it, its all about personal preference. 

 Then there are the superficially objective, the people who claim to be able to appreciate a drink for its balance, structure and appearance. All of which are incredibly subjective to the imbiber and his or her own anthological taste history. How can you appreciate a balance of sweet and sour when your opinion of such is based on an ingrained sensation memory? we all have different ideas of what balance is. 

 So, if no one person can objectively state that something as subjective as a personal taste in beverage is the be the 'best', why on earth are mixology competitions structured to do this?  All that is being created is a one size fits all product which rarely ever fit properly.

 A drink should be created to be loved, not for the sake of being liked more than the rest.

 P.S. If you think I should be asking more questions you are missing the point, asking questions is painfully obvious.

You can follow me on twitter (scottktyrer), and me and my teams exploits on tumblr (the libatarians).