opinionated alchemist

There is an interesting article on  Thrillist ...: Is the Bar Revolution over? So what is my take on it? First of all the obvious - yes the Cocktail Revolution  is over ! Because there is no more resistance on Bartender-side / operator-side etc. when it comes to the use of quality (and premium) ingredients. Because there is no more resistance of guests to pay for a drink $20.00 (due to alcohol prices here in the UAE - drinks are even more expensive in Dubai). Because there are no more big arguments, if you should use fresh lemons, limes or other juices... This all are an indication: the revolution is over. The article though brings up another point: it is the commercialization of mixology. In this case I don't really understand the American way of thinking. Even though the prices are creeping up, a lot of Americans (especially bartenders) shy away of increasing prices. Is a cocktail worth $50.00? While this sounds outrageous, we surely have to look at other culinary art...

I've just seen, that "Speakeasy" won the award as best new bar at the Time Out awards. I wasn't there yet - and even haven't heard yet from it - good job of them, you might think [as speakeasy's supposed to be clandestine]. The strange thing though was, that it was a Facebook post of DJ Lance, which brought me on that. I searched the web - and directly found their very own website. Which. Puts. Their. Name. To. Shame. So Wednesday they have a ladies night. How in the name of hell, they would do a ladies night in a speakeasy? But it is not only that. I see bright colorful [hello artificial] drinks on there, and a dart board and a rowdish crowd with beers cheering; or "impressing" girls. How is Dubai to screw up the character of a speakeasy bar? Now, it is important to understand - what exactly a speakeasy is and why is it called like that [maybe the guys of the Ramada should have researched this as well and might just used a different na...