After all those Screwdrivers, Harvey Wallbangers, and Sex on the Beaches put a cavity in America’s sweet tooth during the ‘70s and ‘80s, it took decades for the national drinking culture to shake the stigma of unsophistication and kitsch around sugary drinks. But now, sweet cocktails are making a comeback, albeit in a more — for lack of a better word — sophisticated manner.
Perhaps people have always loved sweet cocktails, but have been conditioned by the trends in cocktail culture to believe that boozy, bitter drinks are what they’re supposed to like. Maybe a large chunk of American drinkers simply choked down Manhattans and Sazeracs for years when all they really wanted was Banana Daiquiris. Regardless, there are more products on the market than ever before that can bring sweetness to a cocktail and aren’t overly cloying or saccharine like the liqueurs of decades past. And as much as we love Martinis, Negronis, and Boulevardiers, one could argue that it’s about time more cocktails that are refreshing by design re-entered the drinks space.
On this episode of the “VinePair Podcast,” Adam, Joanna, and Zach discuss the curious trend of cocktail menus at bars around the country focusing more and more on sweeter drinks. After over a decade of bars focusing on bitter, boozy, stirred concoctions, what’s driving this shift in flavor profile and approach? Tune in for more.
Joanna is drinking: Plum Boulevardier at Bar Goto Niban
Zach is drinking: The Vodou That You Do So Well at Ruby
