Post #526768 by Quince_at_Dannys on Wed, Apr 28, 2010 12:44 PM

Mainstream drinkers are a lot like mainstream restaurant-goers; the vast majority are going to be a lot more comfortable with the fare at Applebees than that of a 3 Michelin Star restaurant. In other words, no matter how good your cocktails are, they will sadly never connect with most people. And bars offer some other reason to be there (the music, the atmosphere, the scene, the opposite sex) that will always transcend whatever kind of drinking experience they offer. That's why you see people order Bud Light at the Mai Kai; you just have to shrug it off.

On my recent trips to NYC, which is ground zero for the cocktail revival (no pun intended), I've actually been pretty impressed with the cocktail savvy of the customers. I think the city has become very inundated with quality mixology; almost to the point that if anything, there's a hipster backlash against the speakeasies. New bars are ditching the mustachioed- and vested- bartender formula and going back to basics while keeping the quality drinks intact. The same process will happen in other cities that aren't as far along the curve.