Are Bartenders and Drinkers Just Bored?

I don’t really drink cocktails anymore except on rare occasions. I used to. But then I figured I should cut back on my drinking, which everyone should do really. This was an easy place for me to cut back. If I have a cocktail at home–which is quite rare now, once a month or even two–I’ll just go with a classic that I miss drinking regularly, maybe a Negroni or Manhattan. Or if I am at a nice dinner, I might try one of the cocktails on the menu of the bar. Not long ago, I saw a cocktail that was designed to taste like a sandwich. Unfortunately, I don’t remember which sandwich. I was like, why would someone want that? But evidently, this is a thing these days:

As the saying goes, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” But you can have your sandwich and drink it too, it seems.

At cocktail bars across New York City, alcoholic drinks are taking inspiration from Italian subs and bacon, egg, and cheese bagels, New York magazine’s Grub Street reported on Monday. It’s just the latest innovation in how bartenders and mixologists are shaking up the genre, which has seen more and more of a savory twist as of late. As we noted earlier this year, for example, oil and vinegar have become two standout ingredients in N.Y.C. drinks.

Now, though, cocktails are being taken even further, turning into full meals instead of just salad dressing. At Madame George, the NY Bodega Sour features bacon-washed whiskey, egg whites, and everything-bagel seasoning—all served in a classic bodega-style coffee cup. Reyna’s Bored in Buckingham has a very British name but delivers all-American flavor: Duck-fat-infused bourbon, plum liqueur, blueberry syrup, and spiced bitters combine for a Thanksgiving-esque drink. Elsewhere, you’ll find cocktails that center on soppressata-washed gin or blue-cheese-flavored sake.

The idea here isn’t novel. As Grub Street noted, fat-washing has become commonplace in cocktail dens around the world. But the sandwich-flavored drinks represent the extreme end of social-media-induced gimmicks. Sure, some bartenders are creating these drinks because they want to push the limits of what a cocktail can be. But many are also hoping to appeal to the TikTok and Instagram crowds, to boost business. Not all sandwich cocktails are created equally.

“Too many people feel smart wearing KFC-scented underwear,” the international restaurant consultant Michael Whiteman told Grub Street. “But what sounds TikTok-y faddish today will feel foolish tomorrow.”

I am just really confused right now.