Let's talk mixers.

Drinkers are becoming more and more aware of what goes into their bodies, (and sometimes comes right back out,) during a night of boozing. At least I hope so.


As a bartender, I always found it strange that people would obsess over the brand of gin in their Gin & Tonic, but never ask a question about the damn tonic. I believe culinary movements geared toward natural, local, sourcable, and organic ingredients are spreading from the philosophical discussions between chefs and restaurateurs to the every-day diner... and maybe the drinker, too? I personally do not want to drink a glass of tonic sweetened with high fructose corn syrup that's going to poison my body more than the liquor itself. Give me the damn liquor poisoning!

The extremely high consumer demand for products that contain hydrogenated corn oils and high fructose corn syrup is also part of our fuel crisis; farming and transporting enough corn to make oils and syrups so that we can all die a little more quickly, either by breathing bad air or loosing our ability to breathe all together because we're so damn fat.

Getting back to the original point... how long will it take for bar programs to realize that quality non-alcoholic is just as important as quality spirits? Not just for ethical and moral reasons, but from the standpoint of flavor too. Every component of the cocktail is of equal importance, right? I'd rather pay another buck to get a quality tonic from Fever Tree (great stuff and all-natural... but not close. Quinine content this high must come from the UK,) or a natural Boylan's cola. Next time you sit down to have a drink, ask the bartender how he feels about mixers. I'm curious to know if anyone else cares...