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Okay, fess up...who's tired of sipping Cosmopolitans? Event guests are becoming quite the group of knowledgeable gourmands, demanding the same level of quality and sophistication from their cocktails as they now expect from the hors d'oeuvres and food offering. Here's the lowdown, courtesy of the pros at The Martini Club, on what planners should be shaking up behind the bar: The Other White Spirit: Shove over vodka, gin is an up and coming star, getting loads of pouring action of late. Gin, with its juniper berry and herbaceous essence, certainly makes for a more interesting cocktail base. Tradition Serves: Ensure your '07 drink menu features real cocktail classics including a Dry Martini, Gibson and Gimlet. Offer premium brands and a unique twist such as a Gimlet with fresh-pressed blueberry juice puree. Fresh, Healthy and Fanciful: Pass on the bottled juice. From orange juice to prickly pear and passion fruit, fresh-pressed fruit juices and purees are putting their signature mark on quality cocktails. If your mix is both fresh-pressed and antioxidant-loaded, (hello blueberry and pomegranate), you've got a cocktail winner. Hues In A Glass: Goodbye neon coloured drinks. Welcome to a more muted palette and clear liquids with colour in the garnish as cocktails move from the novelty circus to a more sophisticated, serious appeal. Herbalicious: The Mojito started it with its crushed mint leaves. Watch for even more muddling happening to infuse drinks with interesting herb flavours such as cilantro and rosemary.
Up In Bubbles: Quality Champagne never goes out of style. However, Prosecco is flooding the market with excellent vintages allowing their affordability to move more sparkling libations onto menus. Of Glass and Stems: Tall drinks are making a return bringing the highball glass back with them. Glasses with heavy bases signal quality and functionality. For martinis, go stemless for a fresh themed drink visual. Behind The Bar: What's going on behind the bar is as important as what's being served. Spotlight the high-energy showmanship of great mixology masters who whirl, shake and muddle with impressive equipment and flair. Exotic Garnishes: Move over maraschino cherry...out-of-the-norm fruit — kumquats, starfruit, gooseberries, even grapes - float, skewer and drape over glassware rims. Use cucumber spears in Caesars and cucumber wedges in classic martinis: taste how deliciously crunchy they get if they're sitting in gin! Today's Drink Umbrella: Lemongrass, as a stalk on its own for stirring and infusing, or prettily skewered with lush fruit, is the must-have drink accessory. A branch of rosemary is a hot alternative. A Global Toast: Cocktails go international, visiting far flung destinations such as India, Thailand, Japan, Africa and Brazil for drinks, ingredients, garnishes and spirits to add exotic mystique to the bar menu. Watch for sake, traditional and new flavour-based ones, as an important main and secondary ingredient. Spirited Flights: Guests are becoming more educationally interactive with their drinks as tasting flights allow them to compare a spirit from three different categories or makers. Cocktails take on sampling size too, offering, for example, three different Margarita versions. Enticing Mocktails: Responsible hosting is always in vogue. Make non-alcoholic drinks as enticing looking and tasting as their counterparts, with beautiful glassware and unique garnishes.
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