In a modern world where Joe Consumer is transformed into his alter-ego Super Critic once the ‘login’ button is clicked on Trip-Advisor, or when his favourite big eyed blond from Sheffield wins through to the Master Chef quarter finals with what looked like mince on toast, I’m left to wonder; why do we still not have any shows on cocktails?

I asked this of a colleague here in the UK and he simply answered that making cocktails is still not regarded a ‘real job’ in the eyes of the public. And that just makes me sad.

Ever had one of those customers who said “I don’t like cocktail’s”, isn’t that like someone saying “I don’t like any sauce on my food”. I’m not talking ketchup but jus. The skill of the saucier is to deliver a complexity of flavours that compliment and inspire the primary food groups on a plate. Is this not also the role of the mixologist, delivering a complexity of flavours built around a primary spirit or ingredient? I know, that word’s a bit crap but maybe if we were taken a bit more seriously (by our customers and not ourselves) we wouldn’t be so averse to being labeled mixologists.

With the MasterChef television series now produced in over 40 countries worldwide, it’s clear there’s no limit to the public’s interest in flavour. Shit even Bangladesh, Albania, Vietnam and Iceland have their own shows. Each show is judged by at least three “Masters” represented as the countries finest culinary chefs who don’t already have full-time jobs.

[ image: Depiction of early celebrity cocktail bartender William Thomas Boothby, 1891 – c/o Wiki Commons]

But if that’s not for you, there is also Hell’s Kitchen, Top Chef, The Next Iron Chef, Chopped, Saturday Kitchen, Cook with a Master, Cook with a Goat, Cook a Goat…it never ends. I’ve even seen a reality TV competition on becoming a master butcher, A BUTCHER! Don’t get me wrong, butchers deserve their trade craft but are cocktails not as popular as butchers in the eye’s of the public? Because the sheer number of customers at my local cocktail bars every Friday and Saturday night, seem to say otherwise. What are we missing here?

Lets play a game. Put the words “cocktail show” into Google and see what your top five hits are. I get in order;

1. Blog
2. Flair Show – You Tube
3. Blog
4. Cocktail Event California
5. IMDB entry for the “Infamous Cocktail Show”

That last one sounds promising. According to IMDB it’s an 8.1 out of 10 and described as “Mr. Big and Mugsy’s Infamous Cocktail Show. A comical and educational look at the ancient art of cocktail making played out by two globe-trotting Gangsters”…weird but OK. A quick You Tube search reveals clips boasting no more than 50 views and an Australian production which does no favours for the nations growing global cocktail reputation. But shit is it funny!

We may sit here and argue that the Blue Lagoon doesn’t qualify as a cocktail but at least they’re having a go.

So where is the franchise for the Master Mixologist? There must be more money pumped into cocktail competitions around the world, each hour of every day, than there are published cook books with people on the front instead of food (i.e. a vast majority).

The modern-day film industry is little different. There’s a great documentary tracing the journey of four sommelier’s attempting to pass the Master Sommelier exam ( Somm, 2012), a film about four delinquents who open their own Scotch distillery (Angel’s Share, 2012), another following a group of friends who work in an American micro-brewery (Drinking Buddies, 2013) and a new film simple called Chef (2014) which promises to be a must-see. And yet the humble bartender is still remiss. I may be biased but I can’t imagine a more charismatic and dynamic group of bi-polar intellectuals as cocktail bartenders.

GQ Magazine, ever a supporter of the cocktail industry, championed a competition in search of America’s Bartender. Series one see’s 19 professionally edited online episodes tracing the event, the competitors and their epic Vegas final. A brilliantly and independently produced series and yet still limited to an online platform.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying we need versions of “I’m a Bartender, Get Me Out of Here”, “Celebrity Come Mix with Me”, “Ready, Steady, Shake” or even “Survivor: The Bartenders”. Although sticking 12 mixologist on an island and forcing them to mix drinks with coconuts, sea water and wild goats to survive is a recipe to print money!

All joking aside, we proudly regard ourselves as professionals. We study the history of spirits, collect books with recipes published from the 19th century and attend numerous tasting masterclasses and mixing competitions, all while surviving on a basic wage. While I would not go so far as call mixology a “lost art”, it is a skill derived from passion, hard work, diligence, epic patience and an attention to detail not only restricted to the beverage, but the customer who ordered it. So perhaps it’s about time we had our own spotlight, just don’t expect us to turn up for screening anytime before midday.

This was the Musings of a Barfly by:

Rusty Hawthorn

[ SHARE YOUR OWN MUSINGS: If you’ve a good drink discovery, experience or thought you’d like to share, send it to contact@drinkingcup.net with your name and we’ll publish you online

The post MasterChef vs MasterMixologist – BARFLY BLOG appeared first on Drinking Cup.