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What to do with people who have no taste? |
Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4806
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
|  Posted: 2012-07-26 07:52 am Permalink
I have had these experiences way too often:
A) I pour a friend a bit of my vintage Appleton 20 Year old rum, explaining how rare and fantastic it is, and they take the shot glass and throw it back so that it passes their tongue completely and goes straight to their stomach!
B) I mix up the most perfectly balanced classic Rum Barrel using fresh squeezed juices, fine rums and homemade Falernum and other syrups. I make a really great Navy Grog. I offer them a wonderful Rum Julep. Then I get tired and someone else gets back there and makes the equivalent of Hawaiian Punch, pineapple juice and vodka and they all go ape-shit and think it is the best drink of them all!
What to do? Casting pearls before swine is a tremendous waste of quality rum! Do I make a batch of "Hawaiian Paradise" for them and let them swill that all night while I make real cocktails? I mean, if they prefer that, why would they mind right?
Mixing craft cocktails for people who would prefer something with the word "Bomb" or "Sex" in the title is disheartening to me as a bartender. It makes me angry at them and it wastes my time and resources. But they are my friends and I will have them over.
What do you guys do?
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Mai-Kai Memories Series Custom ceramic mugs!
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thePorpoise
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 23, 2011
Posts: 700
From: Tampa Bay
| Posted: 2012-07-26 08:31 am Permalink
I discovered long ago that most people like the fancy drinks, but nonetheless seem most highly satisfied by tequila thrown in with a pour from the jug of Cuervo Margarita mix.
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thePorpoise
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 23, 2011
Posts: 700
From: Tampa Bay
| Posted: 2012-07-26 08:34 am Permalink
I'm always reminded of the "Are you chewing gum?!" scene from "Sideways:"
http://www.videodetective.com/movies/sideways-scene-are-you-chewing-gum-/882957
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Kill Devil
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Feb 16, 2011
Posts: 120
From: Chicago
| Posted: 2012-07-26 08:44 am Permalink
I've vowed to never make Tiki drinks for more than 4 people, tops, as it is a huge pain in the ass and not personally rewarding (usually).
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Hibiscus
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 22, 2008
Posts: 198
From: Boston-ish
| Posted: 2012-07-26 08:47 am Permalink
I occasionally have the same issue - I want to make something beautifully balanced and fresh, and some of my party guests find it "not sweet enough" or "weird" (!) or whatever. So I'm now in the habit of having something mid-range and "accessible" for them (think Blue Hawaiians, etc), and a couple of more sophisticated cocktails for the more adventurous and well-versed folks.
Making top-notch drinks for people who are happy with Appleby's-style crap is always going to be a) annoying to you and b) wasteful of your good booze. I think you answered your own questions when you said "Do I make a batch of "Hawaiian Paradise" for them and let them swill that all night while I make real cocktails?"
Yes. That's just what you do. And you can still make good cocktails for them to "swill" - just don't use your most convoluted recipes or top-shelf rum. Use a nice-quality carton of juice instead of giving yourself Carpal Tunnel hand-squeezing grapefruits or whatever. A good solid recipe with mid-range liquor will be fine. I'm guessing after a while you get to know who among your guests might like something a bit more sophisticated, and you can go to town on cocktails for them. Trying to shoehorn good liquor into unwilling palates is a futile waste for everyone.
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arriano
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 13, 2006
Posts: 1122
From: Birdland - San Diego
| Posted: 2012-07-26 09:01 am Permalink
Look at this way: If all your friends loved your handcrafted cocktails, you'd go broke pretty quickly. Be happy in the knowledge that the good stuff goes to people who recognize and prefer quality, and everyone else is fine with fruit loop concoctions.
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"I am Lono!" -- Hale Ka'a Tiki Lounge
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Sir Richard
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Jul 21, 2012
Posts: 25
From: Lowell, MA
| Posted: 2012-07-26 09:54 am Permalink
S'funny... I've noticed the same thing about quality cigars. It got to the point where if I want to have something to pass around to friends I'll get something cheaper and lighter-weight so that I don't feel that I've wasted the good stuff on 'em.
I'm having my first Tiki party with me making real beverages this weekend, so I'm curious about what it'll be like. Of course, I'm LOVING all of these vintage drinks with their perfect proportions of sweetness, sting, mellowness, spice, etc., but I do wonder if guests will enjoy them as much as I do. If folks would rather something less complex and more sweet, I guess I'll have to concede and console myself with the fact that I'll get to enjoy the good stuff on my own.
Ultimately, in throwing a party I want my guests to have fun, no matter what form of imbibing they want to do, but I admit I will be disappointed if folks don't dig the stuff I've practiced slinging, and that I hold in such high regard...
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Swanky
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 03, 2002
Posts: 4806
From: Hapa Haole Hideaway, TN
| Posted: 2012-07-26 10:21 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2012-07-26 08:44, Kill Devil wrote:
I've vowed to never make Tiki drinks for more than 4 people, tops, as it is a huge pain in the ass and not personally rewarding (usually).
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I agree with that. We seek to limit it to 2-3 people over as guests. That allows for talking and enjoying, and not just churning out drinks and people being annoyed at the pace instead of floored at the quality.
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Mai-Kai Memories Series Custom ceramic mugs!
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Chip and Andy
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 13, 2004
Posts: 2078
From: Corner table, Molokai Lounge, Mai-Kai.
| Posted: 2012-07-26 10:36 am Permalink
Basic rules of being a host apply in situations like this.... you should make your guests comfortable and focus on making the evening as pleasant for everyone as possible.
If you are entertaining a few people (3 to 5) then you can make a show of making a fancy drink our pouring some top-shelf or rare thing. You can talk story about what you pouring and why.
If you are entertaining a small group (3 to 10) then you can't spend as much time focusing on what your pouring so it is probably a good idea to keep it simple. Have something that will make the most amount of people happy and then 'get fancy' when asked or when the time is right.
If you are entertaining a large group (10 or more) then you are hosting a completely different kind of party and shouldn't spend any amount of time behind the bar because that is time spent away from your guests and as the host it is your responsibility to make sure you get to spend as much time as you can with each of them. It is usually a good idea to put your best booze out of reach for large parties so the guest who ventures behind your bar doesn't start pouring shots out of the lemon hart bottle with the teeny-tiny little red triangle on the label .
Basically it comes down to what makes your guests happy.... If you guests are happy with the mixer-and-a-shot drinks then line up the shot glasses and get to pouring.
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Q-tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 22, 2011
Posts: 157
From: East TN
| Posted: 2012-07-26 10:36 am Permalink
Fortunately, I haven't had that happen... yet. I agree with some of the other comments and your own example of making "Hawaiian Paradise" for those who don't really appreciate the more intricate drinks. If you know they don't have the palate for the finer drinks then have something already prepared "just for them". You might even make them feel special in the process. 
I guess you just have to go slowly until you figure out whether their tastes will warrant the good stuff or not.
This is a bit off topic, but I am having a similar problem where family or friends are now buying me tiki decor. I politely accept and thank them, but it is all cheesy brightly colored schmaltz (that's a fun word!) from Big Lots or some other discount store. What in the world am I gonna do with these things and how do I make them stop? One is from my son and daughter, one from my sister and one from a friend. They were all quite pleased with themselves that they had found me something "Tiki" and I don't want to hurt their feelings because it was a very nice gesture, but now I don't know how to deal with it.
On a side note... The rums you let me taste at The Hideaway were outta sight! I really enjoyed that.
Cheers!
David
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One of sour, two of sweet, three of strong and four of weak.
[ This Message was edited by: Q-tiki 2012-07-26 10:38 ]
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Limbo Lizard
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 24, 2006
Posts: 605
From: Aboard the 'Leaky Tiki', Dallas
| Posted: 2012-07-26 10:39 am Permalink
You take your tiki bottle opener...
and open 'em a beer. Or a Seagrams Ice.
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Atomic Tiki Punk
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 19, 2009
Posts: 4013
From: Costa Misery
| Posted: 2012-07-26 12:23 pm Permalink
Most people just don't have the palate to appreciate a complex cocktail
I make a pretty classic Mai Tai, But many think it to strong or tart
So when having a party I mix batches of "Tropical Mai Tai's" the fruit juice based version
you get in Hawaii or a batch of my Kraken Killers, Sweet drinks do appease the crowds
I save the proper Cocktails for my friends who appreciate it.
[ This Message was edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2012-07-26 12:24 ]
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virani
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 17, 2003
Posts: 1434
From: Volcanic area of France
| Posted: 2012-07-26 1:26 pm Permalink
I agree. So I usually do drinks depending on who's visiting too. I'll work hard on the cocktails when I know they'll be appreciated for what they are. When the crowd is not receptive of don't care, I mix rum and pineapple with a little float, or do ti punch (white agricole is way cheaper here).
(or beers, but I have the same problem when I take out my finest belgians and people drinks it like its heineken)
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thePorpoise
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 23, 2011
Posts: 700
From: Tampa Bay
| Posted: 2012-07-26 2:24 pm Permalink
best reception i've gotten to a tiki drink at parties is the scorpion bowl.
everybody always loves the scorpion, especially drinking it out of communal bowls with straws...
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OnlyATikiLad
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 06, 2009
Posts: 85
From: Bottom of the barrel
| Posted: 2012-07-26 3:07 pm Permalink
I can’t imagine serving my friends anything other than what I personally drink. If I had to stock liquor and additional ingredients of a lesser quality, I would need an entire additional bar.
My guest all having the same quality of drink allows me to have a better understanding of how they perceive the drink.
If I am three hours into a party and find myself in a conversation about the Jet Pilot, I don’t want to be thinking “are they drinking the good one, or cheap one?”
I have found that what a “tiki” drink is served in has a big influence on a guest perception of a drink, served in a solo cup…pretty good, in a unique tiki mug…damn good, in a hollowed out pineapple with all the bling hanging off the side…off the freaking charts! I say hollow out some pineapples, pour the good stuff, and party on! When it comes to your friends, go all in. Anything less is……well, less.
And hey I like Heineken!
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