Simple, and nowhere close to getting an Instagram nomination. Did we really fork over three hours of minimum-wage labor for ... this? Ten dollars used to be the magic number for a cocktail, $12 for something a bit more high-end. Those days, dear ones, are fading further and further away in the rearview mirror.
At Bar Colette, where formal cocktails begin at $21 and cap at $50, we deemed the price point of our $23 Provence modest, especially considering how much work is put into each drink.
Take the French apple pie-inspired Tarte Tatin cocktail, for example, which uses a brown butter-washed Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac and house-made apple cider. This cocktail is conceived days before you even walk in the door to order it.
"We sous-vide the butter and cognac, circulate it for two and a half hours before freezing it overnight and straining out the alcohol," says Colette's bar director Ruben Rolon, whose CV includes Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Miami, which has two Michelin stars. "Then we mix that with our fresh cider, bring it to a boil, incorporate sugar and use a refractometer to make sure the sugar is correct. Both components go together with egg white, and we use tonic water to make a fizz. When it's served, it looks like meringue on top."
We get it. We’re not here to point fingers at Bar Colette, but ultimately this was the swizzle stick that broke the camel's back.
When did entree-priced cocktails become the norm?
Catbird’s nitro espresso martini has set us back $21 on previous nights out. Our dirty martini at Columbian Country Club was a runner-up at $18.
Still, visit any of Dallas’ sports bars or patios, and a measly tequila soda is $15. Ouch. But even if the cocktail sits at that more "reasonable" price, once you figure in tax and tip, your total for the drink alone is nearly $20.
The price of everything is astronomical these days — somehow save for gas, but we’re not holding our breath there. Everyone seems to have their own idea of why prices have gotten so high over the last couple of years: inflation, rent, wages, overhead costs, "just because they can", "you’re paying for an experience", etc. ...
'An Experience in a Glass'
While everyone is either in support of or shaking their fists at current costs, we decided to phone a friend for backup on these prices.Local bartender Travis Hendricks has been a bartender for 20 years. He started in Brooklyn and now works with James Beard-nominated chef Matt McCallister at the recently opened UnaVida in the West Village.
"Everyone is looking for an experience in a glass," Hendricks says. "They want something new, a cocktail that will create a new memory, a 'wow' moment, and all within an acceptable timetable. The cost allows the bar to hire personnel who are skilled, can create strategy, research to acquire knowledge and produce a cocktail that weaves a cohesive brand story aligned with the food and restaurant brand."
Hendricks adds that the ingredients also need to warrant the price, make a better drink, start a trend or lift the overall cocktail game.
Bar Colette creates that experience from the moment guests walk in (and, as mentioned, days before in some cases). Co-owner Henry Cohanim says that guests are greeted with a welcome drink, which changes every day, and they serve Castelvetrano olives and Italian wine crackers — gratis.
"Our glasses are made by small artisans from around the world — in Murano, Italy, in Milan, in Japan," Cohanim adds. "Some of it is custom pieces we designed ourselves."
Charles Spence, professor of Experimental Psychology at Oxford University, says it's not so much about the liquid but the experience and perceived value of a cocktail. "Very often we taste what we expect we are going to taste, and hence if you are going to put an especially pricey item on your drinks menu, it is crucial that you set the right expectations."
In Dallas, that perception is often synonymous with the Hannah Montana lifestyle: equal parts scrappy dive bar and Dallas socialite stomping grounds. Our verdict: some things are worth it, but many are not.
Good Versus Great
Now that a $15-plus drink is standard, the lines between a good drink and a great drink are blurred. And what's worse than a $15 cocktail? A disappointing $15 cocktail. What we haven't experienced, though, is a disappointing $20 cocktail.
Hit those brakes, folks. Before you bring your torches and pitchforks to our comment section, let us vouch for the mixology. If you're not getting sloshed every weekend and want to enjoy something well-made, grabbing a drink or two of something you'll actually remember isn't as ostentatious as it seems.
So $20 cocktails can be worth it, depending on your drinking habits and the intention of your night out: to rid yourself of the burdens of life or to feel like the main character of a blockbuster film.
And as for our new magic number: yes, the days of the $10 cocktail are long gone, but we’re Dallasites, and suggestions to “just not go out” aren’t in the wheelhouse of a city built on the frozen margarita. So pregaming and the liquor store continue to be vital in defending our wallets and weekend plans.
And let us not forget happy hour, which still reigns supreme for drinks at nostalgic prices. On weekdays, visit The Old Monk for $7 cocktails (the ancho chile marg there should be studied); HG Sply Co. has $4 rotating beers and $6 cocktails; and hit Chelsea Corner for the iconic Aperol Spritz for $8.50. Ayahuasca has six drinks for $10 each on its happy hour menu, as does Monarch.
If you're strategic these days, maybe you can have your cake and sip it too.
