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"Overcomplicated culinary-driven cocktails. Often, they feel forced; other times, it is clear that they have studied The Flavor Bible and kept things focused." —Fred Yarm, bar manager at Loyal Nine
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"There’s a lot of crazy garnishing going on. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s funny to me." —Nicholas Mansur, bar manager at Shepard
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"You know what I’ve never really liked — and this has nothing to do with the fact that I’m a vegetarian — is meat cocktails. Like the bacon whatever. I don’t get it. As much as I work very culinarily, I just feel like your drink should ultimately still be something that you drink." —Naomi Levy, bar manager at Eastern Standard
Image credit: Lisa Richov for Eastern Standard
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"'Skinny'-made cocktails. Simply said, dieting and drinking booze do not go together. Just enjoy a great drink as is; don't ask me to make you a bad one." —Nino Nunziante, bartender at Tico
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"Clarified beverages. Some bars are focusing on designing cocktails that are clear." —Kayla Quigley, bartender at Sweet Cheeks
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"Aging things that don’t need to be aged. Like I know there’s a vodka company coming out with an aged vodka. And that’s weird to me." —Tyler Wang, bar manager at Audubon
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"Obsession with drink production. I think the idea that your night would revolve around the act of someone making you a drink is a really weird one, and while I understand that there's a way to produce drinks that can be fun and engaging for guests, I do think we've taken it a little too far." —Will Thompson, beverage director at Yvonne's
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"I think the strangest cocktail trend is the 'renaissance' of sherry. I've tried quite a few cocktails (and played with some of my own ideas) where the oxidized taste of the sherry used really doesn't translate well. I love certain types of sherry, but I don't think we, the public, are ready for this trend." —Emmet Kelty, bar manager at 51 Lincoln
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"I think it's fun that people are bringing back drinks like Zombies and Grasshoppers. Those drinks are a bit sweet for me, but they're fun and pretty!" —Thea Engst, bar manager at River Bar
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"I'm all for the weird, so this one's tough for me. The most offensive and I guess 'weirdest' trend — that I hope has started to leave over the years — is the idea of 'mixologists' or a smug bartender. Making the guest feel comfortable, welcomed, and excited when choosing a cocktail should be a huge priority for any bartender. Pretentiousness should have no place in a cocktail program." —Joe Fisketti, beverage manager at Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar
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"The overly elaborate garnish. Where is the cocktail?" —Ludgie Beauvais, bartender at Aquitaine Boston
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"I will say the new wave of the old fashioned cocktail. There are a lot of places that are serving the classic version, and people who are used to this are taken aback by the new twists. The new trend is to make this drink with no ice or the ice ball; some muddle the fruit, while others don’t. Usually the drink is made with bourbon, but now you can find an old fashioned made with tequila as well. When you go to new places, the bartenders can introduce you to something that is definitely out of the box." —Gabriela Garcia, bar manager at Taj Boston
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"Hybrid mix-up of spirits, i.e. Grey Goose VX (cognac and vodka) and Jinzu (gin and sake)." —Kaylee Platt, manager of City Bar Westin
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"Milk washing. Curdling to clarify? Who knew something that looks so totally gross could yield something so pretty and pristine?" —Dagan Migirditch, general manager of Franklin Oyster House in Portsmouth, NH
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"I'm all for a good tiki-inspired drink, but I started to notice the trend last winter — I just thought it was an odd time of year." —Owen Wolfertz, general manager at Moxy in Portsmouth, NH
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"Foams." —Rob Hoover, bar manager at La Brasa
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"The weirdest cocktail trend is too many ingredients. I feel like at a lot of bars they don't feel like it's a true cocktail unless they've put 10 ingredients into it. This makes all the drinks on the menu taste relatively the same. If you're going to make a gin drink, one should be able to taste the gin. Use the other stuff to work with the gin, not mask it. Usually, this is achieved by keeping the other ingredients to a minimum." —Sean Barney, bar manager and cocktail chef at il Casale Lexington, as well as cocktail chef for il Casale Belmont and restaurant Dante
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"Root vegetables in cocktails, like turnips or parsnips." —Rob Ficks, lead bartender at Craigie on Main
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"Bacon in everything. I love bacon, but I don’t need it in a cocktail." —Mike Thomas, bar manager at Gather in District Hall
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"Molecular mixology." —Lindolfo Silva, lead bartender at The Painted Burro
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"Green juices and 'super foods.' They can be super tasty and interesting or over-the-top strange." —Joe Cammarata, co-bar manager at Hojoko
Image credit: Kristin Teig for Hojoko
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"The weirdest current cocktail trend is cocktails containing all sorts of savory ingredients. Pepper, cilantro, parsnips are all popping up on cocktail lists around the city. I find it really great, though, that these types of herbs and vegetables are being used, giving drinks an added element of freshness." —Dave Spielberg, bartender at The Salty Pig
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"Honestly, I don't dislike any of the 'weird' trends happening right now. Cocktails are supposed to be fun, so I say the weirder the better!" —Timothy Kotkowski, Pastoral
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"The five-minute wait for a crafted cocktail." —Chuck Guterl, beverage manager at Scampo
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"The weirdest trend that I've seen recently is the 'milk punch' drink. Not so much weird as it is unique to see on a cocktail list." —Justin Lipata, bar manager at Bukowski Tavern (Cambridge)
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"No offense to two of our best-sellers, but I don't want a spicy cocktail unless we're talking bloody mary!" —Patrick Foley, bar manager at The Independent
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"80's drinks." —Patrick Sullivan, executive director of bar operations for the Legal Sea Foods brands
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"I just created a cocktail using vodka that's been fat-washed with pecorino cheese at Brass Union. I'd say that's pretty weird..." —Paulo Pereira, beverage director at Brass Union
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"The trend of molecular mixology. It's the use of chemistry to modify cocktails in 'exciting' ways. It was kind of just a ‘flash in the pan’ trend though." —Schuyler Hunton, beverage director at Foundry on Elm & Saloon
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"Beer-based cocktails." —Casey Furtaw, head bartender at Osteria Nino in Burlington
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"Something I’m completely guilty of, but I find it so odd that sherry has become the darling ingredient with higher-end cocktail bars. It’s like a Frasier marathon every time I look at a cocktail menu these days." —Vikram Hegde, general manager at Island Creek Oyster Bar
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"I’ve noticed more people embracing vermouth and fortified wines. I think it’s great! It’s just weird to hear guests asking for a 50/50 martini when just a short time ago setting the bottle next to the glass was too much vermouth." —Kyle Powell, bar manger of State Street Provisions (opening in November 2015)
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"I’ve noticed more people embracing vermouth and fortified wines. I think it’s great! It’s just weird to hear guests asking for a 50/50 martini when just a short time ago setting the bottle next to the glass was too much vermouth." —Kyle Powell, bar manger of State Street Provisions (opening in November 2015)
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"All the flavored vodkas." —Erin Mahoney, bar director at Row 34 (Portsmouth)
"Overly cerebral cocktails that may not even taste good but are so complex and interesting in concept that they're interesting on that level — but sometimes people push that a little too far with overly ornate garnishes for no reason. There is a time and place for really overly ornate garnishes, and I love it when it's at that time, but Cheesecake Factory does not need overly ornate garnishes." —Adam Lantheaume, owner of The Boston Shaker