When is food a drink? A blog from Goodfellows

The Staff Canteen
This is the latest in a series of blogs from Goodfellows, this time looking into cocktails and mixology. Can you ever believe there was a time when a restaurant just had a barman, not a Mixologist? It seems almost inconceivable now that cocktails were ever reduced to a limited list of old fashioned favourites from a bygone age. Goodfellows-1 Now cocktails & Mixology can be as key to the social currency of a restaurant as the food. The art and science of Mixology is complex, creative and continually evolving. Like gastronomy, it is utilising new modern techniques involving the use of aromas, gases and smoke as well as exploring the discovery of new flavour combinations. There is an ever-closer coming-together of gastronomy and Mixology to a point where the lines are becoming blurred. When is drink a food and when is food a drink??  We are now more than familiar with Hot Dogs rubbing shoulders with Champagne & Cocktails; and that’s great but how far can this go and can Mixology evolve its art of presentation, the way goodfellows-2gastronomy has?  When you consider that some of these liquid creations cost as much as a starter , or in some cases a main course in a restaurant, is it acceptable to just serve it in a glass? Surely not. That’s why we are creating our own presentation plates for Mixologists and Bars. Like chefs, Mixologists create according to their own style and their environment; and so we create for them according to their style. Here’s one we poured earlier!!
In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall  – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 4th November 2014

When is food a drink? A blog from Goodfellows