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While relaxing on the outdoor patio at M5 in SouthPark, enjoying one of their “signature cocktails,” I began to question the connection between my drink selection and the names assigned to the drinks at this particular restaurant. Sure, the “French Grape Crush” is an indisputably delicious blend of white rum, crushed red grapes, soda and simple syrup…but would I ever have ordered it if it was listed on the menu as Rum with Grapes? And for that matter, would I have been willing to pay $10 for a drink that sounded so simple? Perhaps our motivations for selecting a particular drink have less to do with the ingredients and more to do with the mystique of the name. It certainly appears that today’s martini bars have bought into this theory, as evidenced by the clever drink names at some of my favorite local spots. They come in all forms:
Rhyming:
Stoly Doly
Dirty Birdi
Woo Woo
Coco Loco
Puns/Sayings:
Freudian Sip
Pretty in Pink
The Perfect Ten
Shock Therapy
Ostentation:
The Elitist
Operatini
Big City Dog
Ten Grand
Listing out these names also raised another question. Only a couple of them provide any clue as to what might be in the drink. I’d guess that the names are selling the drinks more than the actual contents. Might concoctions with less imaginative names be ordered less frequently? And do bars that offer patrons a chance to drink a “Woo Woo” sell fewer vodka tonics? I’ll have to do some additional research the next time I’m out. What’s your favorite drink name?
By: Sarah Goff