The Six Most Overrated Cocktails, According To An Expert Mixologist

Sipping a Piňa Colada in the evening sun while on holiday, you may think you look like the perfect picture of sophistication and elegance.

However, are you actually enjoying the taste of the white rum, pineapple juice and coconut cream combo? Or are you drinking it simply because you think you should?

According to expert mixologist Tristan Stephenson, the creamy concoction is one of several cocktails that are highly overrated, despite its popularity.

Stephenson, who’s a cocktail consultant at Fluid Movement and author of The Curious Bartender, also thinks the Negroni cocktail would taste a lot nicer if its original recipe was revamped.

The Curious Bartender ... Tristan Stephenson Best Price: $3.46 Buy New $10.90 (as of 08:15 UTC - Details) This may come as a surprise to fans of the beverage, considering the fact that the Negroni was named runner up on the list of the world’s best-selling classic cocktails by Drinks International this year.

The Vesper Martini, which James Bond famously names after Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, is also apparently far more about style than it is about substance.

Curious to find out whether your favourite tipple made it onto the list? Here are six of the most overrated cocktails, as outlined by Stephenson

1. Negroni

The Negroni is a hugely popular Italian cocktail, made from a blend of gin, vermouth and Campari and garnished with an orange peel.

In Stephenson’s opinion, mixing the three ingredients together in equal proportions isn’t wise, as the flavour of the gin is overpowered by the vermouth and Campari.

“Classic Negroni specifications simply do not work and produce a very bittersweet drink in need of a lot of dilution,” he tells The Independent. 24 Ounce Cocktail Shak... Best Price: $15.23 Buy New $16.95 (as of 08:15 UTC - Details)

“Most importantly though, the gin barely features in the drink, which, considering it’s one third of the ingredients, is not what I would call a successful piece of mixological execution.”

Stephenson recommends swapping the gin for bourbon in order to create a Boulevardier cocktail instead.

2. Sidecar

The Sidecar cocktail, which traditionally consists of cognac, triple sec and lemon juice, allegedly originated in Paris following the First World War.

However, Stephenson doesn’t think the nostalgia attached to the drink is enough to salvage its underwhelming taste.

“Cocktails should be at least as good as the sum of their parts,” he says.

“The Sidecar manages to erase the nuances of cognac with flabby orange liqueur then attempts to balance it with a large slug of lemon juice. It just doesn’t work.”

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