We're teetering on the brink of a new Cocktail Age, people keep telling us - and indeed there are signs that Martinis, Cosmopolitans, Sea Breezes and a stray Bellini or two are making inroads into Irish drinking habits. But this is tame stuff, a mere dribble in an unsteadying sea of possibilities. Or so it seems from the daring drinks concocted at the 25th International Cocktail Competition in Gothenburg.
Bartenders from 40 countries got to shake, rattle and pour the best part of a Sunday afternoon away at the World Cup Final in Long Drinks, organised this year by the Swedish Bartenders' Guild. It was pure showbiz, with the contestants mixing their drinks onstage at high speed, observed by a massive audience of fellow bartenders, drinks trade publicists and journalists from Argentina to Australia, Puerto Rico to the Philippines. Songs like Jailhouse Rock boomed out in the background, and the compere and his team did their best to get the crowd to clap - but most people sat in a kind of frozen trance, wondering who would drop their starfruit garnish next, or how the judges would survive sampling so many lethal potions.
The competitors had just seven minutes in which to prepare five perfect examples of a drink of their own invention - the recipes having been submitted in writing months ago. Many spent almost as long on fancy decorations as on getting the mix right - adding things like rosebuds made of apple peel or dangling fronds of vanilla pod (but no paper umbrellas). They were judged on technique before the drinks were whisked away to be silently scored on appearance, aroma and flavour by judges from all 40 countries. Some contestants were themselves visibly shaken, fumbling with straws and cocktail sticks long after the time was up, or, in the case of Singapore, letting champagne foam all over the table. Ireland's David Strahan looked quietly competent, and not the sort of chap to have knocked back too many cocktails at the Millennium extravaganza hosted by Absolut Vodka the previous evening. The bartender from Jury's Hotel in Cork was a calm competition veteran, into his third world championship. He completed his allotted task within the time. But Snow Bird, his pale blend of Absolut Vodka, Creme de Bananes, Cointreau, whipped cream and pineapple juice, didn't get beyond the opening round. Gabriel Quinn, the Irishman representing the United Kingdom, was also unlucky with The Legend, based on Misty Peach, vodka, Creme de Bananes, strawberry syrup and orange juice.
Many of the drinks on the stage seemed surprisingly sweet and some sounded as if they might numb all the senses entirely in a single sip. Take Uruguay's Nostalgia - a fusion of vodka, Sheridan's liqueur, Cinzano Bianco and champagne. ("Absolutely wicked," commented one member of the Irish delegation, wincing.) Or Hong Kong's China Beat - vodka, peach liqueur, ruby port and champagne.
Eventually, nine semi-finalists produced three finalists. Giuseppe Porco from Italy, dapper in cream tux, exhibited a technique as polished as his shiny cocktail shaker and the sort of charm that is so often winning. Slovenia's Ales Ogrin might have found extra favour for having the courage to buck the vodka trend in a drink based on Canadian Club whisky and apricot brandy. But it was Sweden's Annelie Carlsson, one of just four female competitors, who carried the day with her drink, Madam - an apt name for the beverage of a stern-faced and formidable woman. With the trophy in her hand, she finally managed a wan smile.
"It's the taste that wins it for you in the end," said Derek Meaney, president of the Bartenders Association of Ireland and a judge in the semi-final. "And that's a beautiful drink." Unlike so many of the others - samples left out for public tasting virtually untouched - this one, fresh-tasting and zesty, disappeared fast. The flavours harmonised perfectly, rather than declaring alcoholic war against each other. And Madam also looked terrific - midway between bright yellow and lime green - with the simple but arresting garnish of one long, thin spiral of lime peel wrapped down the outside of the glass.
As for the overall trends showcased in this drink-mixing marathon, pineapple is king of the juices, starfruit the star garnish and vodka the spirit of our times. But then we knew that already. Irish sales of Absolut Vodka - the brand described by spirits writer Dave Broom as "utterly, utterly hip" - are up 30 per cent in the past year, while Smirnoff, the market giant, has grown by over 20 per cent.
Be as adventurous as you like: I think I might just stick the occasional martini.