Five new “gender-neutral cocktails” have been created for men who can’t drink “girly” cocktails. (Burger & Lobster)
London-based bar and restaurant chain Burger & Lobster has created a range of “gender-neutral cocktails”, because apparently men are shunning drinks they perceive to be “feminine”.
Showing that sexism is alive and well, the research found that a sweet or fruity cocktail is deemed to be for women while stronger, spirit-based drinks are supposed to be drunk by men.
Apparently this means that just over a fifth (21 percent) of UK drinkers are uncomfortable when ordering a cocktail that they think is more appropriate for someone of a different gender, according to a survey of over 2,000 people.
Over half of the people polled said that certain drinks shouldn’t be drunk by men, because they are too “feminine” in colour or have “frivolous garnishes”.
And 13 percent of Brits have been teased for drinking something “too girly”, like a Cosmopolitan, or “too manly”, like an Old Fashioned.
This has led to Burger & Lobster launching a menu of “gender-neutral cocktails”, which are transparent and nameless, based on the traditional Pina Colada, Mojito, Negroni, Margarita and Cosmopolitan.
Despite being made of fruit juice, the cocktail team at Burger & Lobster have succeeded in making the five new drinks transparent – by using clarification processes, such as filtering, that remove the particles in liquids but leave the flavour.
Ben Hedley, head of marketing at Burger & Lobster, said: “The colourless and nameless cocktails are an exciting concept, not only for us but for our customers. They are always on the lookout for what we are doing next and we hope this will encourage more people to feel comfortable in what they are drinking.”
As well as being nameless, colourless and supposedly “gender-neutral”, the glassware that the new range will come in is also “gender-neutral”. This is because, the research found, over two-thirds of people are put off a drink if the glass it comes in is “too feminine or masculine”.
The new range was trialled in two London branches of Burger & Lobster last month, and will be rolled out in all restaurants in the new year.