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Cocktails at the bar

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Axle:
Just my 2¢ from previous cocktail bar work.

I'm assuming the bars were given a spec sheet for the EF bespoke drinks? (Hopefully more than one) Otherwise it's very understandable for a bar team that's probably less than used to mixing cocktails, to struggle with ones that aren't even on their usual menu.

Further, I assume that at some point at least the bar managers were met with for a quick mix & taste session on the drinks? Again otherwise they have no point of reference to work with, making it hard to quality control through briefing their staff or handling quality complaints.

If no to both/either of the above, I'd STRONGLY suggest something like this be done next year to give the bar staff a fighting chance and the attendees a fair shot at getting the drink they ordered.

Fafnir Kristensen:
mmm, the guys at the bar of the Maritime had no problems doing it right from the start, as unfriendly as they may have been (imo I didnt really had a bad feeling about them, just maybe not as friendly as the people from the Ringberg, but thats all subjective)
in the case of the Estrel, imo that show a not so good level of professionalism and the problem lies on the bar manager shoulder because the waiters/waiteress are only doing what he tells them

Korrok:
Just chipping in that this was also an issue for me and again, did affect the hotel's takings from us. The special cocktails never felt like they had any alcohol in them whatsoever and had too much ice on several occasions. The Pina Colada was the only full price cocktail I bought and it was a big disappointment: certainly plenty of alcohol but poor taste, poorly mixed (very different taste from top to bottom), poor presentation, lots of ice - just not what you would expect from a 4 star hotel bar at all. I did not bring these things up at the con because I had scarce time to socialise with people I almost never get to see and did not want to head off to the bar to kick up a fuss, and felt it would be ok to mention in the feedback..hope that's okay.

Blue Raptor:
About the same experience at the bar near the fursuit lounge (Atrium bar I guess).

I saw the unfancy discount version of a Mojito at a friend and wondered if that's not supposed to have mint leafs and brown sugar, was not overwhelmed by the event cocktails (at least the non-alcohol parts) coming premixed form big plastic canisters, and my one and only Pina Colada was not from a canister and shaken alright, yet poured over ice cubes in a table glass (with a slice of pineapple so you know what it's supposed to be) and despite trying not to drink it too fast the glass remained like a third full of ice cubes.
I'm sure you CAN do your cocktails that way, but I won't pay 11 Euros for that.

The bar crew also seemed unable to realize who is waiting to place an order for forever already and serve those first (or just ask who was next) and instead mostly focused on whomever their gaze met first, and the two times I explicitly asked for a glass that is clean on the outside because I did not want it to soak into my suit and tipped some too (before they made it) (the answers were "I'm sure we can do that" and "of course") the glass they handed me was spilled with drink on the outside.

No, I did not try to run after them when I found out and go irate raptor on them. Neither do I know if any of that was laziness of the keeper in question or lack of skill or bar policy or hotel policy, nor did I feel like putting up stress. But I did and do think this should be addressed afterwards, so they can improve whatever the reasons are for next year.
As that was far from the minor glitches and slow service due to high load which cannot be prevented.

Felfur:
To make it short adding my 2 drinks after this already lengthy and repeating thread:

Was two times at the atrium bar, on Tuesday around 10 (?), Sunday about same time.
Status: Not to overcrowded, but definitely busy.
Had Virgin Mojito (whatever they call it) both times (Ginger Ale instead of alcohol), so no comment on the content of that.

Got Lime quarters, mint, brown sugar, all squashed, all fine
As Mojito consists of a whole lot of ice, a "to much" that was not a concern either.
Was served fast, personale seemed in a hurry, drink was mixed quite hasty.
One single perfunctionary turn with the rod was a not really enough to squash the lime or mint.

Mojito is supposed to be done with crushed ice but they used a single block the size of the glass (No time to make crush ice? Or not enough traffic so that it would melt away before being used? Don't know). As the ice is supposed to melt over time and to be used with the excess sugar (and the over again pressed lime and mint), there was not much of a trade-off for the money spent, some sips with the straw and it was gone, which normally is not a problem, due to the ice melting and being drunk also. Well, I gave up stirring and trying to melt the block after about half an hour. There was also no stirr&squish-thingie, just the straw, which made it also not very effective.

9 Euro for a not even alcoholic drink (a small one) is quite a sum I think, especially as its the same price as the adult Mojito goes, I'd expected some price off.
Let's see how do fare next year.

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