"I've come to help you with your problems so we can be free." Mr. Roboto, Styx
Dear Lush Lifers,
Sometimes, even I get a little stuck with what I am going to write in my newsletter! š So I google the date to see if there are any holidays or events that I can reference. To my surprise, today is: Artificial Intelligence Appreciation Day.
Thank goodness, this holiday is not widely recognized yetā¦but AI most definitely is. How do I feel about it? Well, ChatGPT can be useful when trying to write a legal form or a risk assessment. (TBH, I have used to create both.) But donāt ask it for the best bars in, well anywhere.
If you havenāt clocked onto it, Google is certainly embracing AI in full-force. It changed its algorithm a few months ago, making searching for things you love even more frustrating. Just try it with āBest Bars in South Kensington.ā
I did and in the top ten results, there was not one that mentioned Amaro or their sister bar, Twice Shy. I take Timeout to task because if Amaro, #8 of the Top 50 Cocktail Bars in the UK and one of the most respected bars in the industry, isnāt on the list, then itās not a list of the best bars in Kensington, South or other.
Ask any cocktail drinkers and they know it! But, of course, you arenāt. You are asking a computer generated program which is spouting computer generated content. All personal blogs have been demoted to the netherlands and AI or Reddit is now telling us where to go, or not to go, in this case.
So I am thrilled to have Sam Gilani on Lush Life today! He founded the Bartenderās Edit. He asked, as in he went to the bars and asked the human bartenders face-to-face, where their favorite places to drink were. Then he collated these answers and you can find them on his list.
Hopefully these lists will be the ones that people seek out when they become tired of seeing the same content spewed out by nameless and faceless computer bots.
PS Here is my list of the Best Bars in South Kensington - and yes I have been to them all!
Check all the links below for the podcast and also our cocktail of the week, the East 8 Holdup!
Meet Sam, The London Boozehound and Founder of the Bartenderās Edit!
Watch the interview here on YouTube:
Make the East 8 Holdup
You have to love a bartender who would create a cocktail to "celebrate" a mugging - and such a refreshing cocktail at that! The East 8 Hold Up mixes vodka, Aperol, passionfruit, lime juice, and pineapple juice to create a modern classic!
The Inside Scoop
From time to time, I get the inside scoop on some great deals or unusual bottles. Itās because I am an affiliate, which means I make a little something if you buy. If there are any that I think you would like, I will pass them along!
The Bottle Club
Celebrate Cheese & Wine DayĀ on July 25!
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Once again, your continued support and enthusiasm mean the world to me, and I'm grateful to all.
Until next time, bottoms up!
Susan, Your Drinking Companion šøš„š¹