Not sure why you’re fixated on the brand names of the base liquors. Did you order a drink made with one of these brands and not like it? Premium liquor may not be the right base for a cocktail for multiple reasons: When mixed with homemade syrups and bitters, much of the nuance will be lost anyway. Also, If there is aggressive flavor in the base, it could fuck up the balance of the drink. Finally, how many people are going to order a $13 cocktail no matter how good it is?

At any rate, these are not “well” liquors at all. Most bars carry well booze because they (and the majority of their clientele) could care less about craft cocktails. The consumer has to decide whether they want pay more for a premium brand and decrease the chance that their drink is going to suck. Beefeater and Old Grandad are the chosen base liquors for specific cocktail recipes to maximize flavor and minimize cost. Dave isn’t going to serve a cocktail that he hasn’t tested extensively or one that he wouldn’t drink himself.

I do understand how you might have perceived a surly attitude. Dave is a serious dude when he’s minding something. And there is a lot to mind when your business is in its first couple of weeks of opening. I don’t want to speak for Dave but I will. At this point, making sure a drink is perfect is more important than chatting up the customers. If having a conversation with the bartender is the most important element of your experience, I suggest visiting early in the evening.

As you probably know, the business JUST opened a few weeks ago. I was just there this weekend, and there have been a ton of changes that you may find to your liking:

1) The bar just instituted rules last week to minimize the number of patrons inside so it’s a little more convivial and a little less crazed.

2) They’ve added a third regular bartender as well as tables and a waitperson. So things are speedier, and with the third bartender handling most of the table drinks, the two bartenders handling the bar seem to me to be much less rushed.

3) He’s been rotating some of his well booze as supply has opened up. Not sure what he’s using right now, but he’s been using Four Roses for bourbon among other things.

Obviously, I know Dave personally, but I’d like to think that I can be objective when it comes to drinks and eating/drinking out. It is, of course, one of my primary hobbies. Anyhow, you might want to check it out again now that he’s had a chance to see what the crowd is like and get the day to day operations down a bit more. I think you’d find it more to your taste.

As far as Beefeater, we’ll have to agree to disagree there. I’ve got a pretty substantial home bar and have tasted a fair amount of gin. I have to say that I rather like Beefeater for quite a few gin drinks. It’s got a little flavor and some aromatics to it but not so much flavor as Tanqueray and not so much floral nose as Plymouth. The former can be kind of off-putting in an Aviation, and the latter can clash with, say, a Negroni. Of course, I might use occasionally use Tanqueray or Plymouth at home for a Martini, but Beefeater is my “house gin” because it’s versatile. I think it’s legit gin, and it’s a value to boot. (For the sake of having a reference point, my house bourbon is Buffalo Trace, house rye is Rittenhouse 100 when I can grab it and Wild Turkey when I can’t, and house tequila is El Jimador.)