A furious Ayr bar boss has defended a new ‘cooncil’ cocktail which features a boozy syringe after facing criticism from a drug and alcohol charity.
The award-winning Smoking Goat Bar & Grill’s latest concoction has caused quite a stir online with a national support group wading into the row.
The cocktail named ‘Cooncil Lilt’ appeared on the menu of the town’s Academy Street venue over the weekend with punters promised a drink that tastes like tropical fizzy fruit juice Lilt.
The mixed drink comes in an old-fashioned glass and resembles the yellow colour of the popular pineapple and grapefruit infused soda.
But the inclusion of a syringe full of cherry sourz has sparked controversy with charity Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol & Drugs (SFAAD) accusing The Smoking Goat team of mocking council tenants and drug users across Scotland.
The charity's CEO has come out to slam the drink, claiming it is “unnecessarily offensive” and could be mocking the bar's OWN customers.
Boss Justina Murray says she only offered her stance after being approached by another newspaper.
But bar chief David Storrie says the drink is a tongue-in-cheek piece of nostalgia.
David told Ayrshire Live: “It’s slang for council in Scotland. You see it used commonly.
“If it’s good enough for Kevin Bridges to use every weekend, it’s good enough for us.
“The idea of the cocktail is it’s the drink your mammy used to go and buy in the shop when she nipped out to get you treats. Its a piece of nostalgia.
“Its got nothing to do with drug taking, rental status and home status at all, to suggest so is ridiculous.
“To suggest we are mocking anyone who is a council tenant or a drug user is insulting.
“We are a charitable business and we regularly support local charities.
“There is really no obvious link there. No one is going to have a cherry sourz shot and then be influenced to start injecting themselves with drugs.
“If we called it the Botox shot would that be offending anyone associated who gets Botox?”
David feels his bar has been ‘singled out’ by the charity after the cocktail was inspired by similar drinks already on offer at popular venues in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
He added: “There’s bars all over Scotland that use a syringe. It's a trend that has been around since 2014. I’ve found at least 20 other bars up and down the country who are doing the same thing.
“We’re just trying to be different, trying to do what bars in Edinburgh and Glasgow do.
“We feel like Ayr needs fresh ideas. We are known well for our cocktails – it makes us stand out.
“No one is going to come to our bar if its just the same basic French Martinis and daiquiris.
“We are struggling in difficult financial times, we have to think out the box and we have to think how can we be different.”
Ms Murray, from SFAAD, stood by comments made that the use of ‘cooncil’ was “unnecessarily offensive.”
The CEO said: “The Smoking Goat team seem to be mocking anyone in Scotland who rents their home from the local authority and anyone in Scotland who takes drugs via injection – even though their own customers will include many people who are part of one or both of these communities.
“More people contact the Scottish Families helpline each year with concerns about alcohol than any other single drug (injected or otherwise), and families who live in every type of housing across every corner of Scotland reach out to us for help.”
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