Molecular will be replaced!?

[hulamoon]

It would make sense if they just added the beers to the passport bar.

Doesn't make sense if they plan on doing any renovations to that area - it's in a main traffic area!

 

wow.. I am surprised about food being in that area but we will see soon enough.

[chamima]

wow.. I am surprised about food being in that area but we will see soon enough.

 

I just meant add the beers.

Not so sure the (expensive) food went over that well.

[davidob]

It's a real shame the Molecular Bar as we know it is going, it was always a huge draw for us and something we really looked forward to. We had a very memorable cruise on Solstice with Junior and his wife who were training the bar staff. Junior was going off menu making us his own concoctions - which were fabulous!

[cle-guy]

My guess is it will continue to be the same type of bar, just without the proprietary menu by Junior Merino, instead a new, similarly designed craft cocktail menu will emerge. Junior is not the only person in the world developing craft cocktails.

 

I look forward to a new menu honestly to try some new things.

 

Many bartenders I talk to on land laugh when I mention the liquid nitrogen used, they say "that's so 5 years ago". But I do like how cold the nitrogen makes my drinks!

Edited March 19, 2015 by cle-guy

[DYKWIA]

...

 

Many bartenders I talk to on land laugh when I mention the liquid nitrogen used, they say "that's so 5 years ago". B...

 

I read somewhere recently that Punches are what people are going for these days.

 

Quite a sociable drink, probably fairly cheap (one big pitcher) to make, and 100s of recipes!

[gsb]

The new bar just might be better.

MB uses a lot of syrupy, sweet ingredients. I can do one or two at the most and then go back to the martini bar for some serious libations.:)

[cle-guy]

The new bar just might be better.

MB uses a lot of syrupy, sweet ingredients. I can do one or two at the most and then go back to the martini bar for some serious libations.:)

 

I find that the Martini bar drinks on menu are far sweeter to my taste generally, unless ordering a straight cocktail. About the only Martini Bar drink I can tolerate is the Fresca Martini, and I ask them to make that without the simple syrup.

 

There are a lot of drinks on Martini menu with simple syrup added.

[mferranti]

I used to ask for pomegranate martinis with little or no syrup. That worked out pretty well.

[Lois R]

Alot of syrup? Really? I find many of the drinks not syrupy at all....I

love that place:)

[Mcobean]

I am going to miss the MB, seemed to be hit or miss if it would be busy or not, but always loved the Black Mamba, had some fun evenings there

 

But, I like change and look forward to enjoying whatever is next

 

Cheers

[gsb]

I find that the Martini bar drinks on menu are far sweeter to my taste generally, unless ordering a straight cocktail. About the only Martini Bar drink I can tolerate is the Fresca Martini, and I ask them to make that without the simple syrup.

 

There are a lot of drinks on Martini menu with simple syrup added.

 

Agree Cle--I usually have one Almond Joy and one Banana Split sometime during the cruise, but I usually call my own with one of the good Russian or Polish vodkas, or ????;)

[danstr1]

I too would be disappointed if The Molecular Bar truly is on the chopping block. However, I hope to ease some pain for those who are huge fans of the Black Mamba. Through much Googling, I found the recipe online. It's actually from Junior himself and I can say it's spot on to the several I've indulged in while on the ship. The link also includes the recipe for the Kentucky Derby which I haven't yet made but look forward to doing so soon. I'd better start now so it's perfected by May.... Enjoy!

 

[phoenix_dream]

I have yet to sail on an S class ship with a premium drink package, and was looking forward to trying some of the cocktails on a future sailing. As such I am not real familiar with the bar and was unaware that they would ONLY make cocktails from a limited menu. How very stupid is that?!?! For those who liked the drinks, I hope they retain those. But after reading about that limitation I can only hope they change it to include other types of drinks. Often one party wants one of those drinks, but the other wants a beer or standard cocktail of one type or another. No wonder it is often empty!

[hvsteve1]

MB had only the set menu because it is under contract with an outside vendor who owns the name and menu. The bartenders are not allowed to vary the menu, though they did appear to be experimenting in view of having to replace the bar with something new.

 

My guess is that what replaces it will have similar drinks on the menu but, not being under contract to an outside vendor, there will probably be some alternative drinks available, though not as full a menu as one of the regular bars. It's not a very large bar so I would not want to see folks crowding the place for a beer or glass of scotch.

[hulamoon]

I too would be disappointed if The Molecular Bar truly is on the chopping block. However, I hope to ease some pain for those who are huge fans of the Black Mamba. Through much Googling, I found the recipe online. It's actually from Junior himself and I can say it's spot on to the several I've indulged in while on the ship. The link also includes the recipe for the Kentucky Derby which I haven't yet made but look forward to doing so soon. I'd better start now so it's perfected by May.... Enjoy!

 

 

Is it true the black mamba is not actually black? The recipe, if I am seeing them correctly on my phone looks yummy.

[SNJCruisers]

I have yet to sail on an S class ship with a premium drink package, and was looking forward to trying some of the cocktails on a future sailing. As such I am not real familiar with the bar and was unaware that they would ONLY make cocktails from a limited menu. How very stupid is that?!?! For those who liked the drinks, I hope they retain those. But after reading about that limitation I can only hope they change it to include other types of drinks. Often one party wants one of those drinks, but the other wants a beer or standard cocktail of one type or another. No wonder it is often empty!

The reason that the bar was sometimes empty is because it had limited hours of only being open from 500 to 1200 and it was not promoted anywhere on board. There was no mention of the place in the Celebrity Today and there is zero signage around the ship including inside the elevators. The only schematic on the Celebrity website that even mentions it is the one for the Equinox and I can only infer that is because of its recent dry dock. All of the other schematics call the area galleria tastings.

Secondly, the fact that there is only a specialty menu is what makes the place so great, IMHO. If you want a beer or a basic mixed drink, there are numerous options on board. If you even want a bottle of Perrier or San Pellegrino, the Cafe AL Bacio is right around the corner. It could never be a full service bar anyway because of the geographic size of the bar. I just hope that it remains a specialized bar making higher end craft cocktails that reemphasize the Celebrity mantra.

[Lois R]

I have yet to sail on an S class ship with a premium drink package, and was looking forward to trying some of the cocktails on a future sailing. As such I am not real familiar with the bar and was unaware that they would ONLY make cocktails from a limited menu. How very stupid is that?!?! For those who liked the drinks, I hope they retain those. But after reading about that limitation I can only hope they change it to include other types of drinks. Often one party wants one of those drinks, but the other wants a beer or standard cocktail of one type or another. No wonder it is often empty!

 

Hi Sandy, I will respectfully answer your "stupid" sentence......the bar

was a Specialty Bar since day one.......there were 14 drinks on the menu

at the beginning and they were all 12.00. Now, since they are choosing

not to re-up the contract with Junior (the originator) maybe they will

offer other drinks.

I have always loved this Bar and although some folks say it was often

empty, I was there plenty of times when every bar stool was full of

fun, friendly folks:)

[SNJCruisers]

Is it true the black mamba is not actually black? The recipe, if I am seeing them correctly on my phone looks yummy.

Yes, it looks more like an intense pineapple juice color. It was my favorite drink and it also came with a piece of crystallized ginger. You could not even taste the scotch in it, so it was a sneaky drink if you enjoyed a half dozen or so of them, lol.

[chamima]

The reason that the bar was sometimes empty is because it had limited hours of only being open from 500 to 1200 and it was not promoted anywhere on board. There was no mention of the place in the Celebrity Today and there is zero signage around the ship including inside the elevators. The only schematic on the Celebrity website that even mentions it is the one for the Equinox and I can only infer that is because of its recent dry dock. All of the other schematics call the area galleria tastings.

Secondly, the fact that there is only a specialty menu is what makes the place so great, IMHO. If you want a beer or a basic mixed drink, there are numerous options on board. If you even want a bottle of Perrier or San Pellegrino, the Cafe AL Bacio is right around the corner. It could never be a full service bar anyway because of the geographic size of the bar. I just hope that it remains a specialized bar making higher end craft cocktails that reemphasize the Celebrity mantra.

 

Hi Sandy, I will respectfully answer your "stupid" sentence......the bar

was a Specialty Bar since day one.......there were 14 drinks on the menu

at the beginning and they were all 12.00. Now, since they are choosing

not to re-up the contract with Junior (the originator) maybe they will

offer other drinks.

I have always loved this Bar and although some folks say it was often

empty, I was there plenty of times when every bar stool was full of

fun, friendly folks:)

 

I agree!!!! :D

Edited March 20, 2015 by chamima

[Mcobean]

I too would be disappointed if The Molecular Bar truly is on the chopping block. However, I hope to ease some pain for those who are huge fans of the Black Mamba. Through much Googling, I found the recipe online. It's actually from Junior himself and I can say it's spot on to the several I've indulged in while on the ship. The link also includes the recipe for the Kentucky Derby which I haven't yet made but look forward to doing so soon. I'd better start now so it's perfected by May.... Enjoy!

 

 

Awesome, thanks for this!

[hcat]

I think prior posts are correct... seems they are going from a contract that included a set proprietary menu. Now they will contract with a similar vendor or do their own thing....more profit.

 

Same thing happened with Cirque....they had a partnership for cirque shows and entertainers and a cirque shop and cirque style lounge (the one with the beds and rags on M class).but then went on their own for cirque type shows.and we think they .turned out much better...

 

looking forward to something new in that space...and flexible drink menu...the area is nice and not as hectic as the Martini Bar...

[Feelin' Nauti']

...just returned from a wonderful cruise on the equinox. A staff member told us, that they will replace the Molecular Bar by a new Bar in 3 Months from now. Anyone heard the same?

:cool:

That means the ship with be going into drydock again?

Doubt that!

They did an overhaul back in '14.

[Lois R]

:cool:

That means the ship with be going into drydock again?

Doubt that!

They did an overhaul back in '14.

 

Hi, I doubt they will have to put her into a drydock to change that

bar. But I did read on here (from "Celebrity Cruises") that they are

not reupping their concract with Junior and will be changing all the

Molecular Bars.

[Feelin' Nauti']

Hi, I doubt they will have to put her into a drydock to change that

bar. But I did read on here (from "Celebrity Cruises") that they are

not reupping their concract with Junior and will be changing all the

Molecular Bars.

 

Sounds like they will just stop serving drinks that have any bearing to Junior Merino.

 

 

Originally Posted by Celebrity Cruises

Hi all,

 

The Molecular Bar is currently operated by a 3rd party vendor - Junior Merino. We have decided to not renew our contract with him, and therefore as the drinks were licensed, we will be unable to serve the same specific drinks in the future. In the next 90 days, we will be migrating to a new, but somewhat similar experience and will continue serving specialty drinks in this venue. At this time, we can't reveal our new partnership, any of the new drinks, or if we will continue to call it "The Molecular Bar."

 

However, we are confident that guests will enjoy this new and exciting bar that we will be introducing.

Edited March 21, 2015 by Feelin' Nauti'

[Edinburghgirl1]

I have just returned from a cruise on Celebrity Reflection and was told by one of the bar staff at the Molecular Bar that in 60 days it will be no more. celebrity have decided not to renew their contract with Junior Merino as it was too expensive. A great pity as loved the drinks in this bar. No one was sure what will go in its place. Also heard on board that Cellar Masters was becoming a Gadtro bar.