These Guys Pair Cocktails with the Trainers You’re Wearing

What have cocktails and trainers got in common? At first glance, not much. When I think of cocktails, I think of suave suited men and women in long slinky frocks—backless, cut to the thigh. I think James Bond and martinis, shaken not stirred. I think of sophistication, sipping, and whispered flirtations at the bar.

When I think of trainers, the picture changes drastically. I'm thinking of Run DMC, hi-tops, rappers, and Grime. Of Liam Gallagher swaggering in Adidas Gazelles. Of shouty kids throwing things and then legging it before they get caught.

Cocktails and trainers are essentially a class war in my head.

Of course, that's not to say that cocktails can't also mean a lurid pink hen weekend on Blackpool promenade in February, nor that trainers can't be something high-end and desirable—collectable, even. In fact, that was more the vibe The Drop Date, a company who curate special releases, limited editions, and rare finds from the trainer world, had in mind when they collaborated with the French craft vodka Sauvelle to make trainer-themed cocktails.

"The idea was to link classic trainers from different eras with classic cocktails," explains Sauvelle's Chris Amey, "but to add a sneaky twist to the drink that captures the spirit of that shoe."

Think "classic cocktails" and you're instantly in martini, white Russian, and Bloody Mary territory—all of which made the cut. Think "classic trainers" and it's Nike Air Max 90 Neon, Reebok Workouts, and Adidas Gazelles.

"We wanted to keep it simple," says Ryan Barr, founder of The Drop Date, "so we went with shoes that are instantly recognisable, to match up with instantly recognisable cocktails."

I'm still struggling to bring together kicks and spirits in my imagination, so Amey gets behind the bar and starts to show me.

"Take the Air Max 90 Neon," he says, pouring vodka into a glass over ice. "It's one of the most versatile trainers ever made. It comes in every colour, different fabrics, and so on. You can have it made up how you want it. It's the same with a martini. Some like it wet, some like it dry. It's your choice."

He hands me a vodka martini, slightly wet, just how I like it.

"It's an iconic drink and it needed to be paired with an iconic shoe. The 90 Neon is that."

I'll not lie, I did kind of expect something neon-coloured and a bit showy, rather than this crisp martini. But maybe that just shows my ignorance about both the world of trainers and the subtleties of mixology, so I bite my tongue. Perhaps these aren't ostentatious trainers, and so an understated drink is the way to go.

The other cocktail pairings do seem to have a more obvious connection. Nike's Air Safari gets paired with an espresso martini, made with Kenyan coffee beans and Amarula cream from South Africa, replacing the usual Kahlua.

"Espresso martinis and Nike Safaris are pretty much from the same era, the 1970s, so that was our starting point for bringing them together," says Amey. "Then we added twists like the Amarula to make it more appropriate to the trainer."

A burnt orange, winterised version of Reebok Workouts gets paired with a Dark and Rainy, a twist on a Moscow Mule using ginger beer.

"It's a trainer synonymous with Britain and customised to survive in our notoriously wet weather, so we made a drink that was a cheeky nod to that," Amey explains.

With Adidas Gazelles, they created a Bloody Mary, "because Gazelles kick and a Bloody Mary should give you a kick in the pants," according to Amey. In with the vodka is a smoky whisky, sweet Thai chili, and a rim of salt and chili flakes. It actually is a kick in the pants, a drink I'm sure the Gallagher brothers would get along with nicely.

"Gazelle meat is often smoked," he explains. "It's a delicacy so it's cured and you get that smoke flavour in the meat. We also discovered that one of the rarer Adidas Gazelles is bright red, so it made sense to pair it with a Bloody Mary, and give it a smoky edge."

It's clever stuff, thoughtfully put together so the drink tells a story not just of the shoe, but maybe of something beyond the shoe.

Still, I can't quite get past the martini/Nike Air Max 90 combo. I ask Barr if you can tell something about a person by the trainers that they wear.

"You can become judgemental," he confesses. "Each trainer has an association. We're not snobs, but … "

As a complete trainer fan there are some trainers he wouldn't be seen wearing with certain trackies or jeans.

"You don't want to be disrespectful though, because if someone feels good in what they're wearing, then that's what's cool. Not whether I think it's cool or not. Still you can tell something about somebody by what they're wearing on their feet."

So, the Air Max 90, I query, who wears those?

"It's your rude boy, isn't it?" Barr says, straight off the bat. "That's what makes it such a great shoe. There's been a huge resurgence in people wearing them because of Grime. It's like people have taken the 'chav' thing so far that it's gone past that and back to cool again. It's a statement."

Rude boys and martinis aren't an obvious combo. I'm trying to picture Daniel Craig sauntering up to the bar in a pair of Air Max 90s and the image escapes me.

But perhaps that's where there's more of an affinity between the kicks on your feet and the glass in your hand. Because when you're ordering a drink at the bar you should have what you like, not what you think people expect you to have because you look a certain way.

And just because you're wearing a particular pair of trainers, doesn't mean you should be excluded from enjoying a swanky cocktail in a classy establishment.

Trainer aficionados and cocktail lovers have this in common—they won't judge you on what you're wearing or what you're drinking, because what matters is the passion and self-expression behind your choice.

"People who like trainers have all trainers," says Amey, "so I can't judge what they're going to want to drink just based on their shoes. There are other ways I can normally guess by looking at them but I don't need to see their trainers."

But if it's not the shoes that are the giveaway, then how? I wonder.

Turns out it's very simple.

"If someone likes a boozy drink when they sit down the first thing is they look at the menu. People who like lighter drinks sit and chat."

So, next time you're turned away for wearing the wrong footwear, bear this in mind: that bar's almost certainly missed the point. Shoes are for wearing and feeling great in, and drinks are for sharing great times with your mates. Neither were made for posturing and neither can really capture who you truly are.