Bitcoin continues to integrate itself into a wide array of industries and spaces where people likely thought it would never make an appearance. For example, Chotto Matte – a global restaurant group that boasts locations in top-ranking spots like Miami, Toronto, and London – is debuting a new cocktail this month that can only be purchased with bitcoin. The company is also pulling back the curtain on a new line of million-dollar non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Chotto Matte Releases a New Bitcoin-Themed Drink
The drink – called 10/31 – will debut during Miami NFT week between April 1 and 3 and the Miami Bitcoin Conference between April 6 and 9. The drink costs about fifty dollars at the time of writing and will only be sold for about six days: between April 6 and 10. The cocktails’ name is a nod to the date in 2008 when Satoshi Nakamoto – the famed (and anonymous) creator of the world’s number one digital currency by market cap – published the whitepaper for his famed asset.
Gabor Fodor – a global bar manager with Chotto Matte – explained in an interview:
I was trying to figure out how to represent the evolution of money towards crypto and getting it into a drink.
The cocktail is composed of Japanese whisky, cognac, black sugar, and bitters. A $50 bill is then clipped to the side of the glass and the alcohol is set on fire. When the paper burns away, a bitcoin is left in its stead. Customers should note that the company is not burning real money, but rather flash paper that does not affect the taste of the drink (nobody would just set $50 on fire like that).
Fodor says:
There are a few aspects to this. You get to burn money which many people would love to do. That bill turns into bitcoin. Is that like the evolution of money? Is it something like burning money to get bitcoin? This presentation is something that hopefully you haven’t seen before. It fits in with the whole bitcoin conference. It’s storytelling in a drink.
The move by Chotto Matte is also moving bitcoin and crypto closer to its initial goals. These assets were first designed to be payment methods that could push checks, credit cards, and fiat aside, but this has been a slow journey given their volatility.
Will This Trend Last?
Fodor says:
We implemented a point-of-sale system just for this week. We are considering if it works well and seamlessly. Then we might consider keeping it on for regular service. One of our next openings is San Francisco, which is an area where it’s very common to pay with crypto. It’s something we are heavily considering having there, and then we will see if there is a need, and if there are people who want to pay with crypto, then why not.