Simon M. Eder opened Bitterbar at Margaretenplatz in Vienna's 5th district, replacing Café Romeo, which had operated as a neighborhood pub for more than 40 years. ^[1] As of the article's publication, Bitterbar is in soft opening, open only in the evenings, and plans to serve coffee, snacks, and Roman pizza slices during the day once the team is settled. ^[2] Simon M. Eder said Bitterbar deliberately does not serve Aperol, focusing instead on vermouth and smaller Austrian producers, and asks how aperitivo could look Austrian. ^[3] Simon M. Eder said he focuses on vermouth because he learned the vermouth culture in Barcelona and believes vermouth could be a very Austrian drink given Austria's wine, herbs, and producers. ^[4] The author listed five recommended canned cocktails with prices and ABVs: Whitebox Cosmo (£5, 100ml, 16.8% ABV), Reina Mezcalita (£4.99, 200ml, 10% ABV), M&S Served Mojito (£3.35, 250ml, 8% ABV), Aperol Spritz To Go (£3, 250ml, 5% ABV), and Moth Mango Margarita (£4.15, 125ml, 14.9% ABV). ^[5] The author recommended Reina Mezcalita as the favorite of the tasting, describing it as a smoky mezcal with zippy lime soda, priced at £4.99 for 200ml at 10% ABV. ^[6] The author stated that in 2024 Britain had the worst rate of child alcohol consumption in the world, and argued that premix cocktails are disproportionately marketed to young drinkers as 'gateway booze.' ^[7] The author, writing a first-person tasting of canned premix cocktails, found that most have sugary, synthetic fruit flavors that mask or eliminate the taste of the base spirits, citing Absolut passionfruit martini and Malibu piña colada as examples. ^[8]