Hey, the following might help as a workaround, if anyone else is waiting for this feature.
In Ai CS6, you can do the same Alt+drag technique using either the "fill" or "stroke" box in the Gradient Palette (instead of an actual swatch from the Swatch Palette). This way, you don't have to create a new swatch for the altered gradient before Alt+dragging it onto the old swatch. Only saves a few keystrokes or mouse clicks, but they do add up.
(BTW: I second the request that gradient swatches be made global.)
Hey, the following might help as a workaround, if anyone else is waiting for this feature.
In Ai CS6, you can do the same Alt+drag technique using either the "fill" or "stroke" box in the Gradient Palette (instead of an actual swatch from the Swatch Palette). This way, you don't have to create a new swatch for the altered gradient before Alt+dragging it onto the old swatch. Only saves a few keystrokes or mouse clicks, but they do add up.
(BTW: I second the request that gradient swatches be made global.)