Cumin Vs Other Indian Spices: Why It Is A Unique Ingredient In Cocktails
Indian kitchens are complete with a host of spices – from cloves and nutmeg to cardamom and cinnamon bark – that are used often in the creation of sweet and savoury dishes. As well, spices like star anise, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon find their way into mixology too, so that a variety of cocktails can be prepared by using them for blending drinks. One such ingredient, a kitchen staple in most Indian households, is cumin.
Carrying a pronounced earthiness, smoky flavours and umami tasting notes, cumin is used to build flavour into savoury foods. It is this robust flavour itself which builds complexity into simple cocktails that often turns mixologists towards cumin. Where some spices might be unsuitable for making diverse cocktails, cumin is an ingredient which stands out because it can be used in the preparation of versatile blends.
Read on below to know more about why cumin takes the lead among all Indian spices as an integral ingredient in blending cocktails:
Subtle Smokiness
One of the reasons cumin is preferred over other spices for adding flavour into cocktails is because of its subtle tasting notes. Cumin has a very light smokiness and earthy flavour which most often highlights the other flavours in a cocktail without making its own presence stand out. This is in contrast to other spices like clove, cinnamon or even black cardamom whose flavours become the primary tasting notes when added to cocktails containing fruity or herbal ingredients.
Balances Citrus And Sweet Flavours
For mixologists, flavour balance is one of the most critical elements in blending cocktails. Cumin is a spice which brings all the other ingredients together in a drink leading to this finely crafted balance. The subtle notes of cumin and its slight aroma goes well with sour and sweet flavours alike such that it blends well with the citrusy flavours of lime, grapefruit and kokum as well as the sweet notes of honey or maple syrup. Aromatic spices like cardamom or saffron may lack this quality and tend to overpower the citrus or sweet notes in a cocktail.
Simple Infusion Ingredient
An interesting element in mixology is flavour infusions. Many spirits like rum, vodka or tequila are often infused with different spices and florals to build their flavours into alcohol. Cumin is an ingredient whose flavour can be infused in the most straightforward way into spirits and mixers. The spice can be simply boiled in water to be infused into honey or turned into a fine powder for a spirit infusion without much fuss.
Builds Flavour In Savoury Cocktails
The steps to introduce cumin’s flavour into savoury cocktails involve different techniques, yet all of them can be utilised simply and effectively. From using cumin for smoked cocktails to using roasted cumin powder as a rim garnish for summertime drinks, the spice can be used in a variety of ways to build taste into cocktails carrying a slightly herbaceous and savoury flavour profile.
Versatile Spice For Blending With Spirits
One of the most significant reasons that cumin ranks high on a mixologist’s roster of ingredients is that it can be paired well with a number of spirits. While certain spices like cinnamon or cloves work best with spirits like brandy or whisky, cumin is an ingredient that can be incorporated as much into variations of a gin fizz made using 30 ml Tanqueray No. 10 Gin as into a spiced margarita cocktail made from 30 ml premium Don Julio Blanco Tequila. The toasted flavour of this spice blends well with versatile spirits making it a favourite among mixologists for crafting cocktails.
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