Decoding The Starfruit: 5 Ways In Which Its Sweet-Tart Flavours Impact Mixology
Starfruit, shaped in a visually striking star just as its name suggests, is a subtly flavoured sweet and tart fruit that is sometimes used for making creative drinks. The light tasting notes of the fruit combined with its juicy and crisp texture make this an imaginative ingredient to add to different blends for the flavourful and structural balance it introduces into drinks.
The fruit carries a mildly sweet, honey-like taste when it ripens, that makes it a favourite as an afternoon snack with tea. Coupled with these sweet notes, one can also experience a light tartness in the fruit which blends well into its honeyed flavours to deliver a light yet flavoured complexity. The mild acidity of the fruit coupled with its distinct, grassy aroma also make it a suitable ingredient for adding to fruit salad and for mixing it with drinks to build into their fruity flavours.
Read on below to know more about some of the ways in which the sweet and tart, and sometimes even sour flavour notes of the starfruit impact mixology:
Mild Citrusy Note Lifts Heavier Spirits
Over time, mixologists have started incorporating star fruits in multiple ways in cocktail and mocktail craft. These are turned into infusions, used as garnishes or muddled directly into mixes. Starfruits contain a mildly citrusy flavour which pairs well with cocktails made with the addition of whisky. This is because the subtle acidity of the fruit helps to highlight the smokier and heavier notes of a whisky highball crafted using 30 ml Johnnie Walker Black Label or any other premium whisky of choice. It also becomes a crisp and fresh addition to different savoury gin and tonic preparations and certain summertime mocktails. 
Lightly Sweet Flavours
Another important role that the starfruit plays in mixology is that it introduces light and mild sweet notes into drinks. These flavours are subtle yet effective, especially in drinks which require a sweet touch without this becoming the central tasting note of the blend. Star fruits are then particularly interesting additions to drinks like a gin and tonic crafted out of 30 ml Tanqueray No. 10 Gin or any other premium gin of choice, infused with a selection of herbs like basil and thyme.
Pairing With Versatile Herbs
Evidently, star fruits are excellent pairings with herbs. Their mild yet crisp taste, coupled with tart flavour notes bring depth into a cocktail. When a star fruit is paired with an herb like basil, this becomes a combination of rich and aromatic flavours that build a lot of complexity into drink blends. Pairing the slightly tart starfruit with mint or lemongrass also produces an inventive mix of contrasting flavours that bring a lot of depth into drinks like a vodka and starfruit mint spritzer crafted using 30 ml Ketel One Premium Distilled Vodka or any other premium vodka of choice.
Aesthetic Garnishing Element
Star fruits have a very catchy shape and when they are peeled, they can be used as garnishes that adorn different tropical drinks. Sweet and tart star fruits can be put on top of a classic rum punch crafted using 30 ml Captain Morgan Dark Rum or any other premium rum of choice as well as other drinks like a piña colada or a watermelon basil smash, because their subtle flavours bring an altogether different flavourful element into drinks.
Subtle Infusion Ingredient
Another use for the starfruit in mixology is that it can work as a subtle infusion ingredient. This means, star fruits can be paired with spices like cardamom and herbs like mint to make liqueur infusions with subtle fruity hints. Tartness in the fruit combined with its subtle sweetness that accompanies other herbal ingredients and spices brings about a bright flavour mix that can be used to prepare different highballs, spritzers and summertime fizzy drinks.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
