Same Name, Different Drink — Why Your Favourite Cocktail Might Not Always Taste Right
Many times it so happens that one would place an order for a martini cocktail expecting a classic gin-based concoction but what would come to the table would be a drink with briny flavours complemented by the neutral notes of vodka. Evidently, several cocktails across different bartending cultures follow a different recipe and one would unexpectedly be met with a concoction which carries the same name, but has different flavour or spirit bases after all.
Cocktail cultures are then full of different interpretations, local tweaks, availability of ingredients and of course the bartender’s own creative applications. So, it becomes an interesting activity to look at a cocktail menu and decipher how a drink which is a universally known cocktail might be presented in different ways across different bartending spaces.
Read on below to know more about why two drinks with the same name might actually be different because of the bartender, the bar and even the country in which they are produced:
Regional Interpretations
One of the primary reasons two drinks which sound the same, might actually taste different is regional nuances. That is, every region carries its own cocktail culture which seeps into the recipe of a drink, no matter how classic or age-old it might be. As with the martini cocktail mentioned above, a similar case can be observed with the margarita too.
In Mexican bars, where this drink is said to have its origins, the margarita recipe involves bringing together lime, triple sec and about 30 ml tequila, but the same drink in American bars carries a slight twist such that it can be prepared with frozen blends or salt-rim twists. In some areas, ready-made margarita mixes are also easily available which involve adding very little of the original ingredients to the cocktail.
Bartender’s Creative Applications
Another aspect which brings about a change in the way cocktails shape themselves is the variations a bartender might introduce into each one based on their own creativity. For instance, drinks like the negroni or the martini cocktail can be concocted in several distinctive ways. Bartenders experiment with different infusions, bitters and vermouth ratios such that even the classic recipe tastes different across different bars.
Also Read: Make It With Tequila: Swap Vodka, Rum Or Gin In Classic Drinks With A Twist
Ingredient Availability
This is perhaps one of the more crucial elements which affects the taste of cocktails across different regions. Seasonal and regional availability of ingredients can dramatically shift the flavours of a cocktail. This means that in Havana where sharply flavoured fresh mint is available in abundance, a mojito concocted using this herb and raw sugar will definitely carry a fresher and starker flavour than the one concocted in tropical, humid climes of a bar in Mumbai that uses spearmint and white sugar. This brings about a subtle flavour shift where both cocktails are minty enough, albeit in different ways.
Serving Styles
If there was one characteristic which made the same cocktails appear different from one other, it would be the ways in which they are served. When recipes are identical, the presentation is what sets cocktails apart, lending them a regional flair. So, a whisky sour served in a coupé with a silky egg white foam instantly has a different effect than the same cocktail served in a rocks glass over ice. It is essentially the same drink, but each one carries a different vibe.
Recipes Through History
And then there is the evolution of recipes throughout mixology history which render the same cocktail a different taste, appearance and style. Many cocktails started out very differently than how they are recognised today. The old fashioned originally referred to any spirit-sugar-bitters combo, yet today it has become synonymous with a whisky-based cocktail. Although the drink carries the same name, its recipe has incidentally gone through a lot of historical evolution.
Drink Responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
