Six Ways Garnishes Enhance Olfactory And Taste Experience Of A Cocktail
Everytime you look up the ingredient list on a cocktail recipe card, you will find a garnish column which talks about how you can adorn the drink. Oftentimes with a topping of rosemary or basil or lime or orange peel. However, a garnish is not simply an aesthetic addition to a cocktail—although some brightly coloured garnishes work wonders in making a drink pop – but it also has a direct impact on the overall taste and aroma of the mix. This means that a garnish has a role to play in enhancing the olfactory and taste experiences of a cocktail, making this element one of the most interesting aspects of cocktail craft.
Mixologists often swear by excellent garnishes and with good reason because sometimes a garnish can be the difference between a good cocktail and an average one. A simple mix like an old fashioned acquires a whole new layer or depth of flavour when it is garnished with a thick orange peel. The citrusy notes and bitterness of the fruit thus plays a role in enhancing the taste experience of the cocktail along with introducing an appealing aroma that arrests a connoisseur.
Read on below to know more about how garnishes can affect our olfactory and taste experiences while drinking cocktails:
Shapes A Cocktail
Sometimes, a garnish plays a vital role in bringing all the different ingredients in a cocktail together. This means the garnish frames a drink by providing it with context and a sensory experience that is otherwise unavailable until you actually taste the cocktail. A garnish makes the cocktail look appealing and readies you for the taste experience to follow. When you take a mojito closer to your lips, for instance, the minty aromas waft towards you first before you take the first sip of the drink. And when you taste the mint with the rum and lime mix, its freshness enables you to bring the whole cocktail together.
Enhances Depth In Flavour
Just as an orange peel in an old fashioned cocktail, there are several other garnishes like a rosemary sprig in a gin and tonic which introduce depth and complexity into a simple drink. So, a garnish is crucial for adding a bit of a complex flavour to the spirit and mixer. This enhances your overall experience of the cocktail because the layered drink offers a fuller taste experience and the aroma of herbal or floral garnishes increases the appeal of the drink.
Pleasing Olfactory Sensations
The psychology of aroma is as crucial in mixology as it is in any other culinary art. The olfactory sensations experienced after smelling a floral, herbal or fruit garnish not only make the drink more pleasing and seductive but also associate that drink with the memory of sipping on the cocktail. A garnish then can have far reaching effects on a connoisseur because every time they sip on a highball with a lime garnish, for instance, they will be transported to a memory of having once enjoyed that cocktail.
Contrasting Flavours
Sometimes, garnishes also help to introduce contrasting flavours in a cocktail. Adding some cinnamon powder or a cinnamon stick to a particularly sweet and syrupy cocktail often introduces elements of spiciness and warmth that are absent from the main cocktail. This brings together contrasting flavours for a decadent finish.
Inviting Scents
When you are celebrating a special moment or want to enjoy a romantic evening with your partner, cocktail garnishes can become appealing and inviting scents. A rose petal garnish on a vodka and cranberry cocktail is as visually pleasing as it is appealing for your sense of smell. The simple cocktail becomes very alluring with the addition of this garnish.
Textural Delight
Along with pleasing olfactory sensations, garnishes also introduce an elevated textural element to the drink. Be it the crispiness of an apple slice or the slightly tangy notes of a pineapple wedge, there is a tantalising element involved in the making of the drink that thoroughly refreshes your palate.
