The Science Behind Cocktails: How Mixing Ingredients Results In Classic Blends
Different techniques used to blend cocktails and mocktails broadly fall within the ambit of mixology which essentially refers to the practice of mixing drinks. Like most creative processes, mixology too has certain scientific principles attached to it which generally involve understanding how different compounds in cocktail ingredients interact with each other to produce maximum flavour.
The science behind cocktail-making involves an acute examination of the chemical profiles of every ingredient used to mix drinks, its composition and how it interacts with other elements when different methods like muddling, shaking or stirring are applied for blending.
Undoubtedly, mixing the right kind of ingredient pairings in the appropriate proportions goes a long way in crafting well-balanced drinks. Cocktails like the martini cocktail, mojitos, margaritas and gin and tonic are among those which have been experimented with and perfected over time, so much so that they have endured across decades as classic mixes.
Evidently, mixing ingredients well is a crucial technique that every bartending amateur ought to master.
Read on below to know more about some of the ways in which mixing ingredients can lead to the creation of rather memorable cocktail mixes:
Taste Integration And Flavour Balance
A key purpose behind mixing ingredients while crafting cocktails is integrating the different tastes of juices, cordials, liquors and mixers to arrive at a fine flavour balance.
Certain cocktails contain multiple elements which bring their own sweet, sour and tart taste into the shaker. If these ingredients are not mixed well with one another, they can result in cocktails that cannot lend a uniform flavour experience.
So, mixing ingredients by shaking, stirring or blending cocktails ensures that all of these elements come together in a well-balanced concoction constituting multiple tasting notes.
Accentuated Aromas
One of the major roles that shaking or stirring plays in cocktail-making is releasing the aromas of the garnishes and embellishments added to blends. When muddled mint is mixed into a mojito recipe, all its oils and aromas spread uniformly through the glass to give off a very sharp and distinct fragrance.
Spirits can also be infused with herbs like basil and sage or spices like cinnamon before being added to cocktails. Upon mixing them with ice by giving the drink a stir, the drink will become airier, making these fragrances ooze out of the blend.
Textural Accuracy
What brings complexity into cocktail mixtures is texture. A cocktail made by incorporating pulpy citrus juices with about 30 ml vodka and a maraschino cherry garnish has a slightly chewy texture which goes well with the acidity and tanginess of the blend and the sweetness of the garnish.
Such textural elements in a cocktail become more pronounced when the drink is mixed well. Textures can be built into drinks by making use of elements like egg whites in sour cocktails or coconut cream in tiki inspired drinks. Cocktails acquire a smooth quality and more density when they are mixed well enough to attain this textural accuracy.
Unexpected Pairings
Mixing ingredients properly also enables a bartending enthusiast dabbling in different flavour combinations to experiment with unexpected pairings.
For instance, mixing spicy jalapeños with pineapple juice and about 45 ml tequila has led to the creation of very popular cocktail blends that are a combination of sweet, spicy, sour and tart flavours.
When ingredients are mixed properly, they provide each other with enough flavour interaction so their properties come together in interesting couplings.
Precise Temperatures
Ice is often added to different cocktails for chilling them. Most often, some varieties like the highball cocktail are also built on a bed of ice to keep them cool. Others like the negroni or the pastis are also served with generous proportions of ice cubes to make them last longer.
As such, mixing drinks with ice can keep them cooler for more time without watering them down. An interesting hack in making unforgettable cocktail blends involves adding the right proportion of ice to blends to ensure their temperatures are precise enough to release maximum flavour.
Drink responsibly. This communication is for audiences above the age of 25.
