Having to know the technicalities of combining and balancing the flavours is the most vital skill any food and drink connoisseur would expect from the chef or the mixology expert bartender. Blending the spices and ingredients to present something presentable is something which you acquire outside your training environment. A prolonged life of practice with a great duration of the experience can only fetch you nothing but the unmatched perfection in your culinary or the mixology skill. Balancing flavours is like chiselling your brain with the tools of creativity which carves a niche for yourself in your respective industries.
Cocktails offer a world of exciting flavor combinations and can help elevate the atmosphere in a pub or bar. Mastering the art of creating perfectly balanced drinks involves understanding the five basic taste profiles: salt, sweet, sour, spicy, and bitter. With knowledge of these flavors and the right pub stocktakers to maintain inventory, bartenders can create innovative and delicious cocktails that cater to a wide variety of taste preferences. Experimenting with different flavors and combinations can help attract customers and create memorable experiences at your establishment.
Just like making a right kind of a 3-course meal that includes a starter, main course and a dessert, building a cocktail also contains certain fundamentals that must be followed in a strict way to achieve the desired blend of a drink. But how will you understand which flavour would outshine and which one would be the second-fiddle that supports the core ingredient? What is that which gets out the flavours in the right way which gives surprises to the tongue and goose-bumps to your skin? What is core and what is complimentary in a cocktail?
Galaxy Training Australia – A fruitful place for the wishful prospective bar professionals, is the making a wave in the RSA Australia. GTA provides rigorous and legit training in RSA [Responsible Service of Alcohol] certification and RSA refresher courses for the upcoming ambitious bartenders and bar staff who dream big with their small eyes with a spark. GTA now explains the varied nuances of the flavour and the flavour profiles that would help a bartender to mix a perfect glass of magic that will not just be called a drink but a mood-elevating miracle. Here is an insight as to how the great cocktails are made by playing with different flavours that kindle your senses:
A drink can be broadly divided under the five categories based on their basic taste profile:
- Salt
- Sweet
- Sour
- Spicy
- Bitter
SALT:
The trending “Umami” cocktails have the savoury element where salt is the protagonist. Salt is added in the cocktails also to enhance the sweetness and maintain equilibrium with the bitterness that comes with other ingredients. For the salty flavour kosher salt, sea salt, anchovy paste, hard cheeses, soy tomato juice can be used to build a tangy umami drink. Here are some of the most popular salty cocktails:
- Umami Martini
- Umami Elixir
- Vermouth Cocktail
SWEET:
Sugar or sweetness doesn’t just qualify to be added in a dessert. Sweetness is also used to create a subtle balance of sour, bitter and spice in a drink. Therefore while mixing certain cocktails with a strong flavour of a different taste, adding some sweet element can bring out the surprise factor which can make your drink a blockbuster hit. Honey, Maple syrup, jams, fruit extracts are some of the classic favourites. Here are some best of the best sweet cocktails:
- Piña colada
- Old fashioned
- Cosmopolitan
SOUR:
A chef ends a dish with a dash of lemon. Likewise, many cocktails are incomplete without a slice of lime as a grand garnishing in them. The tanginess tries to emphasize the saltiness in the drink and lightens up the mood by brightening up the flavour of the drink. A hint of sour makes you wink, so does the drink which clicks well with the other flavours and the ingredients present in the cocktail. Lime, lemon, orange juice, apple cider, tomato juices etc are the classic must-haves at any bar within the reach of a bartender. Here are the favourite sour cocktails:
- Whiskey Sour
- Midori Sour
- Cherry Sour Cocktail
SPICY:
Wasabi, hot sauces, jalapeños, chilli pepper, horseradish, and habaneros are some of the oh-so-hot ingredients which will make your cry with hotness and happiness. As they say ‘Variety is the spice of life’, some spice in a while is good for a variation. Spices sometimes come in as a shocker when a sweet cocktail gives a hint of spiciness after a few moments of sipping into the cocktail. Here are some of the spicy superstar cocktails:
- Spicy Margarita
- Chilli Martini
- Spicy Tequila Sunrise
BITTER:
It’s a rarity when bitter is added in the food as it is not a usually welcome taste. It is either developed or acquired. Cocktails too undergo this dilemma of to be or not to be bitter. But then there are few drinks that are known for their beautiful bitter tinge that gives out a refreshing taste when blended with the other ingredients of a different taste. Elements like coffee, cocoa beans or powder, grapefruit juice, hops, orange bitters, apple bitters and lemon zest are some of the primarily used ingredients that enhance the taste for the bitter beverage lovers. Here are some options for you to try:
- Bourbon Old Fashioned
- Campari Cocktail
- Bitter Lemon Cooler
These were some of the best flavour enhancing elements that go on to make the best cocktails in town. The best cocktails are those which grab the public eye with its great presentation and become a talk-of-the-town with its enthralling taste and flavour. Keep exploring your tastebud’s cravings and set out on a tasting trek with your best party partner and discover dozens of more cool cocktails that are worth a special mention. Comment with your favourite flavour and a favourite cocktail.
Samara Robinson was born and raised in Canberra, Australia. She is a mother who loves cooking and binging over a book with a bowl of popcorn. Her love for language and colours has made her write on varied topics like from food to fashion, gardening to parenting and health to partying. She is a trained dancer and a singer with an acquired taste towards dramatics and tribal art forms. She now works for Australia’s leading RSA and RSG training company Galaxy Training Australia as a Creative Content Developer with her extensive experience in the field of Online Marketing.
