bar.mix.master

Ummm, isn't that a Perfect Manhattan?

Excellent!!! Thanks JAZ. I see your point on the Manhattan... If not Umami, how would you classify it? Bitter/Sweet? And I know that many cocktails have some components of of bitter and salty, but why is it that sweet and sour seems to win out? Is it that sweet and sour are more preferred in general?

Yes as pointed out to me by ThinkingBartender (elsewhere)... Negroni Americano are good bitter examples. Any others? Salty? Umami? Does Manhattan fit Umani?

I've been doing research on flavor recently and know that there are 5 recognized flavors: Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Salty, and Umami. Why is it that cocktails, unlike food, only seem to take advantage of two flavors... sweet and sour? I can name a ton of sweet drinks, I can name a ton of sour drinks, but I am having a hard time naming Bitter, Salty or Umami cocktails. Coffee, beer, and wine are some good non-cocktail examples and I think a Martini fits the bitter bill. I can also think of one I would consider Umami, the Manhattan. As for salty the only example I can think of is a salt rimmed Margarita. There are also a ton of balanced drinks between the flavors... a Gin and Tonic is a good example of a Bitter (quinine and juniper) and Sweet (sugar) mix. And I think a Dirty Martini is a good Bitter/Salty combo. Are these 3 flavors ignored in the cocktail world? Or am I just not thinking straight after my nightly beverage? Thoughts? Examples of Bitter, Salty, Umami? I won't even get into other taste sensations right now like: Temperature, Spiciness, Coolness, Astringency, Fat, and Tingly Numbness. -Brad www.barmixmaster.com

Very true... So ratios do matter if the difference is big enough. But where do you draw that line? I would guess the only way to tell is by sampling each to see if it they truely have different primary flavors. However, a drink can have a different primary flavor by just changing the mix of sweet and sour components, but does that make it a different drink?

This is a question that I know doesn't have a clear cut answer, but here it goes anyway. How much does a recipe have to change to constitute the need for a new name? This has sparked many a debates like the Gimlet (please don’t let this thread go there) and I have a side project that I’m working on that I need to come up with a decent set of rules for this. Here is what I have so far, a drink needs a new name if any of the following are true: 1. The base liquor changes 2. An ingredient is changed to something that is not a substitute (meaning substituting Cointreau for Triple Sec is okay) The following do not require a name change: 1. The garnish changes 2. The ratios of ingredients change 3. The type of glassware changes 4. The mixing instructions are different (on rocks vs up, etc…) 5. An ingredient is replaced with a close substitute I started thinking about this the other night when my wife asked me for something new to drink. She likes very tart drinks (lots of lime) and she said she wanted it in an old-fashioned glass. So I mixed up 2 parts vodka, 2 parts lime juice, 1 part simple syrup into an old-fashioned on the rocks. I tried to think what this drink was called because it is fairly simple and I’m sure it has a name. Then I realized I basically made a tart vodka daiquiri on the rocks. But with all those modifiers it seems like it needs a new name. Any thoughts?

Wow... Athens, Greece Hotel Grand Bretagne: Alexander's Average Cost Of Martini: $1.53

Good article in Forbes... http://www.forbes.com/2005/07/13/hotelbars...714feat_ls.html I'm not sure how long the link will work. Wouldn't you hate to be the poor guy/gal that had to research that story.

Finding you favorite brand of liquor can be a difficult choice and doing a liquor tasting can help you determine your top choices. From the research that I have done so far liquor tasting is similar to wine tasting minus a couple of things. When I do liquor tasting here is what I do: I do a tasting of no more than three different brands of spirit at any one time. Pour about 1.5 oz in a snifter or red wine glass making sure to know which brand is in which glass. If possible get someone else to pour the liquor and keep track of which is which so you won't be biased by the brand name. Next I look at the liquid in the glass to see if there is a noticeable difference in color. The color can indicate how much the spirit was aged or modified after distillation. Then you pick up one of the glasses and examine the aroma of the spirit. Stick you nose into the glass but do not sniff from you nose. You could be overwhelmed by the smell. Instead, take a normal breath through you mouth. The aroma will enter your nose in the correct proportion. Next, taste the liquor. Don't swallow it right away, but let it wash over your tongue to let it hit all of your taste buds. Repeat for the remaining spirits. Choose the liquor that you like the best don't let anyone else's opinion, price, or marketing get in the way of enjoying the brand you enjoy most. I would love any feedback for this "how to..." If anyone has something to add or some additional things to look for during the tasting I would appreciate it. Thanks See you at the Tales of the Cocktail

About three years ago I bought a new home that had a bar built-in. So I figured I better learn all about it so I can serve my guest properly. This is when I got really serious about it. Growing up my family was not too keen on cocktails or alcohol in general. I on the other hand have always found the oddly shaped glasses and the whole mixing of ingredients intriguing. I have always loved putting things together to make something new and exciting. I am a Software Engineering Manager by day which is where I spend my time improving processes through the use of technology. I have a team of Software Engineers, a Project Manager, a Technical Writer and Support Programmers. My team and I build complex projects to make something new and exciting for our users. There is a great thrill that I get when we deliver a product that exceeds the customer's needs for a project. Cocktailing is the same for me. When I make a great cocktail for a guest in my home and they love it, I get that same thrill. I never cared for beer very much, so when I turned 21, I wasn't into the bar scene. Then one day in college I had a Rum & Cola and I liked it, however I knew there was more than Rum & Cola. From that day I started experimenting with a variety of drinks. Being that I graduated from the University of Mississippi and the unofficial drink was bourbon with the motto of: "Put it in a cup!" I grew to love bourbon very quickly. My favorite drink is a Maker's Mark Manhattan, straight up. I still have a lot to learn and I am enjoying my learning adventure tremendously. Cheers!!

I only put the cherry in for my guest. I really don't like them too much. I will occasionally put a small drop of the cherry juice in the drink. I'll have to try the cherry soaking. It sounds interesting. I guess that was the real point of this post. The garnish in most cases is truely an ingredient. Many times it is left out or the wrong garnish is used, but the aroma that comes from the garnish can truly change the way the cocktail tastes. Try a Martini with a lemon twist and then an orange twist and taste the difference.

Garnish is sometimes overlooked in cocktails but I feel it is very important to the overall cocktail experience. The five senses are: Sight, smell, taste, feel, sound Cocktails extenuate the senses. The taste is obvious. Two of the five senses are influenced by the garnish. The garnish has a lot to do with the wonderfully presented cocktail in front of the guest. A spiral, a horse head, etc... really make for a special presentation. Not only that, but the garnish provides a very large part of the smell of the cocktail. As the guest takes a sip of the cocktail their nose is pushed in and is consumed by the smell of the garnish itself. Because smell and taste are so closely related the garnish of the drink is extremely important. So, if it takes you a little longer to garnish that drink... remember that the garnish is actually two of the three senses that you are affecting. Cheers!!!

Profound maybe not... I just thought it was an intresting anology.

First... let me introduce myself. I am a simple home bar enthusiasts, 30 years old, and a software engineering manager in New Orleans LA. Someone recently told me that chicken is like vodka. Both are blank slates and depending on what you put with it, will determine how good the finished product is. I thought that was rather profound and I had to share it here. If you think about the parallels between the two it is very true. I'm not much of a cook or chicken expert, but it seems to make sense to me. Vodka is tasteless, oderless and excepts the flavor of whatever it is combined with very well. Chicken is... well not tasteless or orderless but I think it excepts the flavor of whatever it is combined with very well. You rarely if ever just eat chicken... plain. The same goes with vodka. Just thought I would share...