How To Mix Liquor And Spirit Flavors To Create New Cocktail Recipes
There are literally dozens of cocktail recipes the world over. The most fun you could have traveling abroad is requesting a cocktail you have never heard of before. You could also create your own cocktail recipes at home, and introduce them to bar tenders and bar keeps wherever you roam. Here are a few tips and tricks to combining liquor and spirit flavors to create a palatable and desirable drink.
Fruity Liquor and Liqueurs
There are fruit-flavored liquors and fruity liqueurs. The former includes malt beverages and various hard liquors that have been treated to natural and artificial flavorings to produce an initially sweet or sour taste, followed by that slow, warming burn of they whiskey, bourbon, or other hard liquor in the bottle. Liqueurs on the other hand are extracted and fermented syrupy drinks that have been diluted into the aperitifs commonly consumed before or after a meal.
Generally, anything of a citrus flavor can be combined with another citrus flavor and still produce a palatable drink. Cherry-flavored liqueurs and liquors tend to taste good with just about anything, while berry-flavored liquors and liqueurs should be used sparingly. One such example is blackberry brandy, which does not mix well with much else besides soda, tonic water and other berry-flavored drinks.
Chocolate, Vanilla, Spices and Mint
Chocolate-flavored spirits tend to go with just about anything, even vodka. Vanilla is a little trickier, since it does not dominate as much and only sweetens a drink. Spiced spirits, such as spiced rum, are not for everyone's palate because they can be really overpowering and should be used sparingly. Mint spirits are very popular because they cleanse the palate, settle the stomach and give your breath a better smell than beer or wine. Chocolate, mint, and vanilla spirits go very well together and with fruity liquors and liqueurs like cherry and orange. Spiced spirits are often consumed in colas, ginger ales and with orange or apple liquor or liqueurs.
Experimentation
A large part of creating a new cocktail recipe is experimentation. Nobody thought the mojito would catch on because it combined mint with lime, a very unusual flavor combination, but look how fast that took off. You will have to spend a lot of money and time drinking and mixing in your kitchen to get something new and fabulous, but you will also have to be unafraid of testing your recipes on friends. Then test the recipes on a few strangers, and finally give the recipe to a bar tender and order a round for the bar to see how many people like the drink. That will help you gauge whether or not your new cocktail is really a hit and whether or not your hours of experimentation have paid off.
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