Its not a secret that both food and drinks are better enjoyed when they are visually pleasing. A cocktails appearance can draw you to it, make you need to know what it tastes like just by sitting there with attractive garnishes, glassware, color, the list in endless in the way it looks alone. Visual appearance is not the only parallel that cocktails have with art.
Yes, creating a great cocktail is art. There is a delicate craft to producing a cocktail that pleases numerous senses and makes a lasting impression on whoever drinks it. Much like art there is a lot behind the actual drink, history, tradition, procedure. With a little bit of effort, the origins of many cocktails can be found and when explained to the customer can actually help influence how the person feels about the drink.
Classic cocktails are all the rage now a days and I have a strong feeling its because of this. There are a lot of bartenders now a days that are relating what they know about the cocktail to the guests while they prepare them, or to get them to order one. Its hard not to create an appreciation for a drink after knowing some of these things much like a painting or a sculpture gains credibility once you understand the artist.
Something that is commonly overlooked by bartenders is explaining their art, or their cocktail. When you describe what flavors you should be expecting, why you chose certain brands of liquors for each cocktail, a guest can be mesmerized into liking a drink even before the first drop hits their lips. As long as you, the bartender, inform them how they will be enjoying the flavors and why they work together, most of the pressure is lifted off your shoulders before your customer takes his first sip.
This also goes a long with the preparation of your drink. There are a lot of people that order drinks according to how they are perceived when they order. (Most people who order a Grey Goose and Red Bull could never tell the difference between well and Grey Goose, they just want to be seen ordering Grey Goose.) The act of muddling in certain bars will create a flurry of orders for “whatever he’s having” without any knowledge at all of what the drink is. Just the visual act of making a drink and preparing something with that much effort will make some one feel special that it was prepared for them, meaning it will taste better to them. The same goes for other visually stimulating procedures like a flamed orange zest.
This is a necessary part of making cocktails that many bartenders overlook. Spirits on their own should be judged blindly, and next to one another to find their true value and quality. In all reality a cocktail is nothing more than a way to make alcohol more palatable, even if part of that method comes visually or mentally. If you don’t agree, watch this video about making a Mint Julep and tell me that it doesn’t sound better than any cocktail you have ever had.
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