Have you tried it?

These combinations please the palate

Two friends at the bar: She talks about her trip to Malaysia. "What did you have for dinner?" - is the first question he asks her. It is no coincidence that we identify with our own culture not only by our clothes, language, music, etc., but also by what and how we eat and drink and when.

Two friends at the bar: She talks about her trip to Malaysia. "What did you have for dinner?" - is the first question he asks her. It is no coincidence that we identify with our own culture not only through our clothes, language, music, etc., but also mainly through what and how we eat and drink. When you travel, you always get to know a foreign culture through the local cuisine - conversely, you want to give visitors from overseas fondue, raclette and rösti to try.

But to get to know a foreign cuisine and exotic ingredients, a walk to the nearest Vietnamese restaurant, Indian restaurant - or even the spice shop around the corner is theoretically enough. Today, we have an incredibly large selection of products at our disposal and certain exotic ingredients such as turmeric, curry or lemongrass are already used so naturally that they have long ceased to be considered "exotic". Ingredients from all parts of the world allow for limitless taste experiences through clever combinations. Now it is up to us bartenders to offer our guests new experiences with the aim of conjuring up a "WOW effect" in their faces. Michelin-starred cuisine and many top bars around the world have been working with flavour combinations for a long time, and with just a few tools, anyone can play along.

What do we mean by taste?

flavour-combinations-counter-tip-guenther-strobl-illustration

Taste is a complex and pleasurable experience. It is mainly composed of the sense of taste in the mouth as well as the sense of smell in the nose. The most important sense in this context is the sense of smell. It takes over 80 percent of our sense of taste. This used to be essential for survival, as the smell warned people of food that could not be eaten. With our nose, we can distinguish between several thousand aromas. Try it yourself with pureed apples, onions and potatoes. Hold your nose, close your eyes and taste - you will notice that everything tastes identical, only when you open your nose again will you notice the difference.

People can distinguish five different tastes with their mouths: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami. Umami (savoury) describes a rounded, mouth-filling taste that is created by ingredients such as mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, tomatoes or beef. Flavour enhancers such as sodium glutamate have the same effect. Another role in taste perception is played by haptic impressions such as freshness, sharpness or texture. It is also influenced by other factors and senses such as sight, hearing and touch. When we see a lemon, for example, we automatically associate it with the taste of "acid". Therefore, also think about how you want to present your drinks. For example, a cocktail served in a previously smoked treasure chest gives the guest a different impression and a new experience. Ideally, the drink should have a good portion of rum, exotic fruits or something else that could be associated with a treasure chest...

Describing taste and putting it into words

Spirit connoisseurs or sommeliers are people who train their sense of taste every day. This enables them to classify tastes and describe them "better" than others. If you have problems describing flavours, it is best to practise with colleagues at work by exchanging ideas and spontaneously describing what comes to mind. Everyone has different experiences and the more often tastings are conducted, the easier it becomes.

For combining ingredients
But which ingredients can be combined particularly well? On the one hand, there are the famous classics from the kitchen or the bar. We are talking about...

... Banana and chocolate
... Basil and gin
... Cucumber and pepper
... Tomato and mozarella

Move away from these combinations and take risks. Every bar-savvy guest now makes a Gin Basil Smash at home. Work with teas, spices, shrubs, fat wash, espumas, etc. There are countless possibilities to playfully work with textures, smells or colours. Here are some combinations that work great:

  • Strawberry and parmesan
  • Banana and parsley
  • Pineapple and blue cheese
  • Watermelon and salt
  • Mango and chilli

Every drink is ultimately about balance. This is achieved when you add the opposite flavour to an ingredient. On the subject of flavours and aromas, I highly recommend "foodpairing.com" and the book "The Encyclopedia of Flavour and Aroma Combinations" by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.

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