4 Hit Combo

Now this is the second (or first if you don’t count the intro) in the series on booze and cocktails. This short one is about combinations of flavours that work and ones that don’t. Now I know that taste is a subjective thing so some people may disagree with me on what works and what doesn’t but this is what I have generally found.

In the last post I mentioned that you should stick like with like. This is a sure way to make things tasty but might not give the most diverse or interesting tastes. So don’t be afraid  to try mixing two of your favourite flavours together, its your drink and you make how you want it. Back to sticking like with like, when you do mix two similar tastes together try to aim for some that either mutually co-operate or what I call follow on flavours. Dark rum and coke is an example of a follow on flavour, the sweetness and distinct coke flavour hit you first but then as the coke tastes rolls into its characteristic caramel taste then the sweet mollassesy caramel flavour of the rum picks up from there. So although you taste the flavours together their prominence lies at different times during the drinking. One flavour follows the first. I’m sure you got it from the ‘follow on flavour’ bit but I just wanted to make it clear.

As for mutually co-operating flavours thats a bit harder to define as everybody’s palate is different, but think along the lines of lemon and lime, two strong citrus flavours that develop at the same rate on the tongue. Starting sharp then branching, lemon going on to be the fresh, bittersweet flavour and lime turning to a more floral, green taste. In this sort of drink combo the flavours are developing at the same time and the prominence of both is more or less the same.

Now you may be wondering about the obscure title, well thats another rule I use, I think that you should aim to have 4 distinct flavours that either co-op or follow on or some mix of the two. Why four, well I think any less is too little and doesnt allow for more complex cocktails, any more and it can get a bit overwhelming as flavours compete with each other.

That isn’t to say that cocktails and mixes with more or less ingredients can’t be delicious, I mean one of my faves is a Brown Hen and that has two. It’s just a general rule like anything related to taste. Be your own master when it comes to drinks, pick what you like, make what you want and don’t let others tell you its wrong.

Now I realise I haven’t actually given you folks any actual flavour combos, that’s because of the subjectivity of taste and because there are simply too many good combos. So get out there and start experimenting.

In the next post in the series I will walk through some cocktails that, in my opinion foolishly, fall on one side of the gender divide or another. Yes its a boys vs girls style post, but without the competition. Manly and girly drinks and what your order at the bar can say about you.