The Intoxicologist

The Molecular DNA of Classic Cocktails seminar at Tales of the Cocktail 09 sold out early and was standing room only.  Jacob Briars and Sebastian Reaburn shocked and surprised attendees with balloons and thumbtacks and one request; one person hold the balloon and the other pop it.  The big surprise is the balloons contained a twofold lesson.  Each balloon contained a small amount of absinthe.  The gag was to spray a bit on blogger electronic equipment spread about the tables, but to also get the point across on how the palate is jolted or reset by flavor.

A few points covered:

·         Tasting does not occur on the palate.  It occurs in the brain.  Tasting is associated with memories; good or bad. 

·         Bloody Mary is the most popular cocktail in the world, but there is no such thing as a standard Bloody Mary recipe.  It’s as diverse as our taste buds are diverse.

·         Vanilla is one of the most prevalent flavors across the globe.

·         Sweet is the first flavor we fall in love with from birth.

·         Salty we learn to appreciate.

·         Bitter comes later as we associate it with something along the line of poison possibly.

·         Coffee beans do not reset your palate.  They do nothing but give us the lovely smell of coffee.

·         Strong flavors hinder your ability to distinguish more subtle flavors. 

Bloody Mary – as per Jacob Briars verbal description

2 parts 42Below Vodka

5 parts tomato juice

Lemon juice

Cayenne pepper

Salted

Cherry Heering for a touch of sweetness

Olive brine

This particular Bloody Mary was rolled rather than shaken.  According to Jacob, a shaken Bloody Mary is too aerated and therefore disgusting!

·         Tales of the Cocktail on Twitter: @totc

·         The Intoxicologist on Twitter: @intoxicologist

·         New Orleans serves up Cognac Summit recipe during Tales of the Cocktail ‘09

·         Seven steps to tasting spirits with Paul Pacult

Copyright 2009 Cheri Loughlin – The Intoxicologist – All Rights Reserved