TIPS AND ADVICE
At the Bar Tips
Herbs and Your Cocktail
Herbs are used every day in kitchens around the world, but many people don't know that they also play a big role in the spirits industry because many classic types of liquor are infused with herbs, roots, flowers, barks, etc.
There are thousands of herbs with different aromas, textures and tastes, and they vary greatly as they adapt to their environments and evolve to become unique to their region. Terroir is a big factor in how we develop our taste for herbs, spices and fruits just as it makes all the difference when producing a great Tequila like Partida.
Understanding herbs and their unique qualities is very important as they can balance the final product, or throw it completely off. There are many different ways of extracting flavors from herbs such as muddling, pureeing, boiling, infusing or bruising. We can use these methods when creating cocktails, but we want to keep in mind the strength, flavor and aroma of the herb. For instance, if we want a strong flavor with more bitterness, we muddle the herbs to extract the oils and scents. This works best for mint. If we want to dilute the flavor of the herb, we can puree it which will remove most of the oils, flavor, color, aroma and complexity leaving only a slight bitterness. Bruising is great if you are just trying to give a hint of that herbal scent or to help enhance certain flavors to make it a bit more complex.
By using any of these methods, you can achieve many different levels of flavor and aroma, depending on how much of the herb you are using. Herbs are very versatile and we have to keep this in mind when using them in a cocktail.
Salud, Jacques
