How many cocktails are out there on the market? Thousands of different cocktail recipes, each of which has dozens of variations. How to choose the cocktail right for you, then?
You can narrow down the field taking into account when you are going to drink, enjoying a pre or after dinner cocktail. If the alcohol content is your main concern instead, you need to know that going from long, medium to short drinks, the alcoholic percentage increases.
Personally I do not like to follow classic rules. I suggest you to get to know your tastes first, then to try to be imaginative and choose your drink according to your fantasy or mood.
Imagine being able to hear the rhythms of a hot night in Rio de Janeiro, along an endless stretch of white sand washed by a sea whose waves seem to dance samba… Can’t your imagination help you prepare a caipirinha? Do you feel like being as much adventurous as James Bond chased by soviet agents in “The Spy Who Loved Me”? Then you may order a vodka martini saying “shaken, not stirred”. If you plan to give a theme to your drinking session, or to unleash a special feeling in those who will taste your drinks you have plenty of choice.
A matter of personal choice
The game of associations has no limits. Once I met an Italian lawyer with a passion for surfing and drinks whose personal selection criteria involved music. He told me: “it’s now time to taste a rhum, almonds and dark chocolate listening to “Into The Wild” movie soundtrack, Eddie Vedder” , “I am going to sip a Bellini on the notes of Even Flow of Pearls Jam”, “You should definitely drink a Tio Pepe while Paco de Lucia plays a great flamenco”. Things like this. Music as a liquid continuation of notes, one essential ingredient more.
Music/drink can be a tricky pairing, a matter of personal choice. If you need some kind of inspiration there are many websites addressing the topic. Among the many online contributions it worths mentioning Drinkify, a website helping you when you know what music to listen to but a dilemma is troubling you: “What should I drink?”. The idea is not original but intriguing. You may get stuck wondering what kind of criteria links a red bull to Justin Bieber or why a spiced rhum pairs well with Metallica’s songs.
I tried it typing Jingle Bells and surprisingly I found myself happy with the answer: my Jingle Bells song matched a Woodford Reserve based cocktail. A Bourbon, a whiskey made with corn, that is. A very special one: a small batch numbered bottle, something made in limited quantities by mixing the contents of a small number of valuable barrels. A great suggestion! Does it have something to do with Jingle Bells, though?
Quality is the first step to the right drink
Whatever the answer is, this Christmas cocktail deserves my appreciation to Drinkify (if you do not like coffee try a different version, Mint Julep). Wood, flowers, nuts, and notes of sweet citrus peel coming up from this special bourbon can drag you in the Christmas atmosphere. However I will not encourage you to “drinkify” your cocktails but to focus to your imagination instead. To vigorously stir all the ingredients with creativity!
Don’t you know where to start and your imagination is running dry? Do not give up. First, do not choose a cocktail just because others tell you so (obviously, everyone has different tastes). Second, stick to one key point: the selection of quality ingredients.
Preparing a cocktail is like preparing a dish, just like a pizza made with poor ingredients doesn’t taste good, a cocktail mixed with cheap alcohol may disgust your palate. You’re going to spend a few cents per drink more, but you will end up achieving better results. Still wondering how to choose the right drink? If there is no such a evocative music to inspire you, just pick up a few initial ingredients, the good ones: quality is the first step to the right drink for you.
