A bit of foodie drinking

Ever thought of cheese in your cocktail? Or the fact that dates could elevate the taste of your drink?

When it comes to unlikely combinations for cocktails, it is important to look at the base flavour of a particular ingredient and pair it with another ingredient that elevates it. As difficult and technical as this may sound, it’s actually quite simple; you need not look any further than your own dining experiences.

One of my personal favourite cocktails is a beetroot-infused gin cocktail with goat cheese foam. Here’s a hint: a really easy way to shake up a creative cocktail is to look at what ingredients pair well well together in a food dish.

A beet and goat cheese cocktail might sound outlandish, but I’m sure you’ve enjoyed the same ingredient combination at some of your favourite restaurants as solid food. For example, a beetroot risotto with creamed goat cheese, or even a goat cheese soufflé with a beet ice cream. This signature partnership of flavour bodes very well on your palate, because the tart and stinging goat cheese is the perfect complement to the sweetness of the beetroot.

You might think to yourself that cheese is a rather strange ingredient to add to a cocktail. But if you really think about it — what really is cheese? It’s basically milk that has been coagulated with lemon juice, vinegar and some citric acid. When you bring cheese to its original liquid form, it becomes really easy to pair it with different ingredients.  

For fun and wholesome cocktails, you can also draw inspiration from a lot of home-baked desserts like carrot cakes.  This combination would work beautifully, as the earthy flavour of the carrots, which is lifted by spices in the cake, is intensified with a splash of rum.

While creating a cocktail, it is very important to keep the mood in mind, as you’re not only mixing up ingredients but are setting the ambience of the drink. Every time you sip a pinacolada, the fresh coconut, pineapple and rum flavours transport your senses to a tropical paradise.

Another rather easy way to come up with inventive cocktails is to look at foods that pair well with alcohol such as hors d’oeuvres, bar nuts. The logic behind this is very simple: if it pairs well with an alcohol, it with usually pair well in it too.

Blue Cheese-stuffed dates are very popular bar bites, as they have the flavour trifecta — salty, sweet and savoury.  While these are great to snack on with a glass of wine, the same flavour profile would work wonderfully when blended and strained as a martini.

Shraddha Bhansali is the founder and MD of Candy and Green