The Sour in the Sweet

One of the secrets to mixing a good cocktail is balance. The right amount of sweet, countered with the right amount of sour, stimulating the appropriate taste buds to create a pleasing mix of flavour.

My grandmother came out of her sitting room recently holding up a bottle and said, "What am I supposed to do with this?" It was a full bottle of Limoncello, one of the nicest liqueurs for assisting in this sweet vs. sour mixology; a lemony, slightly sour liqueur which I have found to be indispensable in martini mixing to counter the sweet content. While similar effect can be achieved with a splash of lemon juice, the Limoncello has a strong lemon flavour, with less of the bitterness of fresh lemon juice.

Take for example the following mix:

1 1/2 measures mango rum
1 1/2 measures Alizé Wild Passion liqueur
3 measures mango pineapple juice

Sounds almost sickly sweet doesn't it? So add to that a three quarter-measure of Limoncello and the sweetness subsides, the mango flavour comes through clear with a citrus finish. Truly brilliant stuff.

Until next time,

Drink With Care, Friends