About This Project

Creating a balanced cocktail – Part 1

After a very busy year at Bar40 with countless cocktails being built for various trade shows and events, something that became very apparent to us because  of the lineups at our booths was the appreciation and desire of a well balanced cocktail. Creating custom cocktails for these events always tends to spark the question – “How do you come up with these cocktails and how do you get them to taste so good?” the answer? We use Bar40 Bitters as a tool to create this desired balance as they focus on flavour perception as its basis for use, instead of just being ingredient focused.
When Jamie recently stumbled upon MAD Beer, a line of beers in Denmark with a similar concept to Bar40; basing their beer flavours off of the 5 gustatory perceptions (sweet, salt, sour, umami, and bitter).  It was only natural that we had to collaborate to create beer cocktails with their amazing beers. When we finally got the beers in ours hands, we embarked on the task of building a cocktail with a complex yet balanced flavour profile by focusing on the fundamentals of taste perception – Sweet, Salty, Sour, Umami, and Bitter.

We started with the sweet MAD Beer, or Sød in Danish. The beer was a porter with noticeable notes of brown sugar. Being a porter there was also a nice mix of umami flavours present creating that familiar balance of sweet and umami which has worked so well in cocktails such as the Bar40 Manhattan.  For curiosities sake we decided to add Bar40 Bitters to the beer and see which flavour perceptions could be increased by the addition of our bitters. Adding Bar40 Umami Bitters expanded on the already present umami flavours in the beer and overpowered the sweetness creating a very savoury beer. Moreover,  adding Bar40 Sweet Bitters gave a perceived sweetness which inherently lightened the taste of a heavy porter. With our tasting notes in mind we decided to pair the Sød beer with a cocktail of similar flavours: a Toronto – the earthy flavours from the whiskey, paired with the ultra complex and bitter herbal notes of Fernet Branca would couple nicely with a touch of sweetness found in the Sød beer. We built the cocktail sans bitters to begin with, as we would use our bitters later on to balance out the flavours. Rye whiskey and Fernet Branca were added to the mixing glass along with a coconut simple syrup as we noted that an added sweetness would help to lighten the heaviness of the beer while thickening the texture of the cocktail. The Sød beer was then added and the cocktail was stirred over ice and strained, after the first sip it was apparent that there was one flavour blatantly missing. The cocktail was flat, meaning the flavours we were aiming for were all present but they were being muddled so the complexity could not be perceived. We agreed that a sour note was the missing component, after rebuilding the cocktail with the addition of Bar40 Sour Bitters the change in flavours was like day and night. The sour bitters gave the cocktail a refreshing facelift, creating a balance of sweetness from the beer and coconut simple syrup, umami from the rye whiskey and beer, bitterness from the Fernet Branca and Bar40 Bitters, and last but not least the touch of sour from the Bar40 Sour Bitters. With the addition of sour bitters, what began as a flat cocktail blossomed into a cocktail that was not only complex in flavours but so refreshing that it left us wanting more, and that my friends, is the beauty of a well balanced cocktail.

Brewed Toronto cocktail

2oz Rye Whiskey

1/4oz Fernet Branca

3/4oz Coconut Simple Syrup

3oz MAD Sød Beer

2 Pinches Bar40 Sour Bitters

Stir over ice and strain

After a quick photoshoot and a couple cocktails to our creativity we moved on to the Salt MAD Beer. Upon tasting the beer it was clear that there was a salt component present which really distinguished itself from any beer I’ve tasted before, being a light beer the addition of salt made it very hard to stop drinking. Similar to the Sød Beer there was also a strong complementary flavour, in this case the beer was a wild Ale containing Brettanomyces; a wild strain of yeast typically found in Lambic or Gueuze style Belgian Ales. Normally this strain of yeast would be considered a contaminant in beers but when used properly it adds a light sour note making for a refreshing beverage, clearly the folks at MAD know a thing or two about balancing flavours. After tasting the beer, the balance of salt and sour had us thinking of one particular classic cocktail – The Margarita. Typically a Bar40 Margarita has Bar40 Salt bitters in it to add the salt component without rimming the glass with salt (this saves the cocktail from being unpalatable as a salt rim ruins your tongue just before you get to taste your cocktail). Using the Salt MAD Beer for this cocktail we decided to build this cocktail from the ground up being mindful of the five gustatory senses. We began with a reposado tequila, this helped to add Umami notes which would heighten the perceived saltiness and in turn highlight the Salt MAD Beer. We then added Cointreau and lime juice for sweet and sour notes, and the salt beer for salt and sour notes of course. The result was an overly sweet cocktail, we then added Bar40 Sour Bitters to help balance the sweetness but instead the sour notes were muddled with the Salt beer creating an overly salty cocktail. To cut out some of the sweetness we made another batch and this time cut the Cointreau in half, and doubled the salt beer. Before adding any bitters we tasted the cocktail, we were close to a desirable final product but by cutting the Cointreau in half the margarita lacked some sweetness. This is the perfect time to add Bar40 Sweet Bitters, in doing so we were able to enhance the sweetness of the cocktail while adding complexity, without making the cocktail too sweet with the syrupy consistency of Cointreau. Just like that a light and refreshing take on the classic margarita which hit all 5 gustatory senses was born (see recipe below).

MAD Margarita

1oz Reposado Tequila (or any earthy flavoured tequila)

1/2 oz Cointreau

1/2 oz Lime Juice

4oz MAD Salt Beer

3 Pinches Bar40 Sweet Bitters

Stir over ice and strain

Having done much iteration we decided to call it a day and reconvene to make cocktails with the rest of the MAD Beer line at a later date. I hope this inside look of the Bar40 Team designing cocktails inspires you to create cocktails of your own. Being mindful of taste perception and the gustatory senses you will begin to identify how flavours can play off each other and change our perceptions. Whether it be beer cocktails or the classics, Bar40 Bitters are there as a tool, developing complex flavours and creating balance, leaving you with a cocktail that your friends and family will be willing to wait in line for. Reimagine your cocktail and imbibe beautifully!
Our friends at MAD beer are pretty awesome!  Check out this chef/brewrey powerhouse collaboration at www.madbeer.dk