What is the first thing that comes to your mind when talking about salt in cocktails? Margarita? Bloody Mary? And what if we say that salt can complement almost every cocktail by elevating its mouthfeel and body? Find out more about how to use salt in cocktails.
Salt can mute bitter flavors in cocktails and deepen sweet and savor
Salt complements not just food ingredients but liquid ones as well. Maybe a pinch of salt is not your reach for ingredient when making Gin & Tonic, Daiquiri, or Gin Sour but this can be the thing that makes all the difference and elevates the flavor of the cocktail.
There are 5 basic tastes our palates can identify: bitter, sour, salt, sweet, and umami. You can play with the balance of these tastes and highlight one flavor while muting the other one. Salt, for example, can enhance the sweetness of the drink and soften the bitterness.
Salt plays just great with any drinks containing fresh fruits, vegetables, coffee, and chocolate. It perfectly balances the cocktails with shrubs or vinegar as salty and savory elements work beautifully together.
Salt also works great with sparkles! Add it to the cocktail topped up with sparkling wine to enhance its dryness and sharpness. When mixed with soda water, salt can reduce the intense CO2 flavor.
Be not afraid, adding salt into a cocktail doesn't necessarily make it salty. Salt is used mainly to boost the flavors and you won't even catch its taste in the drink.
Salt is like an invisible superhero of the cocktail world: you can't feel that it is in your drink, but you will definitely spot the difference if it is not there.
How to use salt in cocktails?
So, next time you decide to make a cocktail at home, try to add salt to it and see how the flavors evolve. There are two ways to salt your cocktails: add the salt before shaking or make a saline solution.
Add a pinch of salt to the cocktail and then shake it well
Just a pinch of salt in a citrusy cocktail will make a great difference. Salt will balance the sour aromas creating a perfectly balanced composition. You can start with unflavored sea salt and then experiment with flavored expressions discovering new tastes and aromas.
Add a few drops of saline solution
Saline solution is a simple mix of salt and water and it is often used in rum cocktails, works great with tequila, red bitters, liqueurs, and citruses. Any cocktail that includes fruit, coffee, or chocolate benefits from a drop or two of saline solution.
Saline solution recipe:
Mix 20 grams of salt and 80ml of water. Then shake up until the solution is clear. Pour the liquid into the glass dropper and store it in a cool, dry place.