Message 24270 of 39188 in General Discussion

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> never heard of mapo mapo myself.
> 
> That cocktail won a competition?, yet it appears to have no balance. 
> 35ml of combined syrups, and a liqueur?
> 
> Damn me and my balancing of flavours fetish.

Yeah I think you're a bit unbalanced in your quest for balance. :P

The goal of a drink contest isn't to create a drink that an appreciating 
bartender can enjoy. It's to create a cocktail that can be sold massively to 
people and promote the product being highlighted. In this case, a sweet 
tropical drink with a rum kick.

I love a good balanced flavor myself, but that doesn't always have to be the 
case. Sometimes I want a simple dry cocktail that highlights the spirit, 
othertimes I want something smooth, easy and a bit sweet.

One of the original purposes of cocktails was to take bitter herbs and 
medicinals infused in alcohol and make them more palatable. During Prohibition 
the idea was often to conceal the alcohol and make the often porly distilled 
home brews easier to swallow.

Only serious bartenders see alcohol as the actual goal of enjoying a good 
cocktail, which they should as it is your job and your life. For many 
cocktails are NOT their life, simply a means to meet people, enhance a meal, 
or even get a little bent. To each their own.

The goal of a good bartender is to serve the customer to the best extent in 
whatever the situation. If you can add a balance to the cocktail and make it 
more enjoyable, all the better.

-NBX

-- 
“I had never tasted anything so cool and clean. They made me feel civilized.” 
-Ernest Hemingway, of a Martini