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For a Better Cocktail, Reach for a Different Shaker
Salt, arguably the most important ingredient in the kitchen, is just as critical at the bar.
Often, the goal when making drinks at home is to, well, drink at home. It’s not to try a new technique, buy an obscure bottle you’ll use only a quarter ounce of, or wait 20-plus minutes for a cocktail — that’s what bars are for.
There is, however, one major lesson to be learned from the bar: You should be salting your cocktails.
Bartenders often add dashes of salt to cocktails for the same reason a pastry chef would never skip it in a chocolate cake batter. It just bolsters flavor.
The add is not meant to be enough to actually make a drink taste salty. Rather, “salt is a key ingredient when you’re trying to create something with depth,” said Dorothy Elizabeth, a bar manager at Mr Lyan, a bar group with locations in London, Amsterdam, and Washington. “Sodium ions block bitter flavors, emphasize sweetness, and create really nice depth and dimension.”
Most drinks benefit from a hit of salinity, but if you’re new to seasoning your cocktails, start by adding a pinch to a drink that leans bitter, such as a Negroni.
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