Australian bartenders are embracing the trend of incorporating miso paste into cocktails, describing it as a complex and underutilized ingredient with a deep umami flavor profile. This fermented soybean paste, commonly used in Japanese cuisine, is making its way into the cocktail scene at select bars in Sydney and Melbourne.
Jacob Wicks, bar manager at Palazzo Salato and Letra House, highlights miso’s ability to add layers of salty umami goodness to cocktails, making it a versatile tool for enhancing flavors. At Letra House, which focuses on Spanish cuisine, miso complements nutty and rich sherries, creating a unique and harmonious blend.
One of the establishments leading this miso-infused trend is Kahii in Sydney CBD, offering a Miso Disco cocktail created by Reizo Fortunata. By using white miso in a cold infusion process, Fortunata balances the nuttiness of miso with the floral notes of vermouth, resulting in a well-rounded and flavorful cocktail.
Denis Pisano, venue manager at Aster, emphasizes the meticulous process of incorporating miso into cocktails due to its thick texture and strong flavor profile. The bar’s Explore cocktail features miso sous vide with whiskey, honey Dutch carrot shrub, fresh lemon, and egg white, resulting in a savory and slightly salty drink with an earthy aftertaste.
James Irvine, group cocktail lead at Merivale, reveals a unique technique of creating miso caramel syrup by blending miso with caramel, offering a new dimension of flavor to cocktails. This method enhances the depth of miso flavor while ensuring a smooth and sediment-free texture.
Another popular method in crafting miso cocktails is fat washing, as explained by Hunter Gregory, bar manager at Maybe Sammy. By infusing miso and cocoa butter with gin, passionfruit, herbal liqueur, and other ingredients, miso adds a foundation for layering flavors and balancing sweetness in cocktails.
Alex Boon, bartender at Pearl Diver in Melbourne, points out that miso’s savory and funky characteristics complement sweeter flavors in cocktails. Despite its challenges in appearance, miso’s complexity and depth make it a valuable ingredient for creating unique and appealing drinks.
Bartenders are not only drawn to miso for its flavor-enhancing qualities but also for its conversational value, sparking curiosity among patrons. While opinions vary on the future of miso-infused cocktails, many believe that its popularity is on the rise, offering a new avenue for mixologists to explore umami-rich ingredients beyond traditional options.
As the trend of savory cocktails gains traction, miso stands out as a prime example of bars following kitchens in experimenting with innovative flavor profiles. With evolving consumer preferences and a growing interest in unique ingredients, miso-infused cocktails are poised to become a staple in the cocktail scene, enticing adventurous drinkers with their bold and distinct flavors.
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