Our Approach
Mumbo Jumbo About How We Approach Cocktails
At The Spiffy Dapper, we try to go to the elemental basics of each drink and build up our drinks from the philosophies and ratios that we derive. Our work on cocktails is based on three core theories formulated by Abhishek C George, the founder and idiot-in-charge.
Each theory has its own page. Read them in any order. They build on each other but stand alone.
The Theory of Balance →
Balance is the synchronised stimulation of the basic flavour profiles in a concentration that does not overpower the taste receptors.
The five basic flavours (sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami) and how we get them to fire together. Why your tongue likes what it likes. Why concentration matters as much as ratio.
The Theory of the Cocktail →
A cocktail must have at least three parts. A base spirit, a balancer, and a lengthener. A cocktail can have two additional parts. The modifier and the stabiliser.
A working definition of what a cocktail actually is. What the five parts do. What is not a cocktail, and why pretending otherwise broke the category.
The Theory on the Process of Art →
The process of art is the interpretation of a phenomenon through reflection and transference.
The one that gets eye-rolled. The one that tells us why we’re doing any of this in the first place. The difference between executing a recipe and making something.
These theories and corresponding equations lay the foundation for how we approach cocktails. From here, we do flavour studies with the use of mind maps and use these as the foundation for when we create and execute drinks.