The Cocktail Lovers Magazine Issue 44

ISSUE 44

NOW AVAILABLE

How sound affects your drink

ByThe Cocktail Lovers

SHARE

Image: Dreamstime

Did you know that there is a scientific way to match music to the flavours of drinks? Professor Charles Spence from the Crossmodal Research Laboratory, University of Oxford tunes in to tell us more

“The world of cocktails is so much fun, in part, because people are more willing to be playful and to be surprised by the contents of a cocktail glass than they are by the food on a plate. Just think, for example, of the incongruent colouring of the orange-flavoured cocktail ingredient, blue Curaçao. In fact, it’s surprising that it’s taken molecular mixologists as long as it has to follow in the path of the molecular gastronomists, in terms of their enthusiasm for innovation and their desire to deconstruct and then to recreate dishes/drinks in wholly new ways. But from the evidence that I have seen recently, the mixologists are catching up fast.

The prof tunes into a cocktail at 69 Colebrooke Row

Here at the Crossmodal Research Laboratory, based at Oxford University’s Department of Experimental Psychology, we are currently particularly interested in studying the ways in which what a drinker or diner hears can change their behaviour toward, not to mention perception of, food and drink. We work extensively with Condiment Junkie, a London-based sonic design/branding agency. While previously, we collaborated on ‘The Sound of the Sea’ seafood dish served at Heston Blumenthal’s Michelin-starred The Fat Duck restaurant in Bray, we have now started to turn our attention to the design of soundscapes to bring out the taste/flavour of cocktails.

One hears anecdotally that listening to loud German techno music brings out the alcohol in a drink. While German techno might not be everyone’s preferred soundtrack to accompany a particular cocktail, we have recently demonstrated that there is actually a scientific way to match music and soundscapes to the tastes and flavours of drinks such as wine, coffee, and beer. For although it might sound bizarre, it turns out that most people will match sweetness in a beverage, and red fruit flavours (e.g., raspberry, strawberry) with high-pitched notes, and if you ask them to pick an instrument, more likely than not they will choose the sound of a piano. By contrast, most people associate the bitter tastes of coffee and dark chocolate with low-pitched and brassy notes. Knowing this, one can start to choose particular pieces of music, or, if you happen to be Condiment Junkie, create specific soundscapes to ‘synaesthetically’ match one or other of the competing tastes or flavours in a cocktail. Indeed, this is precisely what we did at a recent masterclass at 69 Colebrooke Row.”

Taken from issue 6 of The Cocktail Lovers Magazine. To read the full feature, sign in here.

 

The Cocktail Lovers

The Cocktail Lovers

The Cocktail Lovers are Mr G and Ms S, a man and a woman who share a passion for cocktails. (We also happen to be married, so we’re cocktail lovers in more ways than one…)

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

Be the first to hear the latest news, get sneaky peeks inside upcoming issues of The Cocktail Lovers magazine, receive special offers and lots more. (And we promise we won’t share your details with anyone else).

To get the latest copy of our gorgeous print magazine just click on the cover!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

THE MAGAZINE

The Cocktail Lovers magazine is packed with features, fashion, food, travel, interviews, news, recipes – all written from a cocktail lover’s perspective. Published four times a year, take your pick from the luxurious print edition or get your fix in the page-turning digital format – either way, it couldn’t be easier to start a subscription or order back issues. And why keep all the cocktail goodness to yourself? Share the love by setting up a gift subscription. We ship pretty much everywhere in the world, so we’ve got you covered. Start your subscription today!

The Cocktail Lovers Magazine Issue 44
The Cocktail Lovers Magazine Issue 43 Cover
The Cocktail Lovers Magazine Issue 41
The Cocktail Lovers Magazine Issue 44
The Cocktail Lovers Magazine Issue 44

JOIN us!

Join us at The Cocktail Lovers and be the first to hear the latest news, get our new magazine and receive specials offers. (And we don’t share your details with anyone else.)