How does mixing different kinds of beers/liquors mask the taste of alcohol?
Some time ago, I was at a college party where my friend gave me some horrifying concoction of various liquors, and he asked me to try it. As I'd expected, it was absolutely foul- until he added a splash of beer. Naturally, I was skeptical...up until I tasted it. I couldn't taste ANY alcohol whatsoever, just some of the juice he'd used. And since then, I've had quite a few other mixed drinks where the taste of alcohol just disappears.
In general, what is happening (chemically, mechanically, any way) when you mix two different types of alcohol together? Are there any specific tricks to being able to make drinks like that?
Best Answer
According to the article Why People Hate Drinking, there is considerable variation in how people perceive the flavor of ethanol:
- Some find it is primarily sweet (non-tasters)
- Some find it bitter and sweet (average)
- Some find it overwhelmingly bitter (super tasters, as defined by sensitivity to tasting a specific compound, PROP or 6-n-propylthiouracil, as bitter)
Depending how people perceive alcohol, it may be easy to mask it, especially with strongly sweet flavors, or when there are other more apparent bitter flavors.
However, this is as much to do with the specific physiology of the taster as it is to do with the contents of the glass. The same drink tasted by different people may give differing experiences.
Beware the Long Island iced tea.
Pictures about "How does mixing different kinds of beers/liquors mask the taste of alcohol?"
What happens when you mix different types of alcohol?
Contrary to popular belief, simply mixing different types of alcohol is unlikely to make you sick\u2013drinking a beer and a gin and tonic will probably have the same effect on your body as sticking to one type of alcoholic beverage.Do different liquors make you different types of drunk?
The direct effects of alcohol are the same whether you drink wine, beer or spirits. There's no evidence that different types of alcohol cause different mood states.Why do different liquors affect you differently?
The thing is, none of this is probably true according to science. Researchers haven't found any meaningful difference between types of liquors, in terms of affecting mood. And if we do behave differently when we down a certain type of booze, it's mostly likely all in our heads.What is it called when you mix liquor and beer?
A boilermaker can refer to two types of beer cocktail. In American terminology, the drink consists of a glass of beer mixed with a shot of whiskey.Beer Before Liquor -- Beer Myth or Beer Fact?
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Gotta Be Worth It, Gotta Be Worth It, Dziana Hasanbekava, Polina Kovaleva