Salt has long been used in the culinary world yet using salt in cocktails is a relatively newer application used to amplify flavours in cocktails.
Salt as an ingredient in cocktails can have many applications beyond the salt-rimmed Margarita or the flavoured salt in a Bloody Mary. It can bind flavours together, brighten citrus notes, subdue bitterness, amplify sweetness or simply make a cocktail pop.
Adding salt to cocktails as a modifier is not too dissimilar from using bitters albeit without the bittering agent. A small amount can alter the balance of a drink.
How to Use Salt in Cocktails
The simplest way to use salt in cocktails is to add a pinch of sea salt to the drink. Alternatively, to avoid salt sticking to wet fingers, a saline solution can be prepared and added to a dropper bottle for ease of use, or used to fill a spray atomiser. The saline solution can be sprayed over the drink or on the side of the glass.
Cocktails with Salt as Ingredient
The following cocktails use salt as an ingredient for different effects. The Saltini cocktail by Joe Worthington has a pinch of sea salt as an ingredient. In his Berocca-Loma cocktail, Venue Manager Brett Harris uses a salt and vinegar saline spray to highlights the grapefruit and berry notes. The Olive Oil Washed Martini has 3 drops of saline as an ingredient while a saline spray on Born on the Baijiu cocktail brightens the funky flavours of the baijiu.
How to Make Saline Solution
Ingredients
- 20 g sea salt
- 80 ml warm water
Equipment You Need
- glass jar
- dropper bottle or spray bottle
Method
To make the saline solution, add 20g of sea salt to 80ml of warm water and stir until the solution is clear. Allow to cool then transfer to a dropper bottle or a spray bottle.
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