Sweet plus umami equals swavoury cocktails

Umami, often referred to as the ‘fifth taste’, is a savoury flavour profile that has long been associated with foods such as aged cheeses, mushrooms, tomatoes and fermented or meaty products.

While umami has been extensively explored in the culinary world, it is now making waves in the beverage industry. And although it is an exciting and innovative way to enhance depth and complexity in beverages, umami flavours can also be their undoing. These are my tips and tricks for using umami the right way to boost flavour and texture.

One of my favourite things about using umami is the wonderful harmony it can create between sweet and salty to create something tantalising on the palate with a huge depth of flavour. My biggest tip is to start off with very small amounts. A little goes a very long way when working with flavours like this, and you can always add more but you can’t take away. Umami is used best as a body builder for flavour rather than the main attraction.

Another tip is also don’t rule out any flavour pairings, as you never know how the flavours will change when combine,  steering the drink into different territories. Experiment with any interesting pairings, using flavours such as mushroom stocks or salted caramel, and don’t give up if the first iteration doesn’t work. 

Miso is an umami flavour that is used in many bars around the world, and I feel it is the best example of umami used in a drink. By turning a very simple miso stock into a cordial you can create a range of different cocktails with an umami twist – it adds depth and backbone without adding excessive saltiness.

One of the best applications is to counteract bitterness in a drink, as that salty-sweet profile can lift it into something elegant and smooth. To give you an example, try using umami flavours in a negroni to see how it lifts and mellows out the bitterness.

Whether through seaweed-infused cocktails, mushroom bitters or fermented teas, the savoury depth of umami is enhancing beverages in unexpected and delightful ways. The umami wave is only just beginning.

Daniel Garnell is the head bartender at Seed Library in Shoreditch, London

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