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What
Is A Cocktail Made Of?
The ingredients in a cocktail can be divided into three parts: basis, modifier, and flavoring agent.
The Basis
This is usually also the largest portion of the liquid in the drink. It is the ingredient that determines the type of the cocktail. The basis and the largest ingredient in a Whiskey Sour, for example, is whiskey; in a Gimlet, gin; and in a Daiquiri, rum. Of course two harmonious liquors may also constitute the basis of a drink. In rare cases three liquors equally form the basis of a cocktail.
The Modifier
The modifying agent is the second most important part of a mixed drink. This must not, however, be so dominant as to alter the type of cocktail it goes in! The whiskey cocktail should remain a whiskey cocktail and the gin cocktail a gin cocktail.
The modifier is the ingredient that combines with the basis liquor, and together with it determines the direction of the flavor of the cocktail. Lacking this ingredient, a drink is not a cocktail, but only shaken or stirred liquor. Modifiers are primarily spirits blended with wines, juices, water, or sodas.
The Flavoring Agent
This third element in the cocktail is the smallest in term of amount. Despite its small portion--often only a dash or two--it brings that certain something to the cocktail. It rounds it off and brings it to completion. This third ingredient often determines the color--from vibrant to delicate--and the flavor--from sweet to dry to bitter. Special caution is to be taken in using this ingredient; a little too much can ruin the cocktail.
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