If it’s neither Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Salty… it’s “Umami” – a loanword (so says Wikipedia) from the Japanese language, roughly translated as a “pleasant savoury taste” – the fifth human taste. We polled three people – which, we will have you know, is a random sampling of the office population, making it a valid research. The words returned were “cheese”, “soysauce”, and our favourite, “bloody mary” (the cocktail, of course). 

ALL CORRECT. 

There’s plenty on the world wide web on Umami’s importance in shaking up gastronomical adventures, some say it serves a vital evolutionary purpose, like fighting malnutrition. But here at Parched, we are concerned about the bigger picture; where is its place in drinks?   

By: DiffordsGuide 

Umami is a Japanese word that was coined in 1908 by a chemist at Tokyo University called Dr. Kikunae Ikeda.  

Its place in drinks 


When the western world was first exposed to umami in the form of sake it was thought that this was the only spirit to contain that fifth element. However, it’s now recognised that some tequilas and mezcals are characterised by umami. 

Yet, even if spirits don’t give that discernable umami taste, cocktails can still achieve the flavour from a range of umami-rich ingredients, more so now than ever as bartenders step into the kitchen and use fresh culinary ingredients. 

The Blood Mary is, of course, the classic umami drink which we have been enjoying for decades. The humble red tomato originated in South America, and today is one of the most widely produced fruit or vegetables on the planet with its umami taste appreciated all over the world. If you think of the other ingredients which are often used in aBloody Mary, such as Worcestershire sauce, made from tomatoes and other vegetables, they too have a base in umami flavours. 

At Umami Burger in Hollywood, California, the bar staff are known for grinding up umami rich foods to create a natural, house-made MSG which can be added to drinks for an extra umami kick. Still across the pond, cocktails have been made with an oyster-infused neutral grain spirit and a sweet potato infusion. Then there are everyday ingredients such as marmite, used by Kenichi Kakuta last year at Chrysan, in the City of London, for his Himitsu cocktail. 

Chatting with a chef about the intriguing ‘fifth element’ of taste, he first started to use vegetables to create an umami cocktail, but when that failed he turned to Vegemite, the Aussie version and rival to Marmite, which is essentially vegetable extract, and then to Marmite itself. Whilst trying not to fall into the age-old argument of which product is better, Marmite carries slightly more flavour than its antipodean relative. “In Japanese cooking we use carrot, seaweed and mushroom but these can’t really be used in cocktails,” says Kenichi. “With Marmite there was far more to play with.” 

The key to its use in this drink is that it is not in its base form, crudely slathered around the rim of the glass, say, but is shaken as part of the ingredient list. It doesn’t ‘shout’ Marmite so much as suggest its inclusion through texture, a creamy mouthfeel and the subtle whisper of Marmite at the very end of the finish. The key is creating an intrigue around the drink, not saying it’s a Marmite-flavoured drink through and through. 

In the end it comes down Marmite’s catch phrase – love it or hate it – but such is the curiosity it piques, even doubters are willing to give it a go. 



Full Article: here

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