Less isn't always more

In the past, it’s fair to say we’ve been obsessed with ‘single this or that’ drinks. It’s been a plight to convince ourselves that if we can pin something down to one thing - to one ingredient or one type of origin then it translates as ‘better’ somehow. But it doesn’t. Really, what we have been seeking is a degree of honesty and sincerity (from manufacturers, drinks makers and everyone) because, well, the 80s and 90s were largely about convenience.

Now, in our national re-education about ingredients – in our learnings about origin, traceability and provenance - the big marketing people have played the ‘perceivable product’ trump card. But we don’t have to be played. We’re waking up from all of this. We’re seeking blends, because we’re reminded that this all started because we care about what we drink.

We want excitement in drinks too. It doesn’t all have to be flat and virtuous. It just needs to taste amazing. Life is just too short for anything else.

There is an art to combining ingredients. Let’s not forget that winemakers and whisky distillers have been blending drinks for years. They have become masters in balancing flavour to create an end result that shines brighter than the singularity of just one base ingredient. Mixologists live this as a mantra on a daily basis.

The rewards for us all, on both sides of the bar, will be that because it is becoming more broadly recognised that blending styles and flavours is a preferable enhancement, we’re blessed with something more satisfying and a damn sight more enticing in our glasses.

Cheers to that.

Less isn’t always more.