Ordering this type of booze before dinner will ruin your meal: experts
Think before you drink.Lapping up hard liquor before sitting down to enjoy a meal could destroy the dinner, one expert asserts.
“The more you drink, the more you dull your senses,” Alex Ring, the Michelin Guide Chicago 2023 sommelier award winner and wine director at Chicago restaurants Sepia and Proxi, told HuffPost.Hard alcohol — including vodka, whiskey, rum, bourbon and scotch that have a high alcohol content of around 40% to 50% alcohol by volume (ABV) — can dull the senses even quicker than other alcoholic bevies.
“Because it blocks the proteins needed to create saliva in your mouth, hard liquor can dehydrate the cell walls of your palate,” Cody Bridges, a restaurant operations manager and resort sommelier at Massanutten Resort in Virginia, explained.This can alter how your tastebuds savor every flavor.
Experts also noted that drinks with high ABV content can shrink your appetite while those lower in alcohol can boost it allowing you to add a few extra items to enjoy on your plate.But sipping on a high-ABV cocktail like a Martini or Manhattan while you peruse the menu can also impact what you order off the wine list.
“This temporary numbing effect can reduce your ability to discern the intricate flavors and aromas in the wine you have later at dinner,” Sam Favata, a beverage director for Olamaie in Austin, Texas, warned.“Strong spirits can alter your perception of acidity and sweetness in wine, leading to a less balanced tasting experience.” Cocktail connoisseurs also warned against starting your meal with sugary swallows.
“Strongly flavored cocktails, or those made with sweet cocktail mixers, can overwhelm your palate and make it difficult to appreciate the flavor of your meal later on,” Mari Coyle, the vice president of winemaking at the company Foley Family Wines and a winemaker at Chateau St.Jean in California, said.
If all of this information is making you feel tipsy, simply tell your sommelier or server what you’ve had to...