THE HEADY MIX OF SCIENCE

Launched this month, a new dictionary aims to tell older folk what younger folk are talking about, in their own words. Rents are parents, Owned means embarrassed, and Butters is ugly, for example.

Perhaps there should also be a dictionary about the steady change in job definitions. Take care when you next call for the Barman. He may be a Mixologist.

Dustmen have become refuse collectors; chemists pharmacists; a banker was once someone who dug trenches for drainage. Such are the changes that reflect the living nature of English and the ups and downs of society. Whether the new bankers are a step up from the old ones is a moot point, but it shows how the language is constantly evolving.

So how do barmen become mixologists? As actor Maureen Lipmann once said in a TV advertisement, ‘an ology means you’re a scientist!’. And this new breed of elite bar staff do indeed need a little scientific know-how if a recent cocktail tasting presentation is anything to go by.

Where once the average English barman might have been expected to master a gin and tonic with ice  or a whisky mac of Scotch and ginger wine with some dexterity, he must now embrace the ever-growing popularity of cocktails. And while the required mix of liquids may be supplied, the application of herbs and spices needs some understanding of their characteristics to avoid disastrous clashes.

And so the modern breed of cocktail makers deserve the elevated title of mixologist. There are star mixologists and prize-winning mixologists, and drinks companies have master mixologists to promote the cocktail qualities of their beverages. They not only know which drinks to mix with which but which and how much of a spice or a herb to add to the final concoctions. A pinch of this, a rub of that, just a mere sniff of something else, and voilà, a triumph – or a disaster, if there isn’t the knowledge of how taste qualities may alter and develop in the glass.

One of the stars of the circuit is Zoran Peric. With an encyclopaedic knowledge of drinks and what will go with what, he is indeed a master of the science of mixology. He was performing – and that is the right word for it as he maintains that “theatricality in presenting cocktails is becoming more and more important” – at a recent cocktail fest in London, hosted by Cellar Trends.

“The size and growth of cocktails has been seriously underestimated,” said Terry Barker of Cellar Trends. “Cocktails are now asked for and served in pubs up and down the land where previously they would have been thought too sophisticated.”

So Mojitos, Cosmopolitans and Pina Coladas are replacing wine and beer, finds the Cellar Trends survey - though perhaps not in the more conservative hostelries on the average high street.  Restaurants have been slower to take them up, which is curious given that they would seem suitable as aperitifs or after dinner.

A key distributor of spirits, liqueurs and wines, Cellar Trends staged this event not only to show off the dexterity of a number of cocktail mixologists but to launch their recent findings on the growth and growth of the cocktail cult.

Zoran wowed the audience with his cocktail mixes of Tequila and a variety of ingredients, and lead the field in being the only one to shake not just one but two shakers at the same time. Steve Dingley of Finest Call Cocktail Mixes illustrated the answer to every bartenders prayer, readymade cocktail mixes. These also provide the means of making up a mean cocktail at home.

Sampling these intoxicating creations that were made from 10.30 in the morning required a dedication to duty that was not found wanting. Cocktails are very nice. No wonder their popularity continues to grow.

A knock-on effect of this steady rise in  cocktail consumption is the increased demand for the spirits, liqueurs and bitters that go into the drinks, with an expected rise of 50% over the next five years.

Increasing demand for  the use of vintage and premium spirits is also forecast, as cocktail drinkers become more sophisticated in their taste; bitter flavours are on the rise; and there is more use of herbs, spices and sours, as well as low calorie ingredients.

The readymade mixes are undoubtedly fuelling the growth in cocktail drinking and in taking cocktails at home. Instead of trying to emulate a master mixologist while guests wait patiently for a drink, the savvy host can opt instead for a handy mix from the supermarket, add the spirits, and maybe briefly use a shaker for theatrical effect, then pour and garnish.

With such sophistication, perhaps dressing for dinner will take on again.

At top, the classic Cosmopolitan, easy using 100ml Finest Call Cosmopolitan Mix with 50ml Vodka, shake with ice, strain into glass and garnish. Shaking the Williams Pea Snap cocktail created by Chase Distillery for London Fashion Week - see recipe on chasecocktails.tumblr.com. The green vision at bottom is the result. Whisky is catching up on the cocktail circuit, with Auchestoshan particularly favoured. www.cellartrends.co.uk