Post #676082 by TikiHardBop on Tue, Apr 30, 2013 10:00 AM

Tasting is extraordinarily subjective, for many reasons from genetics to tasting environment and personal experience -- even the kind of light in the room! We recently helped with the Hukilau drink competition by having a bunch of folks come over to my home bar The Storm Shelter. Of the 10 drinks we made that night, not a single drink was unanimously liked or disliked. Some had tons of likes and one or two dislikes. Even the drinks almost everybody hated had at least one person who liked it. Some had an even distribution of likes and dislikes.

Personally, I've found that I've developed my palate (and even use the word palate!), I've moved from favoring sweet to more bitter. If you want to pique my interest, just mention Campari, Amaro or Fernet! But I've got people who come over to the bar that just cannot like Campari or absinthe, no matter how I serve it.

So I just try to find something that people like and give it to them. Of course, if they're asking for swill, I try to find something in the same category of flavors that they might like better.