The heart of creating wonderful tasting concoctions is learning what things taste like. To do this you must learn HOW to taste.
OK at this point you’re probably saying, “Ed I know how to taste, I’ve been eating my entire life”.

It’s not as simple as just popping something into your mouth and saying you like or hate it.
Tasting is hard, really. We put stuff in our mouths all day every day, and, hopefully we enjoy most of it. How much do you actually think about what you taste?
Tasting is an art. Schools exist which are dedicated to learning to taste for the alcohol and food industries. Some people who are world class in their tasting skills and knowledge garner high incomes from giving expert opinion and guidance.
The best method to gain skill in anything is practice. Tasting, especially for something with as many varied ingredient options as flavorful drinks, requires a wide ranging practice. Remember how I mentioned about my youthful experiments with everything that was liquid or near liquid? That’s where we’re headed.
First let’s discuss how to approach the art of tasting.
Tasting should be performed as an activity unto itself, almost as a ritual, holding your full attention. When learning flavors you should focus on one item at a time to truly appreciate the essence of the ingredient and learn its true, unadulterated flavor.
Tasting is very subjective. Differences in your physiology and even social environment will change how you perceive flavors and react to them.
What makes a wonderful combination for me may potentially be foul to you. Of course if it were completely random from person to person, this site would be pointless.

Humans are evolved along lines that cause certain flavors be perceived as pleasant regardless of our upbringing. The tastes of the food that helped our ancestors thrive will resonate with us today. Most people will tend to like similar things within reasonable parameters. Odds are if you find some flavors that combine well, you’ll encounter many people who will feel exactly the same.
Taste should also be a little bit science. By this I mean you need to develop ways to describe your sensations and categorize them for later comparison. The best way to do this is to keep a notebook. Develop some consistent language to describe your sensations. If you decide that tartness is best described on a 1 to 10 scale, don’t suddenly change it to gradations of mild to potent the next time you taste it.

With this in mind, how do we start tasting?
Before diving directly into alcohols and mixers, I would like to suggest that you take a couple weeks to first become mindful of everything you taste.
Try to slow down as you go about eating and drinking in your daily life. Hold things on your tongue a bit longer than you normally would—whole foods especially. Try to think of what other tastes they resemble or how you would categorize the taste to explain it to someone if it doesn’t taste like something else. Keep in mind that the act of savoring each bite for the sake of storing flavor memory doesn’t instantly transform you into a super taster, but it will start you on the path to the training for making drinks.
Too many people move through their lives on autopilot. It is easy to just place the items that fuel our bodies into our mouth and swallow. You may taste it but the fullness of the flavor and the experience may be missed. I recommend for a few weeks that you stop before you commence eating or drinking anything and focus your attention.
Examine what you are about to consume. Note how it looks. Determine what about it visually makes it desirable to consume. Smell your food deeply. What memories or feelings do the scents evoke?
When you finally place the item in your mouth, allow it to sit on your tongue for a moment. Chew well if needed and release the flavors. Think about how the item feels in your mouth; concentrate on the texture and temperature. Can you detect if there are other flavors underneath the main taste?
When you spend a few weeks approaching your eating and drinking experience in this manner you will find that your appreciation of the items you consume will increase. This is your warm up for taste training; take your time and soon you will find yourself automatically examining everything.

Until next time, may all your drinks be tasty. Cheers