I am fascinated with bartending and its history. Not making a vodka soda with a soda gun and a bottle, but instead careful and detailed construction of an idea or recipe. Just like baking french macarons. I enjoy how meticulously you can control the outcome of something so immediately, and how the underlying methods and learnings have stood the test of time.
Take the daiquiri, for example. A miner named Jennings Cox created the daiquiri in 1892 while working in Daiquiri, Cuba. Its original purpose was to prevent yellow fever, as rum and lime were considered medicinal.
Today, professional bartenders use the daiquiri as an essential part of a job interview. Why?
Balance.
One of the most crucial skills needed for creating unique recipes is understanding your ingredients and techniques well enough to create something with balanced flavors. This way, each component comes through in a unique progression, instead of being monotone.
A daiquiri is only three ingredients, so slight changes are even more impactful. There’s no room for mistakes, but plenty of opportunities to shine. To the skilled, it’s a blank canvas.
This necessity for balance extends to all aspects of life. Be a hard worker, but don’t work so hard that you get diminishing returns. Be analytical, but not to the point of analysis paralysis. Even in our relationships, we should be able to preserve unity while maintaining individuality.
Just as with a daiquiri, but much less unforgiving, our understanding of how to balance these components will determine our unique progression through life.
