A Deconstructed Cocktail Provides A Unique Taste With Every Sip

In the world of craft cocktails, the avant-garde deconstructed presentation has taken center stage as mixologists aim to put a new spin on classic drinks. This can be accomplished by breaking your favorite old-school cocktail recipes down to their basic components and serving them in a unique, rebuildable way. Some ingredients may be frozen while others are smeared on or poured over, highlighting the distinct role each ingredient plays in the final product. We caught up with one of the unexpected TikTok stars at the helm of the food revolution to learn all about deconstructed cocktails.

Justine Doiron — cookbook author, recipe developer, and host of the upcoming Cayman Jack River Cruise event in New York City — tells Mashed, "My advice is, if you're making a deconstructed cocktail, you'll really want to use a liquor you enjoy and that shines on its own!" Because deconstructed cocktails are often made with some of the typical ingredients included in drinks that slowly melt or dissolve (like ice, for example), the booze will play a much bigger role in the sipper — especially at first. "Personally, I'd suggest top-shelf vodkas or mezcals," Doiron says, adding, "As the ice melts, the cocktail will evolve with every sip, offering a new drinking experience each time."

While there are plenty of ways to present your fancy deconstructed cocktails, one that's simple and effective is freezing the drink's ingredients and adding them to your spirit of choice in the form of ice cubes. But it's not as simple as throwing some sweetened lime juice in your everyday ice tray, as Justine Doiron explains: "Just like pasta shapes, how you freeze the elements of a deconstructed cocktail really changes the whole experience, and everyone I've introduced these cocktails to has a different opinion."

If you'd rather not spend a ton of time waiting for your citrusy and sweet elements to enter the picture, Doiron recommends incorporating them in the form of crushed ice rather than hefty cubes for faster dilution. On the other hand, folks who enjoy sipping on straight liquor might prefer a slower dilution rate, giving them a chance to taste each step of the drink's development. This method is more Doiron's speed.

"My preferred way is freezing the elements in large rock glasses but keeping them shallow," she tells us, adding, "That way I can 'stack' the different elements on top of each other in the glass, and it leads to slower dilution. It's all personal preference, [so] you can definitely have fun with any ice form of your choice." If you're feeling particularly ambitious, you might even try freezing lemons into rose-shaped ice cubes for a sour — yet oh-so-sweet — twist!