Fancy some cheese with your Espresso Martini? It’s all about umami. Let us show you how.

For hundreds of years, we were told there were only four tastes – salty, sweet, bitter and sour. We shoehorned everything into these categories. Apples are sweet, chips are salty, lemons are sour – simple. But where did tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms and even Parmesan cheese fit into this food equation? Well, in all honesty, they didn’t. That was ’til one blessed day, in 1908, a man by the name of Dr Kikunae Ikeda suggested a radical fifth taste – one taste to rule them all, umami. Loosely translated as “essence of deliciousness” or “pleasant savoury taste”, umami is that lingering whole-mouth feel that comes from eating foods like Parmesan, but also, big brothy soups, dashi and ferments. Much later, Dr Ikeda was able to isolate that flavour, an amino acid called glutamate, and turn it into a fine powder, which we know today as MSG.

In foods, this fifth element is quite easily integrated, but what about in the land of drinks? Perhaps the most obvious cocktail we can point to is the Bloody Mary. Tomatoes are full of umami, and with the addition of Worcestershire sauce, which is essentially anchovy vinegar (another rich source of umami), it becomes an umami flavour bomb. But umami isn’t just apparent in cocktails – it’s in mushroom-heavy sakes, it lingers on the palate in manzanilla and fino sherry, and it’s even present in some mezcals. And while the world’s not done with cocktails sweet enough to stand in for dessert, we’re seeing a growing interest in seductively savoury drinks. So, what are some practical ways you can inject some of that brilliant umami flavouring into your cocktails? For those playing at home, this is what we (and also Tik Tok) suggest.

People are loading their cocktails with anchovies, Parmesan and MSG – here’s why

Parmesan cheese

Picture a beautiful frothy Espresso Martini, luxuriously dark, with the perfect amount of head. But wait, why is that bartender shaving cheese on top of it, and good god, how do we stop them? You may or may not have seen the gangbusters video of an Espresso Martini being adorned with generous shavings of Parmesan cheese – it’s all over social media, was featured on mainstream TV, and was even mentioned in The New York Post. It’s a pretty strange yet popular trend that’s showing no signs of slowing down, but why? And where did it begin? And why the cheese?

The Espresso Martini is a Dick Bradsell classic, first shaken in the 1980s. Somewhere between then and about five years ago, it became one of the most-ordered cocktails in the world. The first appearance of the cheesy top appeared in 2022 when Peruvian bartender Carlos Ruiz made a twist on the Espresso Martini for a cocktail competition. It was called the Cafe Con Queso. Fast forward, and Seattle bartender Jonathan Stanyard made a version inspired by Ruiz, but with the addition of shaved truffle (more umami). The drink made its big break on Jordan Hughes’s (AKA the High-Proof Preacher) Instagram page where it clocked up an impressive one million-plus views. The rest is history, with bartenders all over Tik Tok trying and adapting the trend (some even creating a Parmesan foam!).

People are loading their cocktails with anchovies, Parmesan and MSG – here’s why

But why the cheese? Well, as we explained above, Parmesan is one of the greatest sources of umami in the world. It’s sharp and fatty and round and just, well, damn delicious. For a cocktail like the Espresso Martini, which is very sweet, the thin shavings of cheese bring that umami flavouring, giving it a fuller taste. The internet is pretty divided; some hate it, others love it, and many don’t see the point. But, much like most things in life, don’t knock it ’til you try it.

MSG

MSG is one of the easier ways to inject umami into your cocktail. It’s basically powdered umami, so it can be added to everything and anything. MSG has copped an unfairly bad rap and is still recovering from a slew of racist misinformation, but let’s set the record straight – it’s no different than salt or pepper. Chefs have been adding it to things (sometimes in secret) for years and years, and you might even find that the brine your olives are floating in is full of it. So, it’s not a far jump to start adding it to your cocktails. The most obvious would be to mix a solution and add it to your Bloody Mary (or better yet, Sherry Bloody Mary), but don’t stop there. Try adding it to all your favourite cocktails to get a better feel for the ingredient. We reckon it’s the perfect addition to a Dirty Martini. Mix a solution of two parts water to one part MSG with your olive brine, then stir it down with vodka or gin.

Fish flavours

We know this may sound a touch far out, but stay with us. Add a (shell)fish, seaweed, or dashi ingredient to your cocktail, and you’ll get big umami payoffs. Undoubtedly, the most accessible method to accomplish this is by incorporating it into a Bloody Mary cocktail. If you’ve ever indulged in the vodka-spiked spicy tomato juice, you’re already familiar with it since anchovies are one of the key components in Worcestershire sauce (a main ingredient in a Bloody Mary). Also apparent in the Canadian Caesar cocktail, which is made with the beyond-delicious Clamato Juice – a mix of tomato, herbs, spice and, most importantly, clam extract (sounds gross, tastes great). These are the traditional styles of the Bloody family, but we reckon you should experiment. We all already know the drink has umami, so, why not add in a different fish element? Or maybe even garnish with a big chunk of nori? Try your Mary with the addition of dashi (bonito flakes, seaweed, shiitake) for a big udon flavour.

A very famous way of incorporating that fishy umami into a cocktail, other than a Bloody, is by infusing it in a spirit – the most recent (and potentially the most famous) being the Salmon Martini at LA’s Bar Moruno. Smoked salmon is submerged in a dry gin and left for three weeks. It’s then filtered to remove the fish, leaving a smoked salmon-tasting gin that is stirred with an off-dry vermouth and garnished with a caperberry. Speaking of garnishes, another way to get that fish-forward umami taste is with an anchovy garnish. Next time you make a Martini, chuck on a cheeky Gilda (anchovy, pickled pepper and olive, skewered) for a delightful umami hit.

Tomato

We’ve waxed lyrical about the umami of a Bloody Mary, but let’s put aside the most obvious tomato cocktail for now and focus on some of the lighter styled and lesser known. A good way to add some of that fresh, bright tomato umami is by simply muddling fresh tomatoes in the bottom of a glass. It works perfectly in something like a vermouth and tonic with a splash of manzanilla. Tomato jams are a great way to get a punch of umami in drinks, too. For this, you have to gently heat your base spirit or liqueur and mix through the jam. Once blended, filter through a cheesecloth and it’s ready to be added to your cocktails for a great tomatoey sweetness. For a lighter, earthier take, try clarifying your tomato juice by blending tomatoes with some celery, salt and sherry vinegar. Then pour through a muslin cloth and leave to strain. The remaining liquid, while not totally clear, will be fairly transparent. Add to your Gin and Tonic or Highball, or even your Martini for a little umami thrill.

Honourable mentions

Vegemite and Marmite are also great ingredients to add to your Bloody Mary, if you’re not sold on the traditional fish flavours – just ask the team at the Unicorn Hotel in Sydney who do a great one. Other than that, adding a few drops of fino or manzanilla sherry or even sake to a Martini will deepen the flavour.

Sometimes you do have to believe the hype. Take the plunge, grate some Parmesan on your Espresso Martini, add some dashi to that Bloody Mary and always, always mix some MSG into your olive brine. You can thank us later.