How Mouthfeel Can Make Mocktails More Like Cocktails
Liz Kreger, Ph.D., Innovation & Analytical Manager and Darrel Terry, Master Flavorist at Sensient Flavors & Extracts
As published in an issue of Perfumer & Flavorist
To drink, or not to drink: That is the question posed by a growing number of sober-curious consumers. Interestingly, the answer is trending toward “both.” Total abstinence is less of a goal, and moderation is taking center stagea, according to an analysis by Mintel.
This mindful drinking movement is a category with long-term product potential. The trend reaches across generations, with 36% of Millennials, 35% of Gen Z and even 16% of Gen X and older drinkers buying nonalcoholic beerb, wine or spirits to replace alcohol.
So, when it comes to creating a low- or no-alcohol beverage that appeals to consumers, the flavor industry need to examine both why people drink alcohol and why they may choose not to imbibe. As part of the development process, it is important to recognize that alcohol is more than just a beverage; it is an experience that brings social interaction and often accentuates a mood, such as celebration, relaxation or adventure.
Consumers choosing a low- or no-alcohol beverage have made it clear that they still want the experience associated with drinking. Therefore, alcohol alternatives need to capture the spirit of why people drink to begin with—incorporating all aspects that replicate the sensory experiences of a traditional cocktail.
To mimic these traditional cocktails, the flavor industry needs to develop more complete solutions that not only include flavor but also mouthfeel enhancers to take alcohol alternatives to the next level of complexity, creating the kind of social experience consumers crave from their adult beverage or mocktail.
More Complicated Than It Seems
Preparing the perfect alcohol alternative is a bit of an unresolved challenge in the beverage industry, in part because the alcoholic beverage market is shifting to more complex flavor options to satisfy consumers. Simply put, expectations have flipped 180 degrees over the last decade or so.
Conversations about nonalcoholic beverages 10 years ago focused on creating a nonalcoholic drink that did not resemble its alcohol version with requests for flavor technologies that masked the alcohol. Today, consumer expectations are driven by a desire to enjoy a beverage with similar flavor complexity that delivers a similar sensory and emotional experience while fulfilling their health goals, budgets and social philosophies.
This shift in consumer expectations creates new challenges—and new opportunities. From a scientific standpoint, alcohol alternative beverage developers face three main challenges in a sea of secondary considerations:
1. Flavor and aroma
2. Other sensory aspects, such as mouthfeel and color
3. Emotional effect
One of the most difficult things to create in “mocktails with the feel of a cocktail” is the characterizing flavors of common liquors. For example, some types of liquor are highly regulated regarding the process and materials that qualify them to be labeled in a certain way, including the kind of barrel it is aged in and what ingredients are in the grain bill. Authentic bourbons, for instance, have intensely complex and nuanced flavor profiles. This first step often requires the expertise of a master flavorist to create foundational flavors of typical liquors, such as, tequila, gin, white rum, whiskey and other alcoholic beverage types in an effort to replicate those nuanced flavor profiles as closely as possible.
The next big challenge after creating a characterizing liquor flavor is developing the sensory aspects of popular cocktails, especially mouthfeel. When trying to mimic the presence of ethanol, for example, there is a mouthfeel that includes burn, body and weight. There might be a “lift” from high volatiles created through fermentation. There are also nonvolatile components to build flavor characteristics such as astringency that are a result of barrel aging.
The final major technical challenge comes from attempting to fulfill consumer expectations for satisfying the emotional experience created by drinking alcohol. To help determine product goals, we ask developers what type of experience the drinker is trying to mimic:
• Do you want to relax at the end of the day, like the experience of a glass of wine?
• Are you trying to get energized and pumped up before going out with friends or attending a high-energy event, like a concert?
• Do you want the special feel of a celebration?
• Do you want to recreate a travel experience or simply feel socially connected?
In addition to these main concerns, there are always supporting considerations that can affect the formulation, such as health and wellness trends toward lower sugar levels while still creating a pleasant taste profile and maintaining the mouthfeel that comes from full sugar.
Such complex challenges call for an elegant portfolio of solutions that incorporate all aspects of a fulfilling beverage experience.
In order to characterize flavors of common liquors, a master flavorist must create foundational flavors of typical liquors, such as whiskey, in an effort to replicate those nuanced flavor profiles as closely as possible.Adobe Stock
Mastering Mouthfeel for Mocktails
After creating a gold standard set of flavors comparable to the taste profiles of common liquors, like rum, gin, whiskey, tequila and bitters, it can be helpful to combine consumer data with chemical analysis and a literature search on key compounds essential to each type of liquor. At that stage, a master flavorist works to develop each alcohol flavor from scratch. It can be a painstaking process.
Furthermore, some liquors have specific mouthfeel components that contribute to taste — like bourbon — that ultimately define the entire flavor.
With mouthfeel, there are several components to consider, including:
• A sweet or syrupy feel like those you might find in classic favorites such as margaritas, mojitos or daiquiris is often referred to as a tactile sensation.
• Ethanol burn is a mouthfeel perception that gets mediated through a person’s pain receptors—much the same as spiciness is a component of pain. However, the pain sensations from chili peppers and ethanol vary in time and intensity. We can measure time intensity and graph it out. Ethanol has a different curve than capsaicin. Each graph would look unique—almost like a fingerprint. So, we work to create a mouthfeel that follows a similar curve to the type of burn we are trying to imitate. For example, we observe when the burn intensity occurs, where the drinker feels the burn in their mouth and how much burn takes place. Even the pleasant warming sensation in the throat expands the overall experience.
• Astringency is another mouthfeel attribute that requires effort to imitate the drying or puckering sensation. Wine is a good example, as well as any aged spirit.
• Foam heading agents and cloud emulsion technology can help recreate the foaminess of a craft beer or the authentic cloudy appearance of some cocktails and beer.
• Other sensory experiences come from expectations associated with certain ingredients. For example, some flavors are associated with a cooling sensation.
A flavor expert with experience in low- or no-alcohol beverages can collaborate with developers to assess end goals, determine the overall experience the beverage should represent, and provide solutions for the wide variety of challenges that come with creating an alcohol alternative.
Foam heading agents and cloud emulsion technology can help recreate the foaminess of a craft beer or the authentic cloudy appearance of some cocktails and beer.Adobe Stock
Everything in Moderation
This is an exciting time to be in discovery for a growing category. Alcohol alternatives is an innovative space with vast potential. In fact, 41% of Americans are trying to drink less alcohol in 2024.
The low- and no-alcohol market is beginning to move away from the concept of complete abstinence and trend toward more mindful drinking, where sober-curious consumers can explore options for alcohol alternatives that fit the immediate situation.
Experts in flavors, extracts, mouthfeel enhancers and experiential product development can guide beverage makers through the complex process of creating a flavor sensation in the mocktail market. Look for a flavor partner with a plethora of technical expertise, including in-house labs, research scientists and application scientists who all hold a particular interest or area of expertise. The key will be to embrace a flexible mindset where consumers make booze-free beverages part of the mix of options as they experience a variety of occasions and lifestyle needs.
In the end, consumers want a beverage experience, regardless of alcohol content. Flavors and extracts paired with a mouthfeel technology can be a game changer for achieving product goals.
Footnotes
ahttps://store.mintel.com/report/us-alcohol-alternatives-market-report
bhttps://www.mintel.com/insights/food-and-drink/gen-z-sober-curious-generation/