11 Feb Neurogastronomy, How does our brain act with an exotic drink?

When was neurogastronomy born?

According to Gordon M. Shepherd, American professor specialized in Neurobiology at Yale University, “When humans ingest a food or drink, the taste they perceive is determined by smell and taste”.

And from this theory was born this neologism, which studies the way in which our brain perceives the taste of what we eat (food or drink), and how our senses act in response to these stimuli.

Sense memory

Shepherd was not wrong, however it has been scientifically proven that not only smell and taste act at the time of eating or drinking, but the five senses act synergistically and send information to the brain through the sensory inputs, this scientific act is what configures one taste or another.

For this reason, a drink that we could not stand before may start to please us in a different situation, in a different glass, or with an atypical environment.

And not only that, but the importance of the set of sensations and stimuli that our body receives is increasing, customers are increasingly critical and value having a drink in an original or elegant glass, with good aesthetics and relaxing background music;

The hospitality world is aware of this, that’s why we are seeing more and more original and personalized spaces, their owners create an experience based on their customers.

The brain plays a fundamental role in this whole process, since not only the five senses influence, but also cognitive and cultural aspects  interfere in the taste of drinks or food;

And what does this mean? It means that our brain retains emotions that we have felt in different situations in our memory, and the flavors we have perceived at the time are then associated to those emotions or moments.

For example, when we were little every summer we would go on family vacations to the same hotel, which had a beach bar by the pool where we would always order the same non-alcoholic cocktail, a ‘San Francisco’. Well, now that a few years have passed, when our brain perceives the taste of that same cocktail, a whole world of sensations and memories will come to mind, and that is a big part of the reason why we still like a chilled ‘San Francisco’ so much.

The cocktail bar joins this new emotional aspect.

If we can create a set of sensations according to the context in which we serve a ‘Margarita’, according to the glass in which a customer drinks his ‘Gintonic’ or according to the visual aspect that our ‘Manhattans’ have, why not do it?

The best cocktail bars have realized that by associating their drinks to unique and unforgettable experiences, customers come back to repeat that experience to which they associate different emotions.

This emotional aspect depends on many things, including the aesthetics of our drinks, whether we serve them in an ‘Avant Garde Cocktail’ glass, a ‘Lip 45’ or a ‘Martini Vintage 17’.

There are many ways to create a special experience for your customers, but one of the most important is that your place as a whole has a certain harmony, you have to make sure that everything is perfect and to your liking: furniture, decoration, lights, glassware, tableware etc.

That is why DKristal offers its customers a wide range of products with which you can make the visit to your establishment an unforgettable memory for all your customers.

All products of the brand have an unparalleled transparency thanks to the fine glass with which they are manufactured, which in turn is completely resistant.

We also offer a special service to our customers, who have the option to customize their glasses.