Have you ever sipped two canned drinks back to back and not been able to say why you liked one more? Most people have. We usually drink without paying attention. Learning how to taste cocktails properly comes down to four things: get the temperature right, smell before you sip, notice flavours in a set order, and compare drinks under the same conditions. Here's a simple method you can use tonight, whether you're in Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver.
Why most people struggle with how to taste cocktails
The problem is usually not your palate. It's that the conditions keep changing. A drink straight from a cold fridge tastes different from one that sat on the counter for 20 minutes. A sip after salty chips tastes different from a sip after water. And in a comparison, the first drink often gets an unfair advantage. Control those things and you can trust what you're tasting.
Get the temperature right
Cold dulls aroma and sweetness, and warmth makes the alcohol stand out more. For canned cocktails and vodka drinks, aim for about 4–8°C, which is normal fridge temperature.
- Chill every can in the same fridge for a few hours so they all start at the same temperature.
- Skip the ice while tasting. Melting ice waters the drink down and changes its temperature as you go.
- Pour, then wait a minute or two. As the drink warms slightly, the aroma opens up.
- If a drink tastes flat or muted, it may just be too cold. Let it sit and try again.
Smell first: aroma does most of the work
Much of what we call flavour is really smell. Before you sip, pour into a glass with some room at the top (a wine glass works well). Swirl it gently and take a few short sniffs, then try once with your mouth slightly open. Note what you pick up: fresh cucumber, ripe mango, citrus peel, something grassy or tropical. Also note whether the alcohol smells sharp or smooth. These first impressions become the backbone of your vodka tasting notes.
The order you notice things
Flavours tend to show up in a sequence. Pausing at each stage helps you tell them apart.
1. Appearance
Look at clarity and colour. A clear drink should look clean, with no haze.
2. First sip (the attack)
Hold a small sip on your tongue. What hits first? Usually it's sweetness or acidity, along with the bright top notes of the flavour.
3. Mid-palate and texture
Move the sip around your mouth. Notice the body: is it light or round, crisp or soft? This is where texture differences show up most. Carbonation adds a prickly bite and a sense of acidity, so a sparkling seltzer and a still drink feel very different even when the flavours are similar.
4. Finish
Swallow, then breathe out through your nose. The aroma you get this way often reveals flavours you missed. Then note how long the taste lasts and whether it ends clean, sweet, bitter or warm from the alcohol.
A simple method for cocktail tasting at home
Here's a side-by-side routine for a fair canned cocktail comparison with two to four drinks.
- Use identical glasses. The same shape and size means no drink gets an aroma advantage.
- Pour small, equal amounts. About 60 mL each is plenty. You're tasting, not finishing cans.
- Taste blind if you can. Have a friend pour and mark the glasses A, B and C with tape on the base.
- Reset between sips. Plain water and unsalted crackers keep your palate neutral.
- Taste in order, then reverse the order. This cancels out first-sip bias.
- Write it down. Score aroma, flavour, texture and finish out of five, and add one word that sums up each drink.
- Rate texture on its own. If you're comparing a still drink with sparkling ones, give mouthfeel its own line so the bubbles don't skew your flavour scores.
Putting Aura to the test
Aura is a natural fit for this exercise. Each can of our vodka water cocktails combines premium vodka, alkaline water and natural flavour, with no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners and zero carbonation. Because Aura is completely still, you taste the flavour and the vodka without the carbonic bite of a seltzer, and with no bubbles there's nothing to leave you feeling bloated. Try Cucumber Lime, Coconut Pineapple and Mango Peach side by side and see which one you like best. For the full story, read why Aura.
Please enjoy responsibly, and only if you're of legal drinking age in your province. Tasting pours are small for a reason: pace yourself, drink water between samples and never drink and drive.
Host your own tasting
Grab a few cans, chill them evenly and set up your own side-by-side this weekend. Aura is available across British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. Find a retailer near you on our where to buy page. In Alberta, look for AGLC-licensed private retailers, and in BC, check BC Liquor Stores and licensed private retailers. If you have an Ontario address, you can also order a case of 24 directly from us.