Glossary: U

Umami

A loanword from Japanese, umami can be translated as "pleasant savoury taste". Umami is now widely accepted in both scientific and culinary spheres as a fifth taste. 

It's now acknowledged that some tequilas and mezcals are characterised by umami, while some gins will have that mercurial quality that’s somewhere between herbal, savoury and maritime (usually due to the use of seaweed as a botanical, but sometimes capers, asparagus). It is possible to detect it quite often in the likes of Sake and Soshu.

Up (Cocktails)

Served ‘Up’ refers to a drink being served in a stemmed glass (like a Martini glass, a Coupe or a Nick and Nora). Some drinks can be served either on the rocks or ‘up’, like the Bees Knees.