New user and registered to make this post. I’ve been slightly acid-adjusting my pineapple juice lately, and it’s changed the way I think about pineapple in cocktails. My understanding is that pineapple was generally less sweet and more sharply balanced before the 1990s, and that brighter profile fits drinks in a way that many modern pineapples simply don’t.
Straight, it tastes better to me. In cocktails, especially tiki drinks, it tastes better too.
The Painkiller is the most interesting example. With so much pineapple juice in the drink, you’d think the adjustment would barely matter, but it really does. It turns the drink from simply sweet and tropical into something more balanced, more intentional, and closer to what the cocktail is supposed to be.
For me, the result is clear: I acid adjust all my pineapple juice going forward. It is worth the extra step because it improves the juice on its own and makes pre-90s cocktails taste more balanced, especially the tiki drinks I’ve tested so far. Newer drinks might be geared towards the current sweet pineapple juices, but I'll be doing further testing.
I did searching and didn't find anyone who has done the math and configured a precise recipe to mimic the pre-90's pineapple juice. I wonder how many people would be willing to try this. If you do, I'd love to see what people think. For me, it's, dare I say, revolutionary.
I've attached a document that shows the 3 methods, with the first being the best.
Straight, it tastes better to me. In cocktails, especially tiki drinks, it tastes better too.
The Painkiller is the most interesting example. With so much pineapple juice in the drink, you’d think the adjustment would barely matter, but it really does. It turns the drink from simply sweet and tropical into something more balanced, more intentional, and closer to what the cocktail is supposed to be.
For me, the result is clear: I acid adjust all my pineapple juice going forward. It is worth the extra step because it improves the juice on its own and makes pre-90s cocktails taste more balanced, especially the tiki drinks I’ve tested so far. Newer drinks might be geared towards the current sweet pineapple juices, but I'll be doing further testing.
I did searching and didn't find anyone who has done the math and configured a precise recipe to mimic the pre-90's pineapple juice. I wonder how many people would be willing to try this. If you do, I'd love to see what people think. For me, it's, dare I say, revolutionary.
I've attached a document that shows the 3 methods, with the first being the best.
