Mixology and Elemental Creations. Semiotic Transformations of Liquid Matter

Abstract

This paper focuses on the art of mixology, taking into consideration the transformations of matter that ingredients go through in their preparation, on the basis of an analysis of the recipe books dedicated to the topic. We will begin by questioning the meaning of the term cocktail and will continue by identifying the elementary composition of a drink to then focus on four aspects: 1) operations on the ingredients: the creation of a cocktail involves the execution of actions that can be described according to the terminology used by Bastide (1987); 2) material characteristics of the drink: different mixing techniques produce different effects in terms of colourations, consistencies, kinds of drinks produced; 3) intersubjectivity/interobjectivity: from production to tasting, several subjects and objects intervene and they are linked to each other in chains of relations definable in attantial terms; 4) enunciational subjects: the mixologist and the taster are required to master specific gestural syntagmas that produce further materiality effects.