accent describes an ingredient in a cocktail that enhances the overall drink and is utilized in small amounts. It is not intended to play a major role in the overall flavor profile, but instead is used either as a background note to stand slightly in counterpoint of the other flavors in the drink as a highlight or as a bridge between two flavors within the drink that might otherwise be slightly incompatible. Nor does an accent necessarily have to be an ingredient within a cocktail. It can also come in the form of a garnish that releases aroma from an essential oil (as in the case of a citrus twist), an ingredient such as floral water that can be misted, dashed, or dropped on/in the drink from an atomizer, or even smoke. See atomizer (mister) and smoke.
Orange flower water provides the accent in a Ramos Fizz, providing a slightly hidden yet alluring flavor that stands out from the rest. See orange flower water and Ramos Gin Fizz. Bitters would be considered the accent in the Old-Fashioned, providing a bridge between the whisky and the sugar. See bitters and Old-Fashioned Cocktail. Orgeat is the accent in the Mai Tai that provides the drink with a unique personality that distinguishes it from simply a sour-based drink. See orgeat and Mai Tai.
In The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (1948), David Embury proposes a classification of three different types of ingredients that go into a cocktail: base, modifier, and special flavoring or coloring agent. This final item could also be referred to as an accent. See Embury, David A.
One of the defining features of the new mixology since 2010 is the use of multiple contrasting or parallel accents in a drink. While the results can taste muddy and unfocused, when done well, as, it is, for example, at London’s 69 Colebrooke Row, this can yield drinks of an uncommon richness.
Conigliaro, Tony, 69 Colebrooke Row, London: Ebury Press, 2014.
By: Audrey Saunders