Retained as a practitioner hypothesis for later corroboration. The source gives no sensory testing or universal threshold, so no Claim relation is created.
Bottle-selection guidance tied to the proportion and complexity of the drink.
Hellmich argues that expensive spirit quality is most discernible when the spirit dominates the drink and may be obscured in more heavily mixed formats, while acknowledging that some simple cocktails still benefit from a better base.
PDF sheet 73
Mixology 101 — A Few Words on Ingredients
Checked in local PDF sheet 73 on 2026-08-25.
Verified excerpt record from Ultimate Bar Book.
Locator
PDF sheet 73
Research use
A practitioner hypothesis that bottle quality becomes more or less perceptible depending on how dominant the spirit remains in the finished drink.
Boundary
No Claim relation; retain for later corroboration, without adopting a universal 90-percent threshold.
Verification
Checked against the supplied local PDF on 2026-08-25.