I have done more than my share of drinking over the years. I have had the good (single malt), the bad (mass-produced American lager) and the ugly (things served in coconuts with an umbrella in them). But there is always something new to learn, and I am grateful to Professor Charles Spence of Somerville College at Oxford University for his latest research. He has discovered that booze tastes better in a heavier glass than in a light one. That’s the kind of work that has made Britain what it is today.
According to his entry on Wikipedia, the good professor is “the head of the Crossmodal Research group which specializes in the research about the integration of information across different sensory modalities . . . .He is currently a consultant for a number of multinational companies advising on various aspects of multisensory design.”
At the Cheltenham Science Festival (if you’ve ever been to Cheltenham, you know they are grateful for anything resembling a festival there), he said, “We like heavy containers. We associate them with better quality, it has greater worth. If you want your guests to enjoy their gin and tonics then make sure they have a heavy glass, not a plastic one. The psychological effect means it tastes significantly better. Lightness is associated with flimsiness, poor quality and cheapness. People feel it is more disposable.”
Now, I have to admit I always assumed that the quality of the gin, the effervescence of the tonic and the juiciness of the lime mattered (ice is a subject best left out when Americans discuss G&Ts). Apparently, I have been worried about everything but the glass. Clearly, I missed out on this when I chose not to attend Oxford.
The professor goes on to point out that beer in a bottle tastes better than beer in a can largely because the glass bottle is heavier than a tinny. He said, “That is because it is heavier in the hand, and people associate it with higher quality. Although it is a matter of perception, people really do believe it tastes better. But if you poured the beer from the bottle and the can into identical glasses, people would say it tastes the same.” I see nothing in the transcript about drinking it straight from the tap.
As for wine, “People will tend to go for the heavier bottle, as they think it will taste better.” Again, nothing in the transcript mentions boxed wine.
So, this summer, Professor Spence offers this advice, “Serve all your drinks in the heaviest glasses possible. And if you want to show off buy a heavy bottle of wine and let your guests hold it before you serve, they will think it’s top notch.”
What is next for his research? Well, he’s focused a great deal of time and effort into investigating gin and tonics. “We haven’t tested other cocktails, but I imagine that is true for them as well.”
Sorry, Professor, but this is science. We don’t just imagine and quit. Let’s go get the empirical data.
Jeff Myhre is a contributing journalist for TheBlot Magazine.
