The Art of Mixing (a Meeting of Magic, Medicine and Aesthetics)
The act of combing elements to broaden the known universe is one of the most fascinating acts that we have at our disposal.
The art of mixing is almost as old as the moment in which humans developed self-awareness and confirmed the existence of the ‘world outside,’ and which is made up of a myriad of ingredients crying out to be explored and combined.
From this perspective the mixing of elements acts as the driver in an exciting journey toward knowledge. It not only implies familiarizing oneself with each of the ingredients and their respective attributes, but it also allows for the creation of new beings, purified versions, or in many cases superior versions of their now disassociated forebears. It is perhaps for this reason that the act of mixing forms part of the axis of alchemy, a premise that is summed up in the maxim solve et coagula (dissolve and coagulate, or separate and unite).
As the desire to mix began to become more sophisticated, the practice would penetrate numerous aspects of human activity, from science, particularly chemistry (derived directly from alchemy) and medicine to magic, in which the creation of potions would become one of the most popular and powerful resources. And among these manifestations we could also include the creation of chimeras, a graphic tradition from medieval times that responds to the combination of bodies, to aesthetic fusion or the mythology of two beings uniting to form a new and different creature that surpasses in its qualities the simple sum of the two parts.
One field in which this art found one of its most fertile terrains, and which is closely linked to chemistry, magic and medicine, is gastronomy. The notion of creating new landscapes from the fusion of original elements found its most exquisite form in the kitchen. Later what we now call mixology would emerge, defined as the science of mixing drinks to create memorable cocktails, doors to new taste sensations that detonate specific and generally delightful moods.
The point we are trying to reach is the awareness that every time we enjoy a good cocktail we are in reality opening the doors to a world in which magical, chemical, medicinal and aesthetic origins converge. Beyond the social tool or the mere pleasure potion, these synergized drinks could act, although it may sound paradoxical, as instruments of exploration and self-knowledge. Independently of whether this hypothesis comes true or not, the simple fact of perceiving it facilitates the accomplishment of the latent mission of or times: to once again become enchanted with reality.
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