Humans are omnivores. Omnivores face a dilemma that being omnivorous lets them take advantage of many different food sources, but also means they have to figure out what is or isn't ok to eat. (Compare to, say, a panda - they only eat bamboo, so there's no decision making, but they are also totally dependent on bamboo.)
The way most omnivores overcome this is to taste new things slowly. Rat poison is often ineffective, for example, because rats will have a tiny nibble, get sick but not die, and then know that rat poison is bad to eat. In humans this is also true but with the added element of culture - whether other people around us eat something influences what we like.
So, when you try a new food, your brain is somewhat in "danger mode", watching out for the worst, and will often find and fixate on it: the burn of alcohol, the bitterness of coffee or beer, etc. Which is a pretty unpleasant experience! But if you have a little over several times, and people around you drink it, and neither you nor they is getting sick, then clearly it's ok to eat. No danger. So your brain stops obsessing over the "warning signs" and instead notices the other stuff. The subtler notes of the alcohol, the chocolate and toastiness of coffee, etc.
Add to that the practical things, like figuring out that you like your coffee with sugar but no cream, or you like rum but not whiskey, etc. and you are prone to liking a food more the more you are exposed to it.
has anyone tried spicy ginger ice cream?