opinionated alchemist

Maybe you will be confused, to find a "mostly bar & beverage blog" talking about sous vide. However this technique helped me to really do major breakthrough in housecrafted cordials, syrups and infusions.  Instead of days and weeks, things in the bar take as much as overnight and as little as a couple of hours - not only to be better than the classic version, but also safer and more convenient. Why safer you might ask? Because cooking at a low temperature at a prolonged time kills most microbes (I would probably say all microbes which might be dangerous in the bar) - but also kills spoilage bacteria, aceto bacter (vinegar bacterium) and yeast. Hence if you are smart, it saves you a lot of work (big batches and then refrigerating or even freezing). Please comment if you are interested in any recipes or further explanation how to prolong shelf-life with sous vide. Now why can I tell you, which sous vide cooker to buy? I have worked in several hotel and restaurant bars over

 So - you know me. A cocktail is made out of high quality ingredients, the right technique and details, details, details. Quite some time ago, I intended to make a popcorn whiskey sour. I thought, that bourbon is made out of corn - so popcorn is great thing to infuse the bourbon with. Unfortunately there was only a very mediocre effect. Popcorn doesn’t have apparently a strong taste. And it messes up the bourbon (or if you make a syrup it makes the water cloudy). So I ambandoned the concept. However - in my time in Newton, I Thought about a similar concept - I read, that Koreans have roasted corn tea (besides of roasted barley tea). So - using corn tea as base for a syrup- that could work!? As I didn’t wanted to waste time in looking for Korean roasted corn tea I tried to make it myself with popcorn- spoilers: popcorn pops if you heat it up. However if you are careful, only few kernels will pop (tried it first under the salamander and ended up to use a pan - without oil! I added then t

 I have read an article on punchdrink.com about the Mojito. Apparently a lot of people dislike the mojito. Punch thinks, that it comes from the bartender, which hate work intensive drinks, when the bars are busy. But we have to really ask ourselves: does it make sense? I have always had a very crafty relationship to the bar. I understand and appreciate pubs, dive bars etc. But I like the most just bars, which are taking cocktails serious. In this matter, I do think, that a bar should not have much of a different approach than a fine dining restaurant. Call me pretentious (or opinionated), but I do think, that this is the future of the bar. Point is, that a lot of people like to drink alcohol - but it is not a basic need (the same as "fancy food"). The bar is maybe more destined to be sophisticated as most restaurant styles then. But it seems, that (especially in the US) people like to compromise too quickly on the experience. Not only bartenders, but also operators and even g

  Ok... provocative title - I know. Let's directly spoil the resolution: we can't have a good Apple Martini, because the original "Adam's Apple" (how it was originally called) is not a Martini cocktail - duh! There is a fantastic and very expansive article on Eater.com.  In this article Jeffrey Morgenthaler said, that it is not possible, to make a good version of this drink, because using fresh juice isn't just the same. True. But it is better. Let me explain. We can basically go two ways. One way is the way of being incredible sophisticated and also very pretentious. We can think of making a real  Martini out of it. We can make a vermouth from a nice slightly sour cider. And then we could use gin (yeah - we can also use vodka - but what is the point?). Some bitters. And maybe something like a low temperature poached apple ball (made with a melon baller).  The problem: It is almost not recognizable as a "Apple Martini". Yes it is cool and all. But o

Scotch can be very divers. It can be smokey and decisive, it can be floral and almost fruity - it can be delicate and really heavy and oily. Long time ago, I have been on a whisky-convention and in a workshop, they guys at Glenmorangie gave us Glenmorangie "spirit" to try - totally unaged Glenmorangie. I expected to be harsh and undrinkable - but it was beautiful - extremely fruity (think Poire William) - if they would have sold it, I would have purchased it. In the same event, they have introduced the experimental release of Glenmorangie Artisan Cask (I purchased later the bottle). For a very young whisky it hasn't been cheap, but it was truly incredible. A testament, that Single Malt Whisky doesn't need a lot of cask influences (at least some delicate distillates like Glenmorangie). Glenmorangie has shown for sure a lot of innovation. They also populated barrel-finishing - which is used now from most of the industry, to introduce interesting variants. As LVMH purcha

I have been pretty dogmatic in the bar in the last 15 or so years.  Other than most bar people (who would consider themselves dogmatic), I haven't been just against new stuff. I have never tried to stop progress.  However I almost entirely moved away from flavored syrups. Or "cheap" liqueurs. Or even a lot of flavored spirits. Why? Because I don't believe, that "my bar" should be based on food additives (...).  Most others were less concerned. There are spirits use for sure natural (but isolated) aromas. Think about one of the darling-gins of many bartenders: Ripple. If you have a bit of a clue, what the food industry is doing, this gin shouts out: complex extracted aromas. But Ripple is not the only example (even though, it is in a "premium space" where most other similar products cannot be found). I am pretty sure, that the cucumber and rose extracts of Hendricks are also not house-crafted. And would it make a big difference, if the guys at Willi