opinionated alchemist

If you are reading about some products, or even see youtube videos, which celebrate the "latest" new tool, you might fantasize, what you would be able to achieve with it. More often than once I was disappointed when reality stroke! One of this too good to be true appliances is the Vulcanology vaporizer. Simon of www.muddle-me.com loaned me this machine, to take it for a spin. [Big thank you to the guys at www.muddle-me.com - they are awesome - and you really should pay their website a visit - especially if you are living in the Middle East!]. What is it? Basically it was designed to vaporize active ingredients from Marihuana and other pot head stuff. An avant-garde chef (I guess it was Grant Achatz- but cannot say for sure), had the idea to use it also for conservative herbs and spices. They used air pillows, which they placed underlates, but also glass domes over the food to add the aroma. Eventually some "mixologists" had the glorious idea, to use t

Since I have had this blog (inclusive the previous installment of it), I have shied away of doing bar reviews. If you work as manager in a bar (or in my case even as beverage manager), you know, that you shouldn't question too much others, as your own courtyard might not be that clean... But then I still make exceptions - this happens specially if bars receiving awards (and/or taking themselves too serious and  This apparently happened in Speakeasy in the Ramada Plaza. Let's first off all get the most obvious from my breast: the name.... It is an audacity in the light of modern speakeasies (you can't compare anyway a bar to historic speakeasies - unless it is e.g. Located in Saudi Arabia - and well, a review there wouldn't be that clever, to say at least! Anyway - the name is stupid and misleading. However please note, that this bar received the Best New Pub Award of TimeOut Dubai! So it has to be good? Well, I went with a friend and colleague to this place. I am just f

Yes, we introduced the new menu a couple of weeks ago... and I kept a bit silent, as we still working on a better consistency. But hell - I am proud on this menu. From the layout [the drawings were made by the lovely Sima, which not only able to mix some spiffy drinks, but also have a very artistic side in her] - to the drinks selection, to the drinks presentation. Please let me know, what you think... or pass by in La Baie Lounge [if you happen to live in the UAE] and ask for me. Really looking forward to your comments! So please here - check out the link !

So folks, a lot of time past, since I participated the last time a Mixology Monday. And honestly - even this time, I am impossible late with my contribution. Well - rest assured, it will be an unique one! Let's first of all get to the topic. Craig over at A World of Drinks  is hosting this MxMo - please follow his explanation: For this month’s challenge I would like to take us back to the humble beginnings of the cocktail bar, the days when bartenders didn’t have the luxury of daily deliveries of ingredients from around the world. In these times bartenders would have been uncertain when they would again have the privilege to work with special ingredients so would naturally try to make the most of them… Such methods of preservation such as syrups and preserves have been staple ingredients behind the bar ever since, while others such as shrubs and sherbets were relatively short lived. The aim of the challenge is to go back to the days of the preserve, pick an ingredient, seas

Are you a like to learn? I am actually a big learner. Even though my knowledge about beverages and bars and everything, which has remotely anything to do with it surpasses quite anybody except of google, wikipedia or wolframalpha, I still find myself researching daily something new. Rest assured, that there is not so much which can surprise me with a big chunk of steaming new information, I also like to spread my search farer from my original turf. And often I can find new ideas and inspiration in a completely unrelated subject area. One big inspirational pond are the video of TED . One big step in my professional emancipation [of common perceptions] was the video of Malcolm Gladwell, who made clear, that customers don't necessary know, what they want (...). Today I found another one. It is by the famous movie director, writer and producer J.J. Abrams. And it is about mystery. One might ask, what it does have to do with "the" bar?! Well - if

The opinionated "shots" is a new category on www.opinionated.alchemist.com, which will just capture new ideas, new concepts. But they are only "tickers" - short notices... and might be picked up in future posts. Fat Washing I think the technique of fat washing is great and it incorporates a surprising amount of flavour. Yesterday I have cooked spinach tamale stuffed chicken roll and used coconut oil for the tamale mix. I was pretty stumped, that the coconut aroma is so noticeable [especially, as I am not that fond of coconut]. But that let me think of doing homemade coconut infused rum or coconut rum liqueur [maybe the liqueur could be actually sweetened with coconut-sugar]. Another amazing flavour is happening to be cocoa butter. It really taste like chocolate [maybe less pronounced and the texture is different]. Hence making a cocoa butter washed whisky [or rum, or tequila, or you name it], might be very interesting. Indian "eating vessels