opinionated alchemist

In the last year, there has been some change in my life. This isn't so unique - as the pandemic has been challenging for most of us. While the bar was closed and I have been on unpaid leave, I left "my" hotel and joined an independent restaurant (new opening) as GM.  Unfortunately this didn't worked out very well. Hence after half a year I left (close to be totally burnt out) and rejoined my "old hotel" - now not anymore as Bar Operations Manager, but as Beverage Manager. Besides of "hanging out" in the evening behind Noir (again - now even with more emphasis) - my duties are also updating the beverage lists of the other restaurants. The cocktail discussed is for the Levantine restaurant. Now the Levant is the area on and around Lebanon. This area is rich of culinary culture and traditions - but not so much of alcoholic drinks (and yes - Lebanon is a great wine producing country - and they also create arrack... and: especially Beirut is known for t...

In my Whiskey Sour experiment (and also in the taste of my last Whiskey Sours in the bar), I haven't been fully convinced about the taste of the whiskey sours. I did everything right: used quality bourbon, used proper ice, shook long enough, used fresh lemon... yet the whiskey sour was slightly too lemony - it had enough alcohol, the right sweetness, the sourness - yet it was somewhat off. No - it was not somewhat off - let me rephrase it - I was not 100% satisfied with the results. It wasn't as good as the Whiskey Sour in front of my imaginary eye (or on my imaginary tastebuds). Not that I tried a Whiskey Sour in another bar which has been better... That sounds crazy to you? Welcome to my world... The problem is that: as soon as I will change the ratios, the cocktail will also loose its balance... and to be honest, I don't really think, that solely tinkering with the ratios, will bring me anywhere... I have been breaking down how to improve cocktails before on...

There is an article about: SCIENCE EXPLAINS WHY SOME BASE INGREDIENTS MAKE BETTER VODKA It is unfortunate, but in these days science is mostly misinterpret and also used "wrong". Strangely people relying on science but don't really understand how. Science seems to be a "new religion" similar to catholicism in the dark ages: people don't read and understand the scientific papers, but rely on the press and on "spokes people" which are simplifying and explaining. This isn't so bad if it comes to popular scientists like Neil DeGrasse or Bill Nye. They are trained scientists and understand scientific reasoning. However when it comes to the press and other people who are "using" science it is a complete other issue; Let's look at the article to understand what I mean: By definition,  vodka  in the U.S. must “be without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color,”   according to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bur...

This post is inspired by a post on Diffords Guide online . But even though, I have never really thought about calling a distillate "Botanical Spirit", I always thought, that there have to be a new category of spirits. It all began with the Sub Rosa Saffron and Tarragon vodka - sometime in 2011. I directly felt, that there is something "off" of calling those distillates vodka. Yes - there is flavored vodka - and mostly they are pretty simple and straight forward. However they already differ greatly from your classical pure vodka. However the Sub Rosa products were an even farther departure. Since then, there have been a lot of new products, which mostly go under the vodka moniker, but are more complex... there are also "quite old products" like the flavored Absolut vodkas. Some, like Citron or Mandrin can be easily called vodka - there is a reasonable delicate aroma of the respective aroma. Some others are so strongly aromatized, that vodka seems not t...

Not long ago, there was a post about the Singapore Sling on Facebook, and I commented on it.  Point is, that it is unlikely - or better said, close to impossible, that the contemporary recipe [which is said to be the original recipe] was invented in the 1920's. Ok - let's first of all see the recipe: IBA specified ingredients* 3 cl  Gin 1.5 cl  Heering  Cherry Liqueur (cherry  brandy ) 0.75 cl  Cointreau 0.75 cl DOM  Bénédictine 1 cl  Grenadine 12 cl  Pineapple juice 1.5 cl Fresh  lime juice 1 dash  Angostura bitters Preparation Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into highball glass. Garnish with pineapple and cocktail cherry. David Wondrich, one of my favourite cocktail historians discussed the Singapore Sling here . And I do agree. I like his research, which showed the unlikeliness, that no cherry eau de vie was used - rather than Bols cherry li...