opinionated alchemist

So I am late again. For cocktail sake - do I really need to set a reminder, for every single month, that I am not "oversleeping it"? Fortunately we are in the Middle East, which are few hours before the US... at least. First things first:the topic comes from  Dagreb of the  Nihil Utopia  blog and this is his shortened announcement:  My theme this time is overproof. Or rather how you utilize overproofs.  Do you sub them into your standards? Save them for accents in particular recipes? Pour them into ceramic volcanoes and set them on fire? Reserve them only for making liqueurs? Whatever it be I’m looking for your recipes that use overproofs as a base or as modifier in a noticeable -WAIT-  “What’s an overproof,” you ask? “Well, uh, yeah…”  First let’s decide what is proof. It’s my party so I say 50% abv is proof. Above that is overproof. You disagree? Host your own party! (No really  host a MxMo , it’ll be fun.) So BIB [100 proof Barreled i...

The rave is all about technology in the bar [and kitchen]. Many bartenders are using culinary powders [starting from xanthan gum over agar-agar to methyl-cellulose and sodium alginate], smokers, sous vide and even some are using advanced [and incredible expensive] rotary evaporators. What I haven't seen anywhere in "mixology" is the use of a steam juicer. This apparatuses are readily available in countries which have a lot of stone fruits - especially in Europe and North America. The disadvantage: the juice will taste more like your tetra-pak juice [ok, fresher and better] - not as fresh and unadulterated as mechanical extracted juice. Some fruits [especially the heat sensitive fruits] are just not working: especially any citrus fruits. The big advantage: if using a sterilized bottle, this juice has a very long shelf life.  you can use fruits which are usually pulpy and not great in drinks: peaches, apricots, pears and so on.  the result is a pret...

There are a lot of talking and myths about new products and new appliances, which happened to be appearing in the bar. Myths, because often they are overestimated. Here just a short review, what kind of new tech is available for the bar and how effective it is… Espuma maker [iSi creamer]: This is one of the first "molecular" cuisine appliances. And even now, it is one of the more sustained trends. Basically a liquid with a stabilizer is filled into the container and is then pressurized with nitrogen or carbon dioxide. The result is a rather dense foam. Due to the much bigger surface of foam compared to liquids, the taste is amplified. And the texture is also modified, which makes the play with foam interesting. As long as you keep it simple, drinks with foams are quite successful. Though: use egg white and a good share of guests will  reject the drink, due to a wet dog smell. Also be carefully if you are applying espumas to carbonated drinks, as the foam is expand...