opinionated alchemist

It was - well, it is a journey. I was torn between using crystalized fructose and using organic unbleached caster sugar. And I still don't feel 100% confident, that I found the "final" solution for all my mixology-sugar demands. However  the Tate + Lyle Fairtrade Cane Sugar is the finest granulated sugar, which is currently on the market in the Middle East. Yes, it is bleached, which might not be the perfect solution [unbleached would be better - but all organic unbleached caster sugar brands are just much coarser]. And it ain't cheap [while it is not as expensive as organic sugar]. But it is just the finest caster sugar available. And for those, who are concerned: it is made from cane sugar. It dissolves easily in cold liquid. Use your normal caster sugar, to make your syrups [well - you decide. Is "fairtrade" as important for you, to raise your cost?]. But for anything like a Mojito, Caipirinha, a Mint Julep or even sours and fizzes, it is a...

Picture in courtesy of bonappetit.com When I started in the bar in Germany, bartender just muddled one drink. The caipirinha. And it made perfect sense. Then came the "Muddled_Mojito_Craze" from the US. In fact, the Mojito was known already before in Europe [ well, you can't really say, that it was known in Europe before it was known in the US - as the drink was definitely promoted at times of the Volstwad Act, when the only legal way of drinking alcohol, was to drink offsite of American soil and the most convenient place to do so was Cuba ], but it didn't had todays popularity. In the early 2000's - after caipirnhas were muddled [which is the only way to make them] and mojitos [which could be perceived as pretty bad], there were ton of new invented drinks, which supposed to get muddled. And if you are regarding the circumstances, it was reasonable. At this time, fresh squeezed (filler) juices were the exception. If you wanted to incorporate fresh f...

To understand a drink, you first of all have to understand the drink... so first of all lets discuss what makes a Mojito a mojito: Lime juice Addition of sugar Light rum Fizz Fresh mint Additionally to these features, what is important to experience the Mojito Freshness Medium alcohol contend Fizz Light rum aromas Its not offensive - rather pleasant and "complimentary" Cracked ice Ok - there were some repetitions in the last points - those even have more emphasis on the drink. Finally the points, which are not associated with a mojito [or should not be associated] Syrupy, thick or sickly sweet Other herbs as mint Other spirits as rum Muddling anything in a mojito [!] Any bold flavors [like fruit, spice, liquor, etc.] What we have to understand here: Like a Martini cocktail, a Mojito is not  a drink category. Even if you vary the recipe, you should still close down pretty much on the original mojito experience. All these strawberry, bas...

It is a challenge and I've only mastered this question after a long time: How to prepare mint. If you make it properly, you will have fresh and healthy looking sprigs for several days - or even a week! Really lucky bartenders are having a garden with lots of mint shrubs - however even they might have problems in the winter... And we are not yet in a position, that we can tell guests, that they cannot have Mojitos, Juleps and other minty drinks, because mint is out of season! Here in the Middle East, it is even more difficult to get healthy mint;  in culinary [especially MESA cuisine] a lot of mint is used, but almost everything is processed (at least shredded) so you can [fortunately] not even imagine, how the mint looked before! Long story short - here I am with a step by step explanation to get fantastic looking mint for at least a week!!! 1. This is the mint we get from the cold kitchen. I have to be honest, that this mint looks quite healthy, if you c...