opinionated alchemist

Today I have filmed a video. I hope, that I could become better in making videos about beverages - so I can spread the gospel of drinks... So I prepped (in front of the camera) a good bottle of cream soda. Cream soda, is basically vanilla soda. At times there are other spices or fruits also represented. However I intended to make a simple instruction video (so I can build upon) - and as I only had (real) vanilla essence, this was the easiest natural flavor I could think off. The recipe? 120g       white super fine sugar 1200g     water + ice 2.4g       citric acid 1 bs       vanilla essence Dissolve a sugar, vanilla essence & citric acid into a bit of room temperature water. When everything is dissolved add it to a carbonating bottle (Soda Plus in my case). Add the rest of the water and the ice. Charge it with 1 CO2 cartridge. Shake it. Let it rest for at least 1 minute. Release pressure and enjoy. That i...

Who would knew, that I am reviewing a budget vodka here - on the opinionatedalchemist.com. But this isn't a normal review. I skip the marketing perception and use this product to cut directly to the case: Vodka is a "rather" neutral, colorless, "rather" flavorless and odorless distilled beverage from any agricultural source - and depending on the country, it has a minimum of 37.5% and 40% abv. As I said time and time again before: at times it is absolutely nonsense to talk about premium and luxury, when the original product doesn't really "hold this promise". Luxury water can have luxurious marketing, luxurious packaging, can be even rare and slightly more expensive "to produce". However really it is just water. Maybe it has some nuances to normal water - however those nuances (in a blind-test) are pretty small. Vodka is extremely similar - and the chain of evidence (despite a lot of people trying to proof otherwise) makes it re...

Some vintage Old Tom Gins These days I have thought a lot about gin. There are a lot of gins coming on the market and some people are already calling it the “new vodka”. While I do understand this notion, it is (out of my humble perspective) not at all comparable. Yes - gin has been really exploited in marketing (like vodka) - but it is really like any mainstream trend. Vodka has been always a bit different: while a lot of gins have significant differences (especially due to their different botanicals) - quality  vodkas lack the big differences and their subtle differences are subdued within the different moods people are in - or what they have eaten for breakfast or lunch, or if they had one drink before or simply with the mixers, the vodka is consumed with. Anyway - one big topic I have contemplated about is Old Tom Gin. In my eyes, this style has been largely misrepresented and misunderstood. The otherwise informative article in Imbibe shows exactly the issue ...