opinionated alchemist

Excuse my Star Wars reference here... but it quite obvious, that you can't really say, that the industry is with the force (dammit - again a Star Wars reference) I have read yesterday a very interesting article in German on Trinklaune.de , when I browsed my Feedly posts. After RSS standard was dropped by Safari and other browser, I recommend Feedly to keep in touch with your favorite blogs. Anyway- the article states, that a lot of rums were chemically tested, and most rums contained significant quantities of sugars, but also glycerine and vanillin. This obviously created some controversy- but the most disturbing thing is, that the producer downplay these results. You might ask, why this is a big deal!? I am not complaining because of health reasons. Yes, sugar is bad- but so is ethanol. It is more about lies and perception. You have to understand, that sugar is alternating significantly the sensory quality of alcohol. I found a great experiment on rumproject.com , which s...

When I went recently for shopping for booze, a couple of products just stick out. There was Ferdinand Quince Gin (which is rather a liqueur - didn't tried it yet - but as soon as I do, I will definitely post it here) - and there was Plymouth Navy Strength. Truth has to be told: I was always a bit bored by the normal Plymouth. They usually give you the whole story, that Plymouth is a specific gin, made with softer water (...), but at the end, it taste like a London dry gin, if nobody tells you otherwise and its rather "pathetic" strength of just above 41% pales against my preferred gins. I have to honest: I am a bit "concerned" about the whole gin craze. I do get it: gin is more flavourful than vodka; and it is great to have a couple of different styles of gins in your bar. But do we need gin bars? And/or do we need a dozen or more different gins? Is it more smoke and mirrors than anything else? I would say yes! And yes - if you compare them sid...

As mentioned, I am not a big fan of complicating drinks. We are at a point, where most pre-prohibition cocktails are recovered, where most variations are explored... and the "logic", but not necessary best step into the future is, to make drinks more complicated. Maybe I am too conservative to follow this trend - but I think we didn't explored to create great but simple drinks. For example, the West didn't yet really discovered the  Chūhai. As Japanese are masters of copying but then also internalize it and make it their own, the c hūhai started as simple highball (the hai  stand s for "high"). As Japan worships its own spirit, which is  Shōchū the highball is based on it - with the addition of lemon and soda - and nowadays there are many different flavors.  This is what I remembered, when I ate a very ripe piece of melon, but didn't finished it, because of its almost oxidized flavor. What to do with it? Well - I had some leftover lemon inf...

There is a wrong perception about, how a cocktail should taste! And this perception is fueled by the opinions of consumers as well as bartenders. The Martini is definitely the drink, which shows this misconceptions very clearly. Many customers, who never tried a Martini cocktail, will order one with the anticipation of a delicious drink - and then after trying it, their dreams are crashing - from cloud 9 to under sea level! An experienced bartender definitely knows, that this drink can't be delicious - there are no yummy ingredients featured in the recipe and taste doesn't materialize out of thin air... But there is so much more what a cocktail can be - and the Martini is showcasing this. First of all, the character of a cocktail, has to be not only understood - it has to be learned. Let's depart for a moment mixology and lets esteem wines. When people start to drink [seriously], nobody really likes bone dry, minerally white wines or tannin rich and funky red wine...

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, this blog just achieved another milestone: 200,000 hits! Thank you all for looking me up and reading my blog. Well - it is not on the level of, let's say Jeffrey Morgenthaler [I am sure, that he has 10s of millions of hits], but it is not too shabby nonetheless. Thanks so much for making it possible!

If every producer would directly explain his product so nonchalant and passionate [without too much marketing b.s.]... Sirocco - Dubai's specialized beer company, is bringing since several moons some craft beer to Dubai. And while I am still arguing, that it might not have been a great idea, of bringing English and then New Zealand crafts, instead of bringing the crafts from its cradle [the USA], I still very much appreciate, that they do the unheard off, and bring more than just products from multinational companies. They are introducing the crafts on rotational basis, which has the advantage, that there is [finally] always something new on the market - but the disadvantage, that you will run out of luck, if you are finding your "dream-beer". The lovely Laura, my keyaccount manager brought me a couple of bottles to try... Ka Pai is one of those. Appearance: Well - the bottle is pretty - proper brown glass [so you don't get directly skunk if you would like ...

There is quite a new article on the NewYorkTimes food section that more and more chefs change their minds about the use of freezers to preserve food. I believe, that it isn't really a secret, that freezers weren't ever forgotten in luxury hotels. The operations in a hotel, is just widely different than the operation in freestanding restaurants. Guests don't care about seasonality - if they pay a couple of thousand of dollars for their room! But what's about the role of the freezer in the bar? At a big extend, the sentiments of hotel restaurants and especially In-Room-Dining applies also to bars. While you have a higher ratio of outside guests, people still insist on things you might not carry on your menu. But not only you can keep produce in your freezer, to keep it from decaying in only few days - you can also improve your technique and quality for some drinks. Freezing produce & prepare frozen drinks - especially Daiquiris and Margaritas I am s...