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Showing posts from December, 2017

Organic & “natural” tonic water - a scam?

Gin is a big trend. And Gin & Tonics are pretty much the most consumed and the most popular mixed drink of 2017. As bartender, you won’t hear nowadays seldom, that a premium gin deserves a premium tonic. But how objective is that? It might start with the gin. How premium is premium gin? If we are comparing quality gins with the so-called “new” premium gins, there is not much difference - sure there are a different array of botanicals used, there is a different alcohol strength - but there is no real correlation between price and factual quality. That doesn’t mean, that “your” Monkey 47 is anyway worse... it just means, that you cannot buy taste with money (well if you involve your perception: maybe). But what is about your fancy Tonic Water?  Well - let’s face it: no beverage which is recognizable as “soda pop” can be made totally natural. Because if it is natural, it will taste like (cloudy) lemonade. Citric acid is made out of natural ingredients, but is hig...

Do not do that! - DO NOT POISON YOUR GUESTS!!!

Dear Bartenders, Please do not make tobacco infusions! I am serious - don't do it - don't try it - do not think about it. Tobacco contains nicotine. What is the big deal, you might ask? Nicotine is highly poisonous. There is not as much nicotine absorption when you are smoking tobacco - this would be rather save.  Chewing tobacco - has a higher absorption - but yet, isn't soluble in water (hence it is still "quite save"). On the other hand, nicotine is soluble in alcohol - that means there is a great absorption - and it becomes very very dangerous. How dangerous, you might ask?  Let me ask a counter question: Would you make a strychnine infusion? Or a cyanide cocktail? Or an arsenic essence? The lethal dose of strychnine (for a male healthy adult) would be ca. 100 mg The lethal dose of cyanide (...) would be ca. 200 mg The lethal dose of arsenic (...) would be more than 70 mg While the lethal dose of nicotine (for a male healthy adult) wo...