opinionated alchemist

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To be honest - last time when I have updated my blog, I have done it quite quickly and with less effort - and it is also quite some time back... In our situation, where we have nothing but a lot of time, I have now redesigned my blog page (thank you google for amazing templates) - I hope everybody enjoys it as much as I do. For everybody who enjoys my blog regularly - this post is a bit... superfluous - but for my readers on Facebook (...), please have a look and come over to read my block posts!

First of all for all people who are confused about soda versus lemonade a simple bullet point characterization: Soda Quite sweet Can have basically any flavor Carbonated Usually clear The overall characterizing aroma comes from the original "flavor" which is augmented from the sugar and balanced by citric acid or another flavorless acid. Lemonade Medium sweetness - more on the tart side Basic flavor is... lemon (because of LEMONade) Normally not carbonated Cloudy The overall characteristic comes from the lemons (and sometimes other fruits) which are balanced with sugar. Acid comes part or mainly from the lemon. I quite enjoy both - more often soda, but lemonade is also refreshing. But then there are drinks like Pellegrino Limonata, which has the refreshing fizz of soda, but also includes lemon juice, which taste more natural. Off course, all commercial products taste a bit off, due to the fact, that most juices are degrading (that's why sod...

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...

In my Whiskey Sour experiment (and also in the taste of my last Whiskey Sours in the bar), I haven't been fully convinced about the taste of the whiskey sours. I did everything right: used quality bourbon, used proper ice, shook long enough, used fresh lemon... yet the whiskey sour was slightly too lemony - it had enough alcohol, the right sweetness, the sourness - yet it was somewhat off. No - it was not somewhat off - let me rephrase it - I was not 100% satisfied with the results. It wasn't as good as the Whiskey Sour in front of my imaginary eye (or on my imaginary tastebuds). Not that I tried a Whiskey Sour in another bar which has been better... That sounds crazy to you? Welcome to my world... The problem is that: as soon as I will change the ratios, the cocktail will also loose its balance... and to be honest, I don't really think, that solely tinkering with the ratios, will bring me anywhere... I have been breaking down how to improve cocktails before on...

At times it is good - but at times it is also bad to be quite self-critical. See water-kefir - despite the people who promote this beverage and say, that it is delicious, I had pretty mixed results. When following the mantra of so many people online (using raw sugar or at least less refined sugars plus some dehydrated fruits, the drink taste IMHO just plain awful (as well as become more awful with fermenting longer). I found a workaround with Darcy O'Neal's "spring water minerals" - suddenly the tibicos culture is multiplying and very happy even with plain white sugar - and the ferment taste light and nice. However the second ferment is very unpredictable: The time of the fermentation (even in the fridge) changes dramatically the taste. It ranges from slightly funky (which is great) to awful and kinda off.  The fermented fruit also makes a huge difference: cantaloup melon tasted very natural like a natural melon gatorade, similar to kiwi. Watermelon tas...