"Molecular Mixology"
May. 27th, 2008 09:20 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xiphias"Molecular Mixology" is the practice of using laboratory techniques to change the texture and other physical characteristics of an alcoholic drink.
There are a bunch of neat new things going on in the world of bartending today. People look into the past to do re-creation drinks, rediscovering the flavors of pre-Prohibition cocktails, and the artistry and taste of using only fresh ingredients, and the skill of careful preparation. People are still doing some flair, using their juggling skills to entertain as they mix drinks.
People push ahead, attempting to find new flavors in cordials and drinks, interesting new tastes. And, people push forward in technology, trying to change the entire experience of a "drink".
What IS "molecular mixology?" Well, I can think of a few things that are similar in concept, just to give you a sense of what I mean by "changing the physical characteristics."
Think about Jell-O shots. That would be the most basic example in this family. But that's really TOO simple to qualify. If you, however, took something like a Jell-O shot, and made it look like sashimi, and served it in a bento box with dipping sauces . . . then you're getting into the realm.
Naturally, as I am attempting to learn all I can about bartending in all its forms, I've started playing with molecular mixology. After all, "lab techniques" include plenty of things you can do in your kitchen.
I'm just not very good with it, yet. Because I've just started. My first two experiments didn't turn out too well.
Which is why I've got a screwdriver (the drink, not the tool) in the kitchen the same consistency as a Superball.
This does convince me that I CAN do this stuff -- I just need to come up with ways of doing it that are more, well, edible.
There are a bunch of neat new things going on in the world of bartending today. People look into the past to do re-creation drinks, rediscovering the flavors of pre-Prohibition cocktails, and the artistry and taste of using only fresh ingredients, and the skill of careful preparation. People are still doing some flair, using their juggling skills to entertain as they mix drinks.
People push ahead, attempting to find new flavors in cordials and drinks, interesting new tastes. And, people push forward in technology, trying to change the entire experience of a "drink".
What IS "molecular mixology?" Well, I can think of a few things that are similar in concept, just to give you a sense of what I mean by "changing the physical characteristics."
Think about Jell-O shots. That would be the most basic example in this family. But that's really TOO simple to qualify. If you, however, took something like a Jell-O shot, and made it look like sashimi, and served it in a bento box with dipping sauces . . . then you're getting into the realm.
Naturally, as I am attempting to learn all I can about bartending in all its forms, I've started playing with molecular mixology. After all, "lab techniques" include plenty of things you can do in your kitchen.
I'm just not very good with it, yet. Because I've just started. My first two experiments didn't turn out too well.
Which is why I've got a screwdriver (the drink, not the tool) in the kitchen the same consistency as a Superball.
This does convince me that I CAN do this stuff -- I just need to come up with ways of doing it that are more, well, edible.
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(no subject)
Date: 2008-05-28 11:37 am (UTC)Here is a recipe from Housekeeping in Old Virginia (1879)
Half a pound sugar, three pints lukewarm cream, one cupful wine. Dissolve the sugar in the wine, then pour it on the milk from a height and slowly, so as to cause the milk to froth
The syllabubs I've had at events had a thick and creamy texture, so obviously there's been some tinkering with the recipe along the way: perhaps gelatin, perhaps arrowroot or tapioca, strained after.
Anyway, also: wouldn't it be awesome if you could make alcoholic cotton candy?