I first came across Brix meters (refractometers) while listening to a Nicolas de Soto interview with The Speakeasy on Heritage Radio. Basically, this device measures the amount of light refracted in a liquid. What this means for culinary purposes is that one can determine the amount of sugar present in a liquid.
This is great if you make different types of syrups and want to keep the sugar levels consistent across them all.
I prefer a 2:1 simple syrup (rich simple syrup), as opposed to the standard 1:1, because I can use less, it has a richer texture, and it adds less water to the cocktail. So using that as my reference point, I can use the refractometer to adjust other syrups I make to have the same level of sugar as a standard rich simple syrup. This allows for a more consistent level of sweetness across cocktails with different types of syrups.
Cheers!
Friday, October 17, 2014
Sunday, July 6, 2014
NYC Bars You Must Visit
Here are a few NYC bars that are doing something different than just revamping classic cocktails. They also all happen to be a little hidden, but it's definitely worth the little effort it takes to find them. In no particular order:
- Apotheke - Deriving its name from the German word for "pharmacy", this bar is located on Doyers Street down in Chinatown, and the focus here is bold flavors using market fresh fruits and vegetables, infusions, purees, teas, spices, herbs, etc. The cocktail list is extensive, changes every season, and is categorized by the effect of the drink, ie. aphrodisiac, pain killer, stress reliever, etc. They also have several absinthe offerings. This place is one of my favorites.
- Experimental Cocktail Club - The 3rd installment after the original Paris bar and subsequent London bar, this establishment is located on Chrystie Street in the Lower East Side. You'll be hard pressed to find a better cocktail in the city, and the drinks here truly live up to the bar name. Bottled cocktails, mushroom infused scotch, burnt butter & toasted hay infused calvados, red bell pepper syrup, and many other unusual but delicious things can be found here. A must visit. *NOTE: ECC has recently changed bar managers, so it remains to be seen if the menu will continue to offer the same extreme ingredients.
- Mulberry Project - Bespoke cocktail geniuses. Hidden down a sidewalk stairwell between two Italian restaurants on Mulberry Street, this place has no cocktail list. Instead there is a chalkboard by the bar with the day's fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs, and bartenders stand by willing and able to concoct craft cocktails on the spot tailored to your tastes and preferences. I have yet to be disappointed by anything coming out of the bar.
- Angel's Share - This bar is one of the forefathers of the speakeasy craft cocktail movement in NYC, and it's the closest thing to an authentic Japanese cocktail experience you'll find in the city, maybe the country. Situated in the back of Village Yokocho restaurant on Stuyvesant Street in the East Village, this bar also has an extensive list of cocktails that changes regularly, and every cocktail has a story behind it adding to its allure.
Hopefully at some point in the near future you'll have the opportunity to visit each one.
Cheers.
Friday, June 27, 2014
The Negroni!
.JPG)
If you like cocktails, and live in Manhattan in particular, you know the Negroni. Gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, or some other aperitif. Just about every bar serves them nowadays.
There are various recipes out there. I believe the original was 1:1:1.
Based on today's taste preferences, a reliable go to is:
1.5 oz gin
1 oz aperitif
.75 oz sweet vermouth
1 dash orange bitters
Garnish with orange peel
Stir. Drink. Enjoy.
Cheers.
Milk Punch Filtration Using A Vacuum Filter
I've been into milk punches for quite some time now, but I've struggled to find a clear, concise, quick and easy way to accomplish the most important part of the process: the actual filtration of the milk curds and solids from the solution. Until now...
If you're not familiar with milk punch, and I'm specifically referring to the classic punch like the one laid out in Dave Wondrich's book, "Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl", then you should definitely find some time to get up to speed. The basic principle behind it is using milk to remove the color from a darker spirit like a brandy or whiskey, while at the same time creating a liquid that has a rich and silky mouth feel, and can last a significant amount of time refrigerated once bottled.
My current recipe is as follows and produces around 2,250 ml (3 wine bottles) of milk punch:
After 24 hrs have gone by I combine the two jars. I then slightly bring to a boil the organic whole milk and pour into the jar containing the other ingredients. Then I add the lemon juice to the mixture to "break" the milk, and shake and let sit for an hour. The citric acid in the lemon juice is what drives the separation of the milk into its clear and not clear parts. During this time you'll see the mixture separate (the clear liquid with have a yellowish tint).
Once the mixture has cooled it's time to filter the clear deliciousness from the murky other stuff. Every source I've come across has recommended using a cheese cloth or some other fabric to filter out the curds. And this is fine if you have hours of time to dedicate to the process, because it will in fact take numerous rounds of filtering to reach the desired result - a crystal clear punch that looks delicious.
The Solution
Use a mother-loving Buchner funnel!!
If you don't know what a Buchner funnel is, just think back to your high school, maybe even middle school chemistry class days (or Google it). The Buchner funnel is sealed to a flask using a rubber gasket which forms an air tight seal. A tube is then connected to the flask and attached to either a pump or a faucet to create a vacuum in the flask. Filter paper is placed in the funnel and once the liquid is poured into the funnel the vacuum pressure sucks the liquid through the paper and leaves behind the solid particles which are too large to pass through. And it does so much faster than the typical cheese cloth filtration.
One quick tip, be sure to wet the filter paper with whatever your base liquor is, prior to adding your mixture (i.e. bourbon if your punch is made with bourbon, cognac if your punch is made with cognac). After the filter paper is saturated and the pump has been pumped several times this will create the vacuum seal on the paper that will prevent any unwanted stuff from passing through the sides of the paper. You might have to press down on the paper a little while pumping to make sure it's perfectly flat on the funnel.
My setup is:
Here's a pic of my setup. The jar in the foreground is 1 liter and the one in the background is 3 liters. I also had another 1L in the fridge.
And here's a pic of the final product in the 3 liter jar.
As you can see, the milk punch passed through the filter crystal clear... after only with 1 attempt. In total I'd say it took about 2 hours to do the entire batch of milk punch, as this was also my first time attempting this method. I was slow and cautious. Didn't want to screw anything up or break anything. In the future I'd imagine the process will go much faster.
Cheers!
If you're not familiar with milk punch, and I'm specifically referring to the classic punch like the one laid out in Dave Wondrich's book, "Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl", then you should definitely find some time to get up to speed. The basic principle behind it is using milk to remove the color from a darker spirit like a brandy or whiskey, while at the same time creating a liquid that has a rich and silky mouth feel, and can last a significant amount of time refrigerated once bottled.
My current recipe is as follows and produces around 2,250 ml (3 wine bottles) of milk punch:
- 32 oz Bourbon infused with peel from 1 orange
- House-made Chai masala (star anise, fennel seeds, saffron, vanilla bean, cinnamon, etc.)
- 1/2 lb Sugar
- 32 oz Water
- 16 oz Milk (organic whole)
- 3 oz Lemon juice (2 lemons freshly squeezed)
After 24 hrs have gone by I combine the two jars. I then slightly bring to a boil the organic whole milk and pour into the jar containing the other ingredients. Then I add the lemon juice to the mixture to "break" the milk, and shake and let sit for an hour. The citric acid in the lemon juice is what drives the separation of the milk into its clear and not clear parts. During this time you'll see the mixture separate (the clear liquid with have a yellowish tint).
Once the mixture has cooled it's time to filter the clear deliciousness from the murky other stuff. Every source I've come across has recommended using a cheese cloth or some other fabric to filter out the curds. And this is fine if you have hours of time to dedicate to the process, because it will in fact take numerous rounds of filtering to reach the desired result - a crystal clear punch that looks delicious.
The Solution
Use a mother-loving Buchner funnel!!
If you don't know what a Buchner funnel is, just think back to your high school, maybe even middle school chemistry class days (or Google it). The Buchner funnel is sealed to a flask using a rubber gasket which forms an air tight seal. A tube is then connected to the flask and attached to either a pump or a faucet to create a vacuum in the flask. Filter paper is placed in the funnel and once the liquid is poured into the funnel the vacuum pressure sucks the liquid through the paper and leaves behind the solid particles which are too large to pass through. And it does so much faster than the typical cheese cloth filtration.
One quick tip, be sure to wet the filter paper with whatever your base liquor is, prior to adding your mixture (i.e. bourbon if your punch is made with bourbon, cognac if your punch is made with cognac). After the filter paper is saturated and the pump has been pumped several times this will create the vacuum seal on the paper that will prevent any unwanted stuff from passing through the sides of the paper. You might have to press down on the paper a little while pumping to make sure it's perfectly flat on the funnel.
My setup is:
- 12.5 cm (diameter) ceramic Buchner funnel
- 2,000 ml flask with spout
- Hand pump
- Plastic tubing
- Rubber gasket to form a seal between the funnel and the flask
- Medium 12.5 cm filter paper
Here's a pic of my setup. The jar in the foreground is 1 liter and the one in the background is 3 liters. I also had another 1L in the fridge.
And here's a pic of the final product in the 3 liter jar.
As you can see, the milk punch passed through the filter crystal clear... after only with 1 attempt. In total I'd say it took about 2 hours to do the entire batch of milk punch, as this was also my first time attempting this method. I was slow and cautious. Didn't want to screw anything up or break anything. In the future I'd imagine the process will go much faster.
Cheers!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)