The Mixology Talk Podcast, Episode Thirty Three

More listener questions this week! Learn about converting “Parts” to measurements, Gum syrup and dirty martinis.

Listen Now:

In today’s Episode…

We’ve been getting lots more great questions from listeners, and it’s time to catch up a bit!

Question #1: Recipes in “Parts”

Terry from Maui asks:

“How do you convert “Parts” into measurements?”

Most companies tend to write recipes using parts instead of specific units to keep them “universal.”

The Easy Way:

Pick an arbitrary unit. For example, a recipe calls for 1 part Gin and 2 parts dry vermouth, you could just use one ounce as one part and make the cocktail accordingly.

The Hard Way:

• Step 1: Figure out the total volume you need to end up with. You can either measure the glass the drink will end up in or just use your bar’s standard pour. If you are using the size of your glass as your measure and the drink will be served with ice, cut that amount in half.
• Step 2: Reduce that amount by roughly 20%. As we’ve mentioned before, shaking or stirring a cocktail adds somewhere between 20-30% water, so we need to account for that to leave room in the glass. The result is the total volume of your cocktail ingredients.
• Step 3: Add up all of your recipe’s parts. If it’s two parts Gin and one part dry vermouth, that’s three parts total.
• Step 4: Make yourself a drink. Seriously, this is getting ridiculous.
• Step 5: Take the total amount you found in step 2 and divide by the total number of your recipe’s parts.
• Step 6: Adjust the final recipe accordingly.

The Cheater Way: I’m not telling, you’ll have to listen to find out!

Question #2: Gum Syrup

Michael Goldman from Oregon asks:

“Do you ever use or make a “Gomme” Simple Syrup? Supposedly this was the Simple Syrup of the past using Gum Arabica. It’s supposed to dramatically improve the mouth feel of cocktails.”

I have used Gum Arabica and Gum Syrup for my cocktails and it indeed alters the “mouth feel” of the drink. It used to be extremely common but nowadays folks just normally use simple syrup. You can find Gum Arabica on Amazon (Affiliate Link) if you’d like to give it a try.  A warning – working with it is a little bit tricky – check out our video on Gum Syrup which explains how to use it in detail.

Question #3: Dirty Martinis

T.J. from Memphis asks:

“Hey y’all! What is you guys’ preferred dirty martini recipe? Do you go with gin, vodka, or genever? What variety of said spirit? How about the vermouth; does any brand in particular compliment the olive juice especially well? What about the olives themselves?”

I love Dirty Martinis and was my drink of choice. To answer your question, here’s my favorite recipe for a Dirty Martini:

• 2 oz of Vodka
• ¼ oz of Olive Brine (or to taste)
• Garnish with Spanish Olives

Thanks for Listening!

Thank you so much for your support and your questions! If you have any questions of your own, scroll down to where it says “Got Cocktail or Bartending Questions?” and send ’em in!