The Mixology Talk Podcast, Episode Fifty Eight
What do you do when your cocktail’s flavor just isn’t quite bold enough? Here are some ideas!
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In today’s Episode…
We’re talking about some ideas for enhancing your cocktails’ flavor.
Cryofreezing:
We used this technique to clarify and concentrate fresh tomato juice. The premise is that water melts at a higher melting point than other juices, so you can freeze and partially defrost the juice several times and remove the water from the solution in that way.
Tinctures
Creating your own Flavor Library is a great way to have some concentrated flavors that you can add to a cocktail at a moment’s notice. Just a drop or two can really enhance flavor without adding any water content or (virtually) any alcohol to a drink.
Using the same sweetening base as the spirit
This is one of my favorite tricks to play. For example, I like to use Agave nectar with Tequila, or Molasses with Rum. The sweetener enhances the flavor of the spirit and can create a very bold, smooth flavor. (One of my favorite examples was using Barley Malt Syrup with whiskey!)
Maceration
Sounds fancy, but “Maceration” is one of the simplest methods of all. When working with fruit with a high water content, chop up the fruit and cover it in sugar. The sugar will extract the water and flavor and the result will be a delicious flavored syrup. Use that syrup in cocktails for a greatly great fruit flavor – that doesn’t taste like it’s been “cooked”! We used this technique in our Melon Ball Cocktail.
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Have you ever tried the techniques listed above? How did you go? Let us know in the comments or send us a question at questions@mixologytalk.com
Your Beety Mary sounds delicious – and you’re absolutely right, we haven’t tried using beef broth (or chicken, veggie, etc. either!) Thanks for sharing – that is such a great idea, I think we’ll definitely have to give it a try!
Hey Folks,
Just wanted to say that I appreciate your blog very much! Perhaps an earlier commenter took care of this question, but I wanted to address the bitters vs tincture issue with some clarity.
To properly answer this question, one needs to define “Bitters” first; there are two categories: Potable, known by the names Aperitif and Digestif (think Jaegermeister or Fernet) and Non-Potable (Angostura, Peychaud’s, Scrappy’s, etc). They are both botanicals infused into (nuetral) grain alcohol, however the former is crafted to be enjoyed on its own, while the ladder can be nauseating when sipped straight.
So that brings us to tinctures. The word tincture does not immediately bring forth visions of delicious cocktails. My first thought is of Cannabis Tinctures, marijuana steeped in high-proof alcohol to extract the THC and other cannabinoids into liquid form. But in the world of Bitters, tinctures refer to non-potable bitters that express ONE SINGLE INGREDIENT. Bitters, by definition, are a /blend/ of botanicals, usually with a bittering agent like cinchona or gentian. They can be infused all together in the same batch, or several botanicals can steep separately (to make individual tinctures) at which point the crafts-person blends several tinctures together to make a proprietary batch of what is now, properly called “Bitters.” Tinctures are for imparting a specific flavor, like sage or cardamom, while bitters bring a special combination of flavors.
I hope that this explanation was thorough and enlightening! I don’t claim to be the end-all of knowledge in this category, but I did just get into a bitters-making kick recently. So I’ve been reading up on lots of tincture trivia 😉
Good stuff …. can you use infused rum (white + cinismo) as a flavor enhancer
too for let’s say a Mojito ?
Absolutely, I could see that working really well!
Good stuff … Can you enhance the flavor of a Mojito using infuse rum ( white rum + cinnimon) ?