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my mai tai
I love rum. A lot. A great local tiki restaurant here in Columbus...
infused simple syrup
Most of us at one time or another have probably put sugar crystals...
exxxtra-minty mojito
The mojito may be my favorite cocktail. When the weather warms up,...
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muddled cocktails
My muddler and I have had a lot of good times together. It helps me get out some pent-up aggression and I get a tasty cocktail out of the deal. You might say it’s therapeutic. I bought my first muddler in San Juan, Puerto Rico, at the House of Bacardi. I knew I would use it when I make my exxxtra-minty mojitos. I had no idea that I would use it as frequently as I do, and with many different kinds of herbs, fruits, and other aromatics. Muddling is the technique that inspired the name Crushed Cocktails. A muddler is a long, thin utensil, usually with teeth on one end. It looks kind of like it could be a kinky sex toy, but it’s not – it’s used to bruise and crush various aromatics to help them release their flavors. Typically, the aromatic is muddled with sugar and a small quantity of liquid before other ingredients are added. How much or how little you muddle something depends on how much flavor you wish to impart to your cocktail, and whether you want large or small pieces of it in your cocktail. (No pieces also is an option; just use a fine mesh strainer.) All of the recipes in this section...
shaken cocktails
Using a cocktail shaker is much more than just a cool-looking way to mix a drink. It actually performs several important functions: Shaking with ice helps chill the mixture before pouring it into in a glass, so it’s ready to drink and doesn’t melt the ice in the glass as quickly. Shaking with ice also helps bruise or crush any herbs or other aromatics that you have added. This process helps release oils and other flavor-intense elements to produce a better-tasting cocktail. Most shakers have a built-in strainer in the lid that helps keep your drink neat by preventing the larger chunks of ice and ingredients from getting into the serving glass. Shaking also helps incorporate thicker liquids into the mixure more effectively, such as fruit juices, dairy products, egg, etc., producing a smoother cocktail. (Try my mai tai and see for yourself!) Because all of the recipes in this section use various aromatics that will benefit from this process, shaking will generally be preferable to stirring. (Stirring is thought to be a better approach for some spirits considered more delicate, like gin and whiskey.) If you don’t yet have a cocktail shaker, purchase one that’s high quality and feels good in your hands, and shake...
infused cocktails
I will never forgot my first herb-infused cocktail. It was a lovely white wine sangria at Chef Jose Garces’s Philadelphia restaurant Amada. Long before he became an Iron Chef, he was a very well respected Philadelphia icon. I didn’t know this at the time, however. All I knew as I walked by it while strolling through the Old City neighborhood was that this was a Spanish restaurant that I had to try. As I sipped the sangria, I wondered what was giving it such a uniquely refreshing quality. It was rosemary. That blew my mind. And it forever changed how I think about cocktails and new cocktail recipes. Seven years later, it now serves as the inspiration for this blog – and ultimately a book – about using aromatics to infuse cocktails in new and delicious ways. When talking about beverages, infusing just means that an aromatic – an herb, spice, fruit, tea, flower, etc. – is placed into a liquid and given time to impart its flavor. Heat speeds up the process, but is not always desirable or appropriate for beverages we may wish to make. Take sangria, for example. The fruit, as well as the rosemary that I always include, will lend their flavors nicely if left overnight in...
exxxtra-minty mojito
The mojito may be my favorite cocktail. When the weather warms up, there are few things more refreshing than a tall glass of minty, sweet and tart goodness. I take an atypical approach to my mojito, however. If you’ve ever ordered one at a bar or restaurant, you’ve probably received a clear liquid with a few whole mint leaves swimming around. Tasty, but not nearly as tasty as it could be. I consider the amount of mint, and the degree to which it gets muddled, to be entirely insufficient for my tastes when it’s made correctly. You’ll notice that my mojitos are green. Really green. In fact, the xxx in the name is because it’s obscenely minty. Don’t worry – it’s not toothpaste minty. Just really fresh, green, delicious minty, which is offset beautifully with sweet and tart elements. I use a lot of mint, and I muddle it really well. Seriously – I don’t “bruise” it – I pulverize it. Don’t worry about those lovely little pieces of mint leaves floating around – they only enhance the aromatic qualities of this beautiful beverage from Cuba. The holes in a typical cocktail shaker lid will allow only the smallest pieces through; or, you...
infused simple syrup
Most of us at one time or another have probably put sugar crystals into a tall glass of iced tea or other cold beverage, only to spend the next ten minutes stirring until all the granules have dissolved. There has to be a better way! There is. A simple syrup is sugar-sweetened water, which blends immediately and effortlessly with most any drink. (The Japanese have already figured this out, and you can get cute little capsules of simple syrup at any coffee shop, while we chumps here in the U.S. continue to have to stir the contents of sugar packets into our cold beverages. But I digress…) Your basic simple syrup recipe usually specifies a sugar-to-water ratio of 2:1. That will yield 3 cups of a nice sweet liquid that you can store in your refrigerator for up to a month. Very handy. But the possibilities go well beyond such a simple, simple syrup. You can add just about any aromatic (herb, spice, floral, tea, etc.) to flavor it, which opens up a vast range of specific flavoring uses. simple syrup 2 cups sugar 1 cup water Place the sugar and water into a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil....
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infused simple syrup
Most of us at one time or another have probably put sugar crystals...
infused cocktails
I will never forgot my first herb-infused cocktail. It was a lovely...
exxxtra-minty mojito
The mojito may be my favorite cocktail. When the weather warms up,...
muddled cocktails
My muddler and I have had a lot of good times together. It helps me...
my mai tai
I love rum. A lot. A great local tiki restaurant here in Columbus...
shaken cocktails
Using a cocktail shaker is much more than just a cool-looking way to...