Posted by R.K. Gella
Summer is upon us, and moods are prompted for brightly sapid libations, clean and cool, able to assuage under the rising temperatures. Already with a wide array of hedonistic temptations to choose from this season, a new method is being infused to classic recipes to offer a bit of bubbly character.
Flat drinks are being gassed up. I’m not speaking in terms of splashes of soda water or tonick-ing up a highball of gin, rather, injecting the effervescent goodness right into the spirit itself.
Places like David Chang’s Momofuku (Ko, Saam, and Noodle Bar) have been infusing bubbles into spirits for quite some time, like unfiltered Sake and now Banyuls, a French dessert wine.
As Dave Arnold, the director of Culinary Technology at the French Culinary Institute, told the NY Times yesterday:
“Take a gin and tonic, which seems like it should be a really great drink but rarely is… There’s usually not enough gin flavor and not enough bubbles.”
That’s what carbonating the spirit saves you from, flavor-loss and dilution.
Lower East Side darling, and home of internationally recognized gastro-chemist chef, Wylie Defresne, WD~50, has been experimenting with carbonation for the past year. Two successes have come to fruition in the Cabo San Lucas, a combination of vodka, hibiscus tea and yuzu juice; and the Son of a Preacher Man, rye whisky, ginger liqueur and lemon juice. Each cocktail is pre-made then charged with carbon dioxide before serving.
A carbon dioxide charger/home soda maker can be found online, but for those who would rather just purchase the pre-charged spirit, it might be difficult.
As of right now, O2 Vodka, which holds the patent on its sparkling pure grain distillation, is the worlds first and only effervescent spirit sold within US borders.
The Short Buzz is a regular post highlighting spirits.
Interesting. I don’t know if it’s true, but a wine-loving boss I had years ago avoided one brand of champagne because they used CO2 and it left you with one heck of a hangover. I wonder if that applies to other drinks.