BUAS BLEND NOV ‘ 21
Written by : Sanne Koelman Designed by : Ted de Veer
Cocktails , there is something to love for everyone . Ranging from the heavier on the alcohol flavour Old Fashioned and Negroni to the fresh Mojito , classic Cosmopolitan , and sweet Pornstar Martini . These days , there are countless options to choose from , but it has not always been that way . In the 1970s , we saw a big change in the way cocktails were made . They went from being rather simple to colourful concoctions infused with juice , sugar , and lots of cream . The bartenders of this time played around with flavours , infusions , and ratios and created some of today ’ s loved cocktails , such as the Tequila Sunrise , Piña Colada , and the White Russian . Creating your own mixed drinks like the bartenders of the seventies may feel daunting , and it seems easier to just stick to existing recipes . However , nothing is further from the truth . Once you learn how to infuse your liquors and syrups , when you know about spices , herbs , and fresh fruits and how to add that to enhance an already established cocktail , a world of possibilities opens up . So , if you love cocktails and want to be able to name a cocktail after yourself , keep on reading .
On infusions : Infusing your ingredients is not as hard as it seems , the process is nothing more than adding a liquid and an aromatic together and exchanging their flavours . However , there are some things that are good to take into consideration when infusing your liquor and syrups : 1 . The golden rule : over-infusing your alcohol is better than under-infusing . After all , you can always dilute it if the taste is too strong .
2 . Use of the right ingredients for the right purposes . Ingredients with a high-water content are already saturated and exchange flavours far less easily than dry ingredients .
3 . What speeds up the infusing process . Dry aromatics and those with lots of surface area will infuse your liquid faster . Besides this , heat also speeds up the process , it is however not suitable for the infusion of liquors . Rather use it for infusing syrups .
4 . Carefully consider which liquor you are going to use . What type of alcohol you choose depends on the purpose of the infusion , and what aromatics your will be adding to create the flavour profile , no liquor is better than the other in that regard .
Infusing liquor : Use either the liquor bottle or an airtight container and add both the alcohol variety and flavourings to it . Then play the waiting game ; there are combinations that need months , others weeks , and some will be done within hours . Taste the infusion from time to time – how often depends on your ingredients – and strain it when you deem it ready . Get rid of the aromatics , put it in a clean bottle and it is ready to use !
Infuse liquors with :
• Herbs
• Spices
• Dried fruit
• Peels
• Tea Note : when infusing with tea , be sure to quadruple the regular recommended amount to improve the taste !
• Coffee
• Pepper Note : Pepper infuses very fast , so do not steep it for a long time . Up until 24 hours should be good already .
Infuse syrups with :
• Fresh fruit
• Sugars
Typical ‘ 70s cocktails Feel free to experiment with these recipes using syrups , aromatics , and infusions !
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