20
votes
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What can I substitute for Cointreau
Cointreau is just one particular brand. You can substitute any other triple sec/orange liquor. Some may suit your tastes better than others, but there's really no reason to insist on the fanciest most ...
- 58.2k
15
votes
Accepted
How to get rid of foam on shaken cocktails
Foam in shaken cocktails is often actually considered a desirable quality. This is the reason why you'll sometimes see egg white included in recipes like the whiskey sour - the proteins in the egg ...
- 14.9k
15
votes
Official cocktail recipes vs typical glass sizes
Despite what many bars, convenience stores, and fast food restaurants would have you believe, drink glasses are not intended to be "filled to the brim" (or even close). This is particularly true of ...
- 18.2k
13
votes
Vietnamese Coffee (cocktail) - what to sub for condensed milk?
I would suggest that you use cream of coconut, which is the base for piña coladas as a substitute. It's thick and sweet, and should complement the avocado pretty well. Note that this is a canned ...
- 75.4k
11
votes
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Irish Coffee harder to get right than Baileys Coffee?
Some preparations for Irish coffee demand that the whiskey and sugar be caramelized together by heating them in a heat-proof glass over a burner and then topped with hot coffee and thick liquid cream. ...
- 58.6k
10
votes
Accepted
Why does a (vodka) martini often come with an olive on a stick?
Olives (and onions) are a very traditional garnish used by bartenders to add a slightly savory flavor to a drink. As with many things behind the bar, they're used nowadays largely because they're ...
- 14.9k
8
votes
Accepted
Freeze ice to far below 0 Celsius?
Most of the cooling from ice comes from the melting anyway. That's why ice makers, which don't freeze as cold as freezers, are still useful.
It takes 334J/g to turn ice at 0C into water at 0C, but ...
- 43.8k
8
votes
Accepted
What's the difference between Santa Cruz Rum and Jamaican Rum?
Cocktail historian David Wondrich discusses this very topic in his book "Imbibe!", pages 74-75. (It's structured around Jerry Thomas' first cocktail books—perhaps it's in one of those you're ...
- 96
8
votes
How much is a “glass,” in an old English cocktail recipe (1930)?
I am not sure if "glass" in your recipe is the same as this, but in David Wondrich's book, "IMBIBE!" (about vintage cocktail recipes), he indicates that a "wineglass" measurement in vintage recipes ...
- 5,972
8
votes
Coconut cream from coconut butter
Coconut cream is a more concentrated version of coconut milk, with more fat but also more coconut solids. Coconut milk won't mix well with additional coconut oil, because without the additional solids ...
- 26.9k
8
votes
Whiskey sour: should the bourbon kill any germs in the egg whites?
The alcohol is not enough to kill germs in your beverage. Typically alcohol content necessary for killing germs is between 60% and 95%.
Straight bourbon will not approach that.
You're "not dead ...
- 1,230
7
votes
Does gin "bruise"?
This is one of those things that everybody has an answer for, but nobody has any evidence.
Almost nobody. The website Proof66 decided they were uniquely qualified to provide some actual... evidence. ...
- 179
7
votes
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Coconut milk looks like water with butter chunks
There can easily be some confusion regarding the terms cream of coconut, coconut milk, coconut cream, coconut water etc. It is normal and even often desirable for coconut milk to separate, and for the ...
- 58.5k
7
votes
How to make syrups shelf stable?
A syrup can be made shelf stable by reaching the appropriate water activity. Generally, using 2:1 sugar to water is considered sufficient to give you a safe level of water activity of around 0.86, ...
- 136k
6
votes
Coconut milk looks like water with butter chunks
There is nothing wrong with your coconut milk. I've found that coconut milks and creams vary from brand to brand. Your milk has a good portion of coconut oil in it. Coconut oil is solid at room ...
- 47.5k
6
votes
Does gin "bruise"?
"Don"t bruise the Gin" is a very old request. It is NOT caused by shaking but by stirring the Gin. Prior to stainless steel, bar spoons were made from iron, steel or silver. Both iron and steel spoons ...
- 61
6
votes
Can durian be used as a cocktail ingredient?
There are even a couple results talking about whether it's even safe to mix with alcohol.
I think this is the interesting part of this question: you obviously can use durian in a cocktail, but should ...
- 4,796
6
votes
Accepted
How to extract mouth numbing effect from Sichuan peppercorn into a syrup?
The reason you didn't get the numbing effect is because the hydroxy alpha sanshool is an alcohol that is largely soluble in oils not water.
When boiled it will come off in the steam and escape the ...
- 13.9k
5
votes
Accepted
3 piece Cocktail Shaker Question
This is just my experience, but sometimes you can't get a decent pour through the built-in strainer in the top of a Cobbler Shaker, so taking off the top two parts (the little lid and the piece that ...
- 5,972
5
votes
Should an Aviation include Crème de Violette?
According to wikipedia, the original Hugo Ensslin's recipe calls for 2 dashes of crème de violette.
In the same article there can be some variation on the theme, with or without crème de violette.
...
- 20.5k
5
votes
Official cocktail recipes vs typical glass sizes
People's understanding of what "one" cocktail is have varied over the years. See for example this article, which, fittingly enough, discusses nick and nora glasses.
glasses were a lot smaller back ...
- 136k
5
votes
Accepted
What does 'white' alone mean in cocktail recipes?
As mentioned in a couple of comments, this almost certainly means egg white, which is used in some shaken drinks to create a stable foam on top of the finished cocktail. It can also "round out" the ...
- 14.9k
5
votes
How to extract mouth numbing effect from Sichuan peppercorn into a syrup?
After reading @bob1's very helpful answer I ran a couple tests and found that the hydroxy alpha sanshool does seem to be soluble in alcohol such that it could be infused. In my first test I left a ...
- 677
5
votes
Accepted
Vietnamese Coffee (cocktail) - what to sub for condensed milk?
If you're comfortable with a modernist answer, you could use 210S, a 50/50 blend of modified (for cold solubility) Gum Arabic and Xanthan gum, popularized in part by Dave Arnold's book, Liquid ...
- 681
4
votes
Can durian be used as a cocktail ingredient?
Durian has a powerful flavor and a creamy consistency, so the usual tricks of soaking durian pieces in liqueur or incorporating them into a sangria or juicing it for punch or isn't going to work very ...
- 3,942
4
votes
Keeping crushed ice from melting, without it joining back together
Don't pay too attention to the previous answers.... I've got this one!
I've had a severe crushed ice addiction for about 5 years and I've figured out a few ways to help keep crushed ice fluffy and ...
- 41
4
votes
Accepted
Juicing nectarines
You may want to explain what you want to do with said juice, but since you tagged your question "cocktails", I am thinking that clarified juice might be good. One option (if you don't have a ...
- 73.8k
4
votes
What can I substitute for Cointreau
You can, generally, substitute another brand Triple Sec for that, since that is what Cointreau is. If you're used to Cointreau, you might want to transition to brands known for being of decent ...
- 3,634
4
votes
Irish Coffee harder to get right than Baileys Coffee?
A "Bailey's Coffee" was likely simply a cup of coffee with Bailey's added, and maybea dollop of cream on top. Anyone with legal ability to make and serve a drink would be able to get you that.
An ...
- 2,838
4
votes
Accepted
Solubility of turmeric powder
Turmeric is a plant, and therefore is made up of many different chemicals. Most of the aromatic compounds in turmeric are either water-soluble or disperse well in water, and are too small to be ...
- 2,414
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