Molecular cocktails. Layered drink of unusual kind and taste

You can call it a revolution in cooking orglamorous snobbery, but molecular cuisine is not just surprising - it dizzy. Judge for yourself: gilded steak, eggs or olives that burst in the mouth and spread over the receptors of the tongue with the taste of mojito, a ball of shrimp ice cream, coffee biscuits, sorbet from tea ... These dishes are so unusual that a natural question arises: is it possible to eat them ? Are they harmful? This concern is all the more evident when you observe the process of preparing such molecular dishes. Centrifuges, flasks, liquid nitrogen, gum and other chemicals are not a kitchen, but a whole laboratory! Unlike cheap fast food, where all sorts of flavor enhancers are used, dubious dyes and emulsifiers, only natural ingredients are used in molecular cooking. So in baked bacon there is real meat, and in any crackers or chips it was not close. The focus of this article will be molecular cocktails. Can I cook them myself, or does it require a whole laboratory? We will answer this question below.

Brief historical digression

This will sound strange, but the first molecularcocktails appeared in ... 1840 year. Yes, in the distant nineteenth century. Even then, people experimented with coffee and milk, using a different density of liquids to create layered cocktails. The fact that the black and white layers do not mix, looked a miracle. This explains the popularity of latte and other coffee drinks with milk all over the world.

But chemists from cooking went even further. They began to look for ways to change the condition, texture, form of a familiar drink, to dazzle and fascinate gourmets. Changes at the molecular level also affected taste. An innovative cocktail can not just be eaten with a spoon or swallowed in the form of a gelled egg. The very taste of this "drink" will surprise you with its unusual. Pioneers in the field of molecular mixology were chef Heston Blumenthal and barman Tony Cogliaru from the British restaurant "Fat Duck", as well as the Spaniard Ferran Adri from "El Bulia." And for twenty-five years their followers have advanced much further than creating a culinary foam without eggs.

Molecular cocktails - to the masses

After the New York bartender Eben FreemanHe treated his visitors with spheres of mint and lime aroma, immersed in a mixture of soda, rum Bacardi and xanthan gum, a drink called Bacardi Mojito of the Future became a hit of the season. Throughout the world, institutions have started to open under the sign Molecular Cocktail Mixology. This fashion has reached us. Another thing is that molecular mixology is a highly scientific branch. Change the quality of the ingredients of the drink with the help of physical and chemical effects is difficult. This case requires the use of devices such as a centrifuge and a laser. The slightest deviation from the recipe reduces all the work to create a miracle drink to zero. Therefore, such cocktails are not cheap compared to traditional ones. But the demand for them is still growing.

Is it possible to make molecular cocktails at home?

It is unlikely that you have in the kitchen stored liquid nitrogen oryou store sodium alginate in the spice cabinet. But do not despair. Some of the molecular cocktails you can create. What technical devices are required for this? First, a professional blender capable of turning a product of any hardness into puree. Secondly, the siphon - for carbonating drinks carbonic acid. We need a powerful mixer that will at least replace the centrifuge. Accurate scales. And as chemicals we will use granular or sheet gelatin, various food colorings and emulsifiers. Some cocktails are created using ultra-low temperatures. Liquid nitrogen in this case will be replaced by dry ice. When creating molecular cocktails, barmen often resort to emulsification. Soy lecithin will turn any liquid, be it juice or milk, into a resistant foam like a souffle.

Simple but very tasty and amazing drinks

With some degree of chemical awarenessit is possible to prepare molecular cocktails at home. Recipes of such drinks do not require the use of centrifuges and liquid nitrogen. But still we will use some chemicals. Here is the first recipe, the simplest. Brew green tea (20 grams of peeled leaves a glass of boiling water). Add two tablespoons of granulated sugar and let stand for five minutes. We poured 50 g of lime juice and strain through a fine strainer. When the tea is completely cooled, add one egg white. With the help of a mixer, we drink the drink into a foam. The only downside of the cocktail is that you need it right away. After five minutes, the foam will settle, and the drink will lose its shape.

Makiyato

Do not forget that the first molecular cocktailbecame a coffee-milk layered drink. So, let's cook the makiato. It is still cold (then it is called kaldo) and hot (cortado). But we will prepare a classic layered makiato. Milk (150 ml) is divided into three parts. One in a cold form will be poured into the bottom of a transparent high glass. The second heat up to 70 degrees. The third part we will take in a magnificent foam. To make it more resistant, you need to use a single product or cream. Now pour hot milk into the glass over the cold one. We spread the whipped foam. Carefully pour hot espresso. Coffee will be placed exactly on the milk layer under the cap of white foam. Latte is like a makiato layered. The difference is only in the proportions of coffee and milk. In the latte, it is 1: 3, whereas in the makiato 1: 2. You can decorate such a cocktail with cinnamon, cocoa.

Original Martini

Molecular cuisine often uses such a simplemethod, as gelling. But for this we will use some chemicals, such as xanthan gum and calcium chloride. We squeeze the juice out of the olives. We mix it with vermouth and gin. Add our chemical thickeners. We pour a solution of water and sodium alginate. And we will be surprised at how the liquid turns into capsules in the form of beads. Inside they are liquid, and outside, like jelly. In the mouth, such a bead bursts and spreads over the palate with the usual martini taste.

Milk shake

Mango (or other fruits freed from the skinand seeds) are cut into cubes and crushed with a blender. Add the same amount of whole milk to a glass of fruit pulp. We fill the sugar to taste. And add one gram (it is important to clearly adhere to the proportions) of xanthan gum. Shake in a mixer with a few ice cubes. We pour out on high glasses, we adorn with leaves of mint and slices of fruit. Making molecular cocktails, you can resort to ultra-low temperatures. We mix lemon juice, rum, mango puree and sugar syrup. Thoroughly mix. Add the divorced gelatin. And put the cocktail deep freeze.