In part one of Cyanide in Stone Fruit, we figured out how much cyanide was contained in fruit pit kernels and their toxicity. To summarize, yes there is cyanide in the kernels and there is enough to harm you. The next obvious question is; can you remove the cyanide from the kernel so it can be used in liqueurs? Additionally, […]
Recent Posts
Cyanide in Apricot & Cherry Pits
Even before I wrote the maraschino cherry post, some people had asked me whether the quantity of cyanide in fruit pits/stones (apricot, peach, plum, cherry, etc.) was significant enough to harm someone and whether there was a way to remove the cyanide from the kernels. Since the world has a fascination with deadly ingredients, let’s talk about the toxicity of […]
How do you stop sedimentation in bitters?
Making things at home and for the bar is fun, but problems often arise when the creations you make are not stable and sediment begins to form. Here are some scientific tips to help.
Cocktail Hall of Shame
When you write a blog, you try to keep things interesting by writing about a bunch of different subjects. Most of the time I write about cocktails and drinks I like, or what’s popular. That can get old. So I decided that I should occasionally write about things I don’t like and see what we can learn from it. Hence, […]
Anti-Bitters (aka Bitter Blockers)
I’ve always like the idea of molecular mixology, but not necessarily the name or some of the end products. The name has been abandoned by most practitioners of the art, but the media refuses to move on. So be it, it’s just a name and if it promote’s better drinks / solids / foams / beads then that’s fine. Hence […]
Some Tips About Tipping
Recently there has been a lot of blog posts (Waiter Rant, Boozenews.ca, etc.) about tipping, and I figure I should throw my two cents into the ring. In general, tipping or providing gratuities, for a job well done by a server or bartender is a given in the food and beverage business. But it is always a crap shoot from […]
Rumona Rum Liqueur
As I was perusing my local liquor store, I came across a product called Rumona, which is a sweet rum liqueur from Jamaica. I’m personally a big fan of rum, but unless you are buying aged rum, it can be a little hot and hellish to sip straight, or even on the rocks. But, a rum liqueur would have all […]
Fruit Pectin
After writing the article on the Dawn of Tiki, I had about a litre of prepared fruit juice leftover, so I’ve continued to make the drink from the Philippines. Even though I’m on my sixth or seventh one, the drink still has a peculiar property that makes me enamoured with it. I’ve finally figured out one of the unique properties […]
Parfait d’Amour
Valentine’s day is a wonderful commercial holiday. If the governments of the world wanted to fix the economy, they’d just make Valentines a week event and everything would be fixed. But alas, only Hallmark had that level of ingenuity. Flowers, chocolate, cards, diamonds and a dinner out now represent the modern definition of love, which is paid in one annual […]
Grand Dukes Nectar
Here is another old cocktail (fancy drink), circa 1873, that is named after Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia. The drink comes from an article published in the New Orleans Daily Picayune (1873 and was created by Mr. E.F. Barry, a bartender at the Everett House hotel in uptown New York. You may remember Mr. Barry as one of the […]
Method of Preserving Fresh Cherries
From Patent 4298623 Issued on November 3, 1981. Estimated Expiration Date: December 14, 1999. Description This invention relates to the processing of cherries, and more particularly to a method of processing fresh uncooked cherries in such a manner as to render the cherries storable. The invention further concerns a method of processing cherries which have been stored in the manner […]
Maraschino and Cocktail Cherries
As much as the maraschino cherry is reviled by professional bartenders, it is lovingly embraced by the consumers of sundaes and artificially flavoured fruit “martinis”. Why do people love the artificial variety? Aside from the brilliant red colour, the cherries remain plump like a cherry should be, and not shriveled like the head of a 105 year old person. Oddly, […]
Jack and Coke Recipe
Learning from the century-old Rum & Coke recipe, making the best Jack & Coke is easy if you follow a few simple steps.
Salty Dog Cocktail
Grapefruit juice is a relatively common ingredient in cocktails, with the perennial favourite being the Greyhound, but the Paloma is better. Unlike a Screwdriver, the Greyhound isn’t nearly as sweet and even has a pleasant bitterness that is imparted by the grapefruit juice. There are people who do not enjoy the bitterness of grapefruit juice, so those people tend to […]