Molecular Mixology V: Kentucky Monk

As life has been crazy busy as of late, I’m going to phone this one in, and give you an article that I gave to Stan for his new Mixology Magazine, now that I know that it won’t be printed in English and thereby won’t affect his readership.

Warning: the following post is about beer syrup, which we’ve already covered ad nauseam. The cocktail, however, takes a “molecular mixology” tilt, as this is what was requested by Stan.

Here goes the article, as submitted, before editing:

There has been a trend, as of late, to use beer in cocktails. Whether it stems from a need for new ingredients, or the need to be creative, I know not, but I do know that it is a trend that has long been in the waiting. Wine has been used in mixed beverages for centuries know, and it seems almost absurd that beer hasn’t shown its face a little more often in America’s greatest contribution to the world, the cocktail.

The beer industry today is rife with tradition and innovation. From ancient Belgiums to fruity lambics to yesterday’s latest micro-brew, we have an infinite world of flavors at our disposal. It was high time that someone started accessing these interesting and varied beer characteristics.

I was recently approached to develop some beer cocktails, but instead of responding with the usual twists on the ale flip, or the shandy, I decided to go way off into left field, and experiment with beer liqueurs and syrups. I’ve never been a big fan of many of the liqueurs on the market as they mainly hit just one note of flavor and are providing little more than sweetness. Due to their simplicity and expense, I’ve always leaned toward making my own syrups and liqueurs, and while I’ve made liqueurs out of wine in the past, for some reason I’ve never looked to beer to offer me flavor. This was about to change.

Grabbing a farmhouse ale from the fridge I set about making my first beer syrup. After de-carbonating the beer, I placed it on the stove and heated it up, so that it would be able to accept the sugar that I was going to add. Sugar added, yeasty head removed and syrup cooled, I tasted my new product. Eureka! The final result was a honeyed, slightly yeasty beer candy.

Realizing the whiskey and beer come from the same family, I decided to make a cocktail with my new friend from Belgium and an old friend from Kentucky: Knob Creek bourbon. And in keeping with the beer theme, I wanted the finished product to look like it could be a glass of beer.

I present for you, the Kentucky Monk….

KENTUCKY MONK
2 oz bourbon
½ oz Torani Amer
4 dashes coriander tincture

stir and strain into miniature beer glass
half fill remainder with beer syrup foam
fine grate orange zest on foam
top with beer syrup foam again
brûlée foam with Angostura flame
garnish with finely grated orange zest and amaro Nonino dust

Beer Syrup Foam
1 sheet bloomed gelatin
4 egg whites
4 oz hot water
6 oz beer syrup
2 oz lemon juice

place all in ISI canister, charge and chill

Beer Syrup
1 bottle of flavorful Belgium beer (I chose Saison Dupont Farmhouse Ale)
12 oz sugar

open beer and pour into a container
stir to release CO2 and leave for several hours
place beer in a large pot and heat.
Do not let the beer boil, as it gets messy
add sugar, stirring until it is completely dissolved
skim off head that forms
take off heat, and allow to cool somewhat
strain syrup, to remove any head that has developed

Amaro Nonino Dust
Place 5 oz amaro on a flat sterile metal surface (not too deep of a puddle)
Leave until dry (place on top of a warm area to expedite process)
Scrape off dried amaro and grind in a mortar and pestle

Angostura Flame
place a solution of 3:1 Angostura to Stroh 80 in a mister
pump and spray through a flame
THIS IS DANGEROUS, BE CAREFUL.

Drink and picture by:
Jamie Boudreau
www.vesselseattle.com

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~ by Jamie Boudreau on October 2, 2007.