6174, also known as Kaprekar’s constant is a number that keeps repeating itself through a specific subtraction. This property is reminiscent of the development of this cocktail and pomegranate. We worked with several flavours in order to create a pairing with Noilly Prat Ambre however we always kept coming back to pomegranate.

The foundation of a milkpunch is protein binding. A group of milk proteins can bind various antagonist. Flavor as well as other compounds form a soluble complex with the protein. If the pH is lowered to a level sour enough (about 4,6) the complex percipates. Filtration is thus removing the antagonist from the mixture and your milkpuch tastes different than the batched cocktail. Because of caseins rather generic binding properties a lot of flavor alternations can be made with a milkpunch all of which are based primarily on the composition of the cocktail. In general, phenolic and heavy base notes tend to be influenced more than volatile top notes or fruity esters.

42, “Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything”. True to the motto a Spritz fits at all times.

Our aim was to create a light and fruity variation of a vermouth spritz. A cocktail befitting of our terrace which can fit up to 200 people plus and most importantly can be carbonated in advance and tapped directly from a keg.

The general structure of the cocktail is that of a spritz. We work with Noilly Prat Rouge, Companion Sicilian Orange, Cordial & Wine. Our mixture of caramel, silver skin and a bit of acid mixture adds bottom notes and overall body. Strawberry enriches middle and top notes. As a matter of fact, 42 is all about strawberry. Each individual component of the drink is either infused with or made from strawberry. Noilly Prat Rouge and Companion Sicilian Orange are sous vide infused with frozen strawberries and later on clarified enzymatically. 

In order to ensure that we can properly carbonate and tap cocktails we focused on basic techniques which have been laid out by Jeffrey Morgenthal, Dave Arnold and other and recently presented by Two Schmucks.

As has been outlined before the main points of carbonation are clarified ingredients and an efficient set up. Our carbonation set up is regular a twostep process. In the first step a clarified cocktail is filled into an NC keg which is connected to a bottle of pure CO2 at a pressure of about 5 bar. The keg is the let to rest for at least 12 hours at the lowest possible temperature whilst being under constant CO2 atmosphere. The easiest set up to do this for us was to install a bottle, pressure reducer and line distributor in our cold store. With this set up we can carbonate three kegs at the same time.

75 is an interpretation of a French 75.

Key is the pairing between kafir lime leaves and vanilla. It is a prime example of pairing kafir top notes and vanilla bottom notes that creates a prolonged flavor expression. Rhubarb adds middle notes and an explicit tartness that pairs well with bottom and top notes.

As base ingredient we use Bombay Sapphire which has been sous vide infused with vanilla and kafir. Whilst almost any setting will result in an intense kafir flavor the extraction of vanilla needs a higher temperature in our experience. 72°C and 90 minutes result in an efficient extraction of the vanilla flavor. The post sous vide vanilla remainders can be added to sugar which can extract the last remaining flavor which is still present in the vanilla pod.

FLAVOR is an ecumenical language spoken by all of us. Its complex, beautiful yet easily understood. We adapted a separation of flavor into top, middle and bottom notes. Whilst it makes sense to base the definition on the length of the flavor perception, we also like to link them their perceived properties. Top notes tend to be volatile and sometimes even fragile in nature. Middle notes can be a bit more robust. Often times they can form the body of a flavor. Bottom notes are more robust and complex.

Top notes also tend to be more sensitive towards heat while bottom notes can withstand them the best. This however is a very broad statement with (probably many) exceptions.

A key aspect of flavor is that a pairing, a favorable combination of two or more aromas, can equal more than the sum of each individual component. It doesn’t compute and yet it works. As a matter of fact, it is the single key element of all Food and Drinks and thus our cocktails. Flavor parings have been extensively studied and analyzed. A great paper on how flavor pairings and cuisines work can be found here. Flavor pairings can be generic such as Tomatoes & Basil, Chocolate & Nuts or they can recombine ingredients in an unusual fashion thus creating curiosity and delight.

We find that in general a cocktail benefits from incorporating all three: Top-, middle- and bottom notes thus creating a complex sensory experience.

1, represents the beginning. Whilst we don’t know how the menu will develop over time our vision is a focus on essential flavors, their extraction and most importantly their combination thus creating something new.

1 is our interpretation of a punch with a versatile ingredient paired with an aromatic counter flavor. Banana & Dill complement each other yet typically wouldn’t be paired together. Another essential aspect of this cocktail is flavor extraction. The dehydration process doesn’t destroy the flavor. As a matter of fact, additional flavor typically associated with bananas is created in the process. Think of banana bread. After baking fruity notes can seem a bit more oxidized or mellow however new aroma formed that is auxiliary to banana. Similar effects also take place with peanut butter and roasted nuts in general. Because of this effect – or the pure power of imagination we believe that dehydrating (seriously a lot of) bananas can result in an intense and unparalleled banana flavor. It is also easily extracted by a simple maceration at room temperature for 24 hours.

10013, a zip code and tribute to Soho NYC.

Is any cocktail menu nowadays complete without a Garibaldi? 10013 is composed as a complex yet easy aperitif cocktail.

We chose Companion Sicilian Orange for its mild and palatable bitter taste and intense orange flavor. Together with orange juice and sherbet it forms an incredibly fruity base

Aperol enriches convolution of the cocktail base.

e^{i*Pi} + 1 = 0, represent Euler’s Identity. A formula that sums three fundamentally important numbers and thus represents balance. Balance is also the fundamental aspect of all of our cocktails.

e^{i*Pi} + 1 = 0 was supposed to be a variation of a Japanese Cocktail. It’s most definitely not a Japanese Cocktail nowadays. In the beginning we opted for peanut butter instead of orgeat. Once you start working with peanut butter you just can stop. It pairs with everything. It is insanely fun to work with. We started to play with coconut and blueberries which quickly became substituted for raspberries due to its more intense top and middle notes.

This flavor combination just blends incredibly well. Bombay Sapphire, with its vapor infusion process pairs well with the fruity aroma of the cocktail and adds notes of juniper.

Our Coconut flavor consists of coconut milk as well as coconut water. Once we mixed the ingredients, we created a milkpunch due to the protein content in the coconut milk and the acidity of the raspberry cordial. The resulting punch is much lighter in its overall flavor profile yet still very rich.

40.72699, -73.99944, are the GPS coordinates of Pegu Club. A legendary bar in SOHO, NYC in which the inspiration for the cocktail, the Old Cuban, originated.

The Old Cuban, one of the most iconic drinks of the 21^st century originated at Pegu Club in Soho, New York. It was only befitting to create our own twist of this beloved cocktail. Our original aim was to pair mint without using fruit. After some experimentation the pairing of mint and green cardamom emerged. Mint’s iconic top notes pair very well with green cardamoms complex as well as pungent middle and bottom notes and results in an interesting piquancy.

The caramel recipe was developed by our kitchen team and aims for soft and interesting notes. Whilst caramel is formed new flavors are being created. The manner in which the caramel is produced heavily influences what type of flavor the caramel will have.

A rotary evaporator is an incredible tool. It can extract delicate top notes from an infusion such as mint whilst also concentrate flavor by removing water. If you distill half the amount of water from orange juice the remaining liquid will concentrate most of the flavor and taste absolutely incredible whilst the distillate will have only slight notes of orange. The basis that determines which flavors distill (in a rotovap or a regular still) and which don’t is mainly the molecular mass of the flavor molecules and thus their volatility. An easy approximation of this is that if you can smell something it will probably distill. This does not take into account other aspects such as solubility and distillation fractions.

Using this fascinating device also takes time, certain know-how and of course a significant invest. Due to our size and limited (basically non existing) production space it was clear what incorporating a rotovap would be logistically challenging.

Meanwhile we were always keen on experimenting with other methods of flavor extraction. Ultrasound is still on our to do list, microwave extraction a dream but supercritical CO₂ extraction has been an interest for years. Nowadays supercritical CO₂ extraction might be known from products such as Hepple Gin but it was widely used for flavor extraction long before in other industries. The beauty of this approach is firstly that it produces a solvent free oil and secondly that it offers a different manner of flavor separation than distillation. The basis are the properties of a supercritical gas. At a temperature over 31°C and 74 bar CO₂ reaches a “critical” state in which it can easily penetrate various substances and has great solvent properties. This means it can reach flavor molecules easily within cells and readily extract them. Volatility is not necessarily a limit for this state enabling it to extract flavors distillation can’t. Another interesting aspect is that the solubility varies with applied pressure implying that various subsets of flavor could be extracted.

Because of the technical demands in order to reach a supercritical state its usage is rare in our industry. However, there are some exceptions. Vegaromas essential oils are certified for usage in Food & Beverage. They feature extracts, distilled oils (which can be a great substitution for sous vide and rotovap ingredients) and also CO₂ extracts. Comparing their products based on extraction technique reveals incredible differences. The gas products are more opulent in middle and top notes whilst some flavors (such as juniper, sage, oregano and lemon balm) are simply unparalleled.

Not all flavor components of the essential oils are soluble in ethanol or water. Most likely alcohol will be a much better solvent for the extracted flavor molecules than water. The dosage of the oils needs to be precise though. Droplets vary enormously in size. Sometimes it can help to dissolve the essential oil in a neutral plant oil first and wash the spirit of choice with it rather than directly add the essential oil. This enables the essential oil to be solved in a carrier medium and thus increases the surface area benefitting the exchange between the Medium and the oil. An approach like this has been described in modernist cuisine.

The number 23 has various interpretations this cocktail is a clear dedication to the GOAT. 

A punch cocktail that has its foundation in the interplay of three key ingredients that create a complex layer of bottom, middle and top notes. It also combines rich aromatic notes, freshness and fruit. 

Tonka bean was chosen as a provider of distinctive middle and bottom notes. Due to its relatively good solubility in water, we can simply use a tonka syrup in order to extract the flavor. Another benefit is that the flavor is resilient when exposed to temperature. Raspberry and tonka form a solid basis in which raspberry provides the fruity middle notes whilst also enhancing top notes. clarification of the cordial using modern fining agents of the sous vide infusion adds clarity to the product whilst leaving more middle notes than a milk or casein clarification probably would.

This entry has been kindly sponsored by Russian Standard Vodka. 

Clarification in cocktails can be beneficial in several aspects. Obviously, the optics. A clarified or clear version of a commonly known ingredient can add an element of surprise and thus emphasize the entire experience. Another aspect is the improvement of shelf life which typically increases as an ingredient or cocktail is clarified. Lastly the clarification can also benefit or shift the perceived flavor of an ingredient. See cocktails 23, e^{i*Pi} + 1 = 0 or 6174. 

Numerous methods such as milkpunch, agar-agar, egg whites, enzymatic clarification or even distillation (to some extent) have been adopted and used in recent years in order to achieve clarification. Each method has advantages and can be adopted. Some will be more aggressive with regards to flavor subtraction than others. Fining agents have been studied well and quite a lot of information is generally available. We experimented with several fining agents and found the most promising recipe being the combination of pectinase and the mineral bentonite.  

Enzymatic clarification is a multi-step process that results in a clarified liquid. The general procedure is the combination of several fining agents starting with a pectinase and adding precipitants such as bentonite later on. 

Pectin has gelling properties and can bind various suspended matter thus making the liquid hard to clarify. Breaking up the network pectin forms is a key task for clarification. In order to achieve this task, we add various pectinases as a first step in this enzymatic clarification. We were kindly provided with industry level enzymes by Erbsloeh. The experiments described below potentially could also work with other products however Erbsloeh products are the gold standard and in case of the clarified lime juice simply unexchangeable. 

An enzyme is an incredible tool from nature which facilitates reactions which would otherwise simply not happen. Temperature and the pH level are the most important factors for enzyme such as pectinase. The pH level of lemon or lime juice is so low that a non-optimized pectinase for low pH levels would not be able to separate the pectin network. If left in a fridge an enzyme will most likely work slower than at room temperature. These are factors that to be considered when discussing recipes and approaches. The dosage of enzymes which need to be added to the to be clarified liquid is incredibly hard to judge and besides the work time most likely the key reason why pectinase would not work. The base amounts provided for the enzymes are based upon industry sizes. An amount of 100L might be mixed with just 8 ml of an enzyme. This would mean that the appropriate amount for a single Liter would be 0,08 ml. With an appropriate pipette it is possible to dose these amounts however it proves to be quite hard to distribute such a small volume appropriately to (in comparison) such a high volume of liquids. A key to this is to use a blender when distributing the pectinase in the liquid. Only through proper mixing has the pectinase a chance to access and split all of the pectin network that binds the turbid substances together. A higher dosage of enzymes has the benefit of ensuring proper enzyme distribution whilst obviously being able to process more pectin in a given amount of time.  

Erbsloeh provided us with three different pectinases. Whilst we are still experimenting, and the process is ongoing we can confirm that the various enzymes have different effects. It is only with Citrolase TF Clear that a citrus juice can be clarified. 

The usual dosage we would use is about 0,1 ml per L of liquid. We found that it is best to let the enzymes work at least overnight. Cool temperatures might slow the down breaking of the pectin. After the application of pectinase for a period of time percipients should start to be visible in the liquid. In some cases, they will not be directly visible though. 

After the application of pectinase, the resulting liquid will most likely still be cloudy. It needs another step to bind all of the particles, remove it and thus produce the clarified liquid.  

The key next step is the usage of a mineral called bentonite. Bentonite can bind different antagonists including proteins. Enzymes are proteins. This is why bentonite stops and removes pectinase and the addition of bentonite needs to happen after the pectinase had the appropriate time to dismantle the pectin network. In our experience it is the most versatile fining agent we have encountered. Bentonite is well studied and understood. It has been used as a fining agent extensively in wine making. Again, we were kindly provided by Erbsloeh with their industry level bentonite. We create a 1:10 solution of bentonite and water by constantly stirring the solution for as long as possible. A magnetic stirrer works great for this task however a blender could also be used. It is crucial to create a homogenous solution of bentonite and water. This solution can also be stored and used several times. Over time water might settle on top of a thick mass on hydrated bentonite. The water can be discarded, and the remaining mass used. We achieved the best results by using about 50 to 100g of hydrated bentonite or bentonite solution per Liter of liquid. Bentonite needs to be stirred into the liquid as well ensuring it can bind all of the percipients. After several hour or overnight residue starts to settle and the clarified liquid can be separated. An observable separation is not necessary in all cases though in order to filter the liquid. In some cases, such as lime or lemon juice we also add 2ml of Kieselsol per Liter of liquid as an additional fining agent. 

The last step in this clarification is filtration. In some cases, the filtration might be so efficient that clear liquid can just be siphoned with a syringe. In most cases though some kind of filtration is necessary. Typically, it is worth it to apply fine mesh filters first in order to exclude the coarsest residues. A follow up or combination with a straining cloth can lead to a clear liquid in some cases. In the remaining cases filtration with coffee or other filters such as superbags should be able to produce a clear liquid. In case the liquid is still not clear after the application of coffee filters an adjustment to the fining agents might be inevitable for the desired result. Solutions might be more pectinase and/or bentonite. 

Whether a clarification using pectinase & bentonite is better or more feasible is a complex debate. Some factors need to be considered starting with the desired flavor profile. Whilst in the case of 23 the flavors benefit from the treatment it does not matter as much in the case of pear juice which we clarify using agar. The practical aspect is that once the setup for the stirring has been optimized the filtration should be easier using pectinase & bentonite.  

~1941 is a reference towards the Moscow Mule. A cocktail whose origins still haven’t been completely uncovered but was supposedly create some time around 1941.

From the onset we wanted to create a mule cocktail for our menu. Horseradish provides top notes and a pungent kick that most people would associate with ginger beer. The masking of the sharpness with ORGANICS Ginger Beer is how we can make horseradish a palatable ingredient for most customers. Fermenting the horseradish follows the guidelines of the Noma Guide to Fermentation for LAB fermentations. We used 2% salt without a brine for 5 days at room temperature. An overnight maceration of the fermented horseradish with Russian Standard Vodka is enough to extract the flavor. The fermentation adds an indistinctive layer of flavor that enriches the flavor. 

The number i is a bit of a rule breaker. So is this cocktail which has been based on the coronation cocktail. 

Our onset was to create a cocktail heavy in fortified wine whilst also adding just a bit of a twist and subtle fruit notes. This cocktail is different from all of our signature drinks. The flavors are more subtle and reminiscent of a wine that would accompany a desert. 

0, is due a name attributed to the nonalcoholic nature of the cocktail. However various spirits can also be added to this cocktail making it as variable as the number 0.

The key pairing being present in this cocktail is the dynamic between blueberries and dill. Reminiscent of the 1 dill’s top notes again pair well with blue berries. The amount of dill processed for a syrup is much higher than with alcohol due to the fact that the flavor extraction works much better with alcohol than with water.  

Cost Calculation is key for effective planning. Amongst other tools we developed a spread sheet which makes it relatively easy to calculate costs. Especially homemade ingredients. Attached is a “clean” version with a sample.

It is almost impossible to communicate flavor adequately. Because of this in our opinion the concept of a cocktail menu is imperfect by design. Nonetheless we wanted to create a structure that transports the most information about a cocktail in an intuitive manner whilst forcing communication between the guest and the staff.

Our first major influence were the graphics from Sasha Petraske’s Book Regarding Cocktails. They represent glassware, proportions and basic elements of a cocktail thus giving the reader a clear understanding of the DNA of a cocktail. This is something we wanted to communicate as well since almost all of our cocktails follow the basic proportion of other cocktails. This is a very technical and precise display of the contents of the cocktail. However, we also define our cocktails as flavor centric. Because of this we wanted to incorporate the key flavors and the way we view them in our menu.

Flavors are hard to quantify and structure which is why we chose to work with brush strokes that are irregular compared to the other design. The pastel coloring and the brush strokes have been inspired by Remy Savage. The general size of a flavor descriptor is supposed to roughly correlate with the intensity of flavor in the drink. The individual perception of flavor is why the brush strokes are somewhat irregular.

Due to the resulting and overwhelming amount of information we try to communicate with this design the cocktail menu (hopefully) achieves its intended goal: Direct communication between the customer and the staff. Whilst much information can be deducted from the design a personal communication is always key.

Our names are also a part of the strategy to force Whilst some numbers have a relationship with the specific cocktail such as »1941 or naming a French 75 riff 75 some are frankly jokes. No customer can pronounce e^{i*Pi} + 1 = 0 or 40.72699, -73.99944. This gives the staff the opportunity to directly communicate with the customer about his drink selection