Cocktail Hacker

I’m a huge fan of bitters and have made a few successful attempts at making my own in the past. However, the one problem that I always come across is filtering the final product to get out all the sediment. For my attempts I’ve used coffee filters with mediocre success. They get out the big pieces but they’re slow as all hell and the real fine stuff still makes it through. I’ve read that vacuum filtration using a Buchner funnel works great, but the cost of entry is a bit steep for something I’d only use for bitters making.

John Park over at Make: Online may have just solved that problem for me. He has been filtering his bitters through an aeropress coffee maker with what look like great results. I’m interested to find out if John was able to get rid of the superfine particulate matter; from the looks of things he got most of it.

I’ve shared with you some interesting infographic expressions of cocktail recipes in the past as well as the phylogeny of cocktails. This time, designer Konstantin Datz has taken it wholly to a new level. Each drink is rendered in 3D with a cool guide showing the portion of each ingredient and the method of mixing. Looks like posters will be on sale shortly. Hmmm…my kitchen walls could still use a bit of color.

[Via Flowing Data]

Every time I come up with a good spirit to mix with hot chocolate I feel like I get ideas for two more. Certainly, this is not what one would consider a bad thing by any means, but it’s making me want to drink hot chocolate with booze for hours on end. And, sadly, that will just end with me passed out on the floor covered in hot chocolate. Funny, yes. Optimal, no. So, on that note I limited my exploration to four more spirits this go-round and I’m packing the others away for next winter.

Green Chartreuse – I have to say, I wouldn’t have thought of this one on my own. However, at the suggestion of commenter Evan, I gave it a go. Wow, was that ever a good call! The herbal flavor blends into the background in a very harmonious way. Despite the liqueur blending in really well you still get a solid punch from the 110 proof. Awesome suggestion, definitely worth a try.

Reposado Tequila – Another commenter suggestion, coming from Frederic this time. Another solid idea, too. This combo is much better than I was expecting it to be. You get the woody/earthy flavors of the tequila playing off the sweetness and chocolate bitterness. I think this could work with a blanco tequila as well, but you’d lose some of the mellowness and woody flavors.

Grand Marnier – Orange and chocolate is another of those all time great flavor combinations and the hot chocolate rendition definitely follows that trend. In addition to the orange flavor you get a the flavors of the brandy base coming through as well. While I think triple sec would work great too, you’d lack some of the depth and complexity of a curacao. Definitely one of my favorites.

Coffee Liqueur – Awesome, as I knew it would be. The coffee flavor is second to the chocolate , unlike a coffee mocha. While this is a classic and might go unnoticed, that would be a mistake. This is a classic for a reason.

A final note from my tastings. In my previous post I suggested you use 1 oz of spirit for an 8 oz mug of hot chocolate, I’m revising that to 1 1/2 oz to 2 oz. The flavor you get from 1 oz of spirit has a hard time overcoming the flavors inherent to the chocolate. Plus, let’s face it, a cocktail simply isn’t a cocktail with only 1 oz of spirit.

So, where does all of this testing leave us? I’d say we’ve barely scratched the surface of what you could mix into a delicious cup of hot chocolate. Some ideas currently bopping around my head: Creme Yvette, all manner of fruit liqueurs, scotch, bourbon, flavored vodkas, cinnamon schnapps (especially Original Cinn), ginger liqueur, amaretto, chocolate liqueur…really, the list could just go on for pages. Suffice it to say, if you mix something tasty with hot chocolate there’s a solid chance that the resulting drink will also be tasty.

So, I’m moving right along with the hot chocolate mixing and tasting and I wanted to pop in and offer some updates.

First, I posted last week about the homemade hot chocolate mix that I’m using for these drinks. Ron posted a comment about my choice to omit the cayenne powder. He mentioned that the small amount of cayenne really didn’t add any spiciness to the hot chocolate but did improve the overall flavor. Not wanting to miss out on something tasty I gave it a try. Ron is absolutely correct. With just a small pinch of cayenne it seems to brighten up the flavors of the chocolate even more and there was no noticeable spicy heat.

Second, the recipe mentions that it can be made with either milk or water. I’ve made it both ways and they’re both very good; the milk is much better though. It gives the drink a silkier mouth feel and richer flavor. Definitely go with milk if you have it on hand.

Third, there a few old standbys that go really well with hot chocolate. I decided to mix up a couple of those first to make way for other, possibly more interesting, combinations. For my samplings I’m using 1 oz of the add-in per mug (~8 oz) of hot chocolate. That way all things are even.

Irish Cream – I made up some of my homemade Irish cream just for this occasion and it’s definitely worth the effort. Mixed with hot chocolate the resulting drink is really balanced and flavorful. You get a nice hit of coffee flavor and the vanilla comes through a bit too. The cream adds even more body and silkiness as well. You still get nuances of the whiskey, but it’s definitely not front and center.

Peppermint Schnapps – This one is a classic. We always called this Coco Loco and used to bring it with us snowmobiling for a bit of a pick-me-up when we’d stop for lunch. The flavor of mint and chocolate really feels like the holidays to me and it also conjures images of Andes mints or York Peppermint Patties. Great combo. Be gentle with these though, especially if you’re using 100 proof liqueur. You’ll quickly understand quick why we call it Coco Loco.

Pressing on to new frontiers. I’ll check back shortly.

Winter may seem to be passing us by for another year, but I’m certain we’re not completely done yet. There is sure to be more snow to come, at least for me, and I’ll be needing a way to keep warm. Problem is, I don’t much like hot beverages. While they are growing on me, I’m not a total convert yet. However, there is one drink that might just be able to take the convert title, Hot Chocolate. I love a good mug of hot chocolate on a cold day. It’s sweet, warming and just down right tasty.

At the gentle prodding of my roommate this seemed like a perfect time to see what I could do to add some spirits to the standard hot chocolate. So, for the next couple weeks I’m going to be doing just that. I’ve got some ideas already in the hopper, but I’d love to hear what you all like to do to spike your hot chocolate.