247 found Showing cocktails with ingredient Carpano Antica Formula

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Craft Cocktail Making: Theory and Structure of Bitterness

So far we’ve investigated the role that acidity and sugar play in the creation of craft cocktails. While sugar predates acidity in cocktail history, these building blocks can be thought of as a pair – acidity and sugar directly oppose each other. When sugar overpowers acidity, drinks become cloying and heavy. With the reverse, drinks are tart, thin, and unpleasant. It is only when sweetness and acidity balance each other that a cocktail takes on a savory deliciousness that I call tension.

The sweet-sour balance is not the only way to create a craft cocktail. Before the invention of the sour family, cocktails were merely spirit, sugar, water and bitters. This category of drinks, now best exemplified by the Old Fashioned derives their deliciousness through the mitigating effects of sugar on the bitterness of wood-aged spirits and bitters.

The previous articles have stayed clear of any serious chemistry. Unfortunately, bitter and alcohol have a lot going on that needs some explanations, and chemistry provides the language. [editor: Nerd warning. Suck it up.]

Recent Additions

  • Tigers Claw — Reposado Tequila, Coffee liqueur, Orange bitters, Pineapple juice, Lime juice, Cinnamon syrup
  • Boozy Mont Blanc — Irish whiskey, Coffee liqueur, Coffee, Heavy cream, Orange juice, Rich demerara syrup 2:1, Salt Solution
  • I'm Mr.Pink — Gin, Lychee liqueur, Peychaud's Bitters, Tonic water, Lime juice, Agave syrup
  • Chilcano de Maracuyá — Pisco, Bitters, Ginger ale, Passion fruit puree, Lime juice, Mint
  • Ironbottom Sound — Rum, Bourbon, Junmai Sake, Orange liqueur, Grapefruit juice, Lime juice, Orgeat, Cinnamon syrup, Mint

Recent Discussion

  • Re Chilcano de Pisco, 17 hours 16 minutes ago Shawn C commented:

    Curated: Dead reference link updated with archive link to the original. Corrected long standing error in bitters quantity vs. the reference, should be 3 drops, not 3 dashes. From what I can tell from making it, 3 dashes makes it too orange in color to match the hue of Chilcano de Pescado soup. Some recipes use no bitters, but most recipes call for 2 to 4 drops of bitters and I suspect some of the recipes calling for 2 dashes might have been influenced by the drop vs. dash error here. A Spanish language bartender video I watched from ~2010 states 3 dashes, but does three very small dashes--similar to what one might get from a Japanese dasher bottle. Interestingly, Simon Difford's 2019 recipe and a 2020 Forbes article listed 3 dashes of Amargo Chuncho bitters--which is the bitters I suggest for this, although not in such a large quantity.

  • Re Know Knots, 5 days 4 hours ago Kindred Cocktails commented:

    Curated for creator and garnish as per creator

  • Re Know Knots, 5 days 7 hours ago alansheels commented:

    This is my drink. I would garnish with a large swath of express orange peel and glass is optional. Not sure how it got on here.

  • Re Trinidad Especial, 6 days 13 hours ago Shawn C commented:

    Note: updated dead links with archive links.
    I have mostly stuck with Chilean pisco in cocktails (and sipping)...because that is what I started with and I liked it. I have some Peruvian pisco (Barsol) and it is good, but not as smooth. I did a quick comparison with Bolivian Singani 63. The latter has elements that are like a mild slivovitz, but with some floral, and slight butter (diacetyl) in the nose.

  • Re Trinidad Especial, 1 week ago yarm commented:

    I'll need to pay tribute to the O.G. award winner before it got pirated away to win a competition in the United States with rye, lemon, and a slight name change. TotalWine describes the Chilean Pisco (Peruvian ones are never aged) as ""The aroma of this pisco is an intriguing combination of grape spirit and American oak; there is a very distinct woody fragrance thanks to extended rest in new barrels. One could imagine mistaking it for a young cognac, but a better one..." It's been a long time since I've had a Chilean Pisco in house though, so I may have to split a Cognac and an unaged Pisco here.