Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/41419
Drinks Science BAR MEETS LABORATORY AT ONE TALES SEMINAR by Becky Sue Epstein Tony Conigliaro moderated the seminar. Food science authority Harold McGee. Dave Arnold, Director of the French Culinary Institute's Culinary Technology department. P roceed. But proceed with caution. This was the mes- sage at the "The Chicken or the Egg?" seminar at Tales of the Cocktail, about creating cocktails with science and flavor components. Moderator Tony Conigliaro (see story on page 114) tells us that to craft amazing new cocktails, it's about: being curious, trusting your own experience, playing with your food and being skeptical—even about your own explanations. He is a London-based pioneer in creating drinks, with one of those engaging British accents, of course. His first panelist is the incredibly energetic (and slightly crazy) Dave Arnold, Director of the French Culinary Institute's Culinary Technology department. Arnold acknowledges that he himself is a sucker for trying machines to make foods and drinks, but cautions, "Don't just buy something because it's cool." Arnold loves his Buchi Rotovapor for chilling. But most people can't afford one—and, in fact, don't need one, he says. "The goal," he instructs us, "isn't to do something scientific. The goal is to make something delicious." Next up is the quite calm Harold McGee, columnist for The New York Times and a world expert on the science of food and cooking. He puts up a slide to remind us: flavor = taste + aroma. We sample a fresh strawberry. We eat part plain, then dip it into lemon juice, fine granulated sugar and orange flower water. This is to get an idea of the different types of flavors that emerge, and the dominant one is not always what you would expect. (Yes, do try this at home—or at work.) "The number of bartenders who don't understand [even] how lemon and sugar interact is phenomenal," Conigliaro declares. He advocates creating your own library of experience: Write down everything you do. And talk to one another, learn from each other. There are other essentials to learn here. For instance, water, gin or vodka are the best common fluids to use to make your own distillations. Never use rubbing alcohol: it's poison. And if you mix spirits and water, it will change the boiling point of the liquid, as well as other elements in the process. Arnold tells us that "molecular" food may be over, but it's still alive in drinks. However, this can be an excuse for flash and doesn't always result in great cocktails. Basic recipe for creating great drinks: Think, create, sample, write it down, discuss. Repeat until you get it right. september 201 1 / the tasting panel / 95