Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/39104
COCKTAILS FOR GEEKS Dos en Uno COCKTAIL ENGINEER PHIL ADLER CHILLS OUT—DOUBLE TIME—IN SANTA MONICA photos by Maria Schriber The inspiration for this month’s cool-and-geeky cocktail technique came from my longtime friend and mentor Russell Greene, Senior Vice President at The Cheesecake Factory. Russell and I have spent many years discussing ways to make interesting, unique and innovative mixed drinks, and we’ve come to accept a few universal truths about interesting cocktails: Ice matters. Russell has long been freezing fresh juices and mixes and using these ice cubes to add flavor to cocktails. This month, I decided to take it one step further. Taking my cues from Russell’s techniques as well as the unique aging process of Dos Maderas rum and complex character of Coffee Heering, I built a double ice cube that reflects the layers of flavors in the rum as well as the lovely texture Coffee Heering develops in cocktails. To put this technique to the test, we visited True Food Kitchen in Santa 114 / the tasting panel / august 201 1 (Two in One) Phil Adler demonstrates his double ice cube technique to Jon Augustin, Beverage Manager at True Food Kitchen in Santa Monica, CA. Monica, CA, where Beverage Director Jon Augustin was eager to give it a try. The process for building this ice cube within an ice cube is not complicated, but it is a bit time-consuming and takes a bit of planning to execute correctly. If you intend to use this cube-in-a-cube idea with other flavors and spirits, it’s important to note that the level of alcohol and sugar will impact how well and how quickly the ice cubes freeze, so you will have to make adjustments to your mixtures. First, you will need two sizes of ice cube trays; the larger one must be big enough to fit the smaller ice cube inside it (I used flexible silicon ice trays for my cubes). Have fun with this one! Your guests will really be impressed when they realize the drink is developing new flavors as it sits and the ice melts.