cschweda

Okay, I'll try the cleaning in vinegar tonight. Thanks for the tip.

I use my Anova several times a week and love it, but I'm having an issue with the low water sensor. Even when the water is clearly not low, the sensor beeps and the unit shuts down. I power it off, back on, off, then on -- and it works fine. Anyone else getting false low water readings? I've tried disassembling it and cleaning it, but there's not much to clean -- just wiping down the heat elements, giving the propeller a little spin -- and that's about it. Does Anova have good warranty service? I really don't want to buy another one, but I don't particularly want to go without for a week -- or several weeks. Any advice? Anova -- are you part of these forums?

Just tried the Esquire formula with a Bulleit Bourbon / Galliano (!) / Aperol / Lemon combination. It was an interesting mix -- especially since I didn't plan on using my old(ish) bottle of Galliano for anything other than a Wallbanger (which didn't really impress me when I finally purchased the Galliano). The result of the whiskey/galliano mix was peppery and spicy (I assume at least part of this comes from the rye in the Bulleit mashbill). Complex and eminently drinkable -- a great surprise.

I highly suggest the recent Esquire cocktail formula as a starting point -- especially given your list of ingredients. See: http://www.esquire.c...il-formula-1110 Essentially: 1.5 oz spirit (Whiskey, Rum, Gin, Tequila, even Aquavit) 0.5 oz Aperol (easy to find) 0.5 oz liqueur (from your list) 0.5 lemon/lime/grapefruit It doesn't guarantee a great cocktail (although I just made a Old Overholt / St. Germain / Aperol / Lemon -- and it was quite tasty) -- but it's a great starting point for tweaking. I've been going through my entire liquor cabinet with this formula -- experimenting with every spirit and liqueur I have -- and I must say that everything I've made is interesting. Nothing awful. Some more successful -- and complex -- than others. Whiskey (Rye especially) works well with this -- but I tried a Tequila/Aperol/Lime/King's Ginger -- and it was a shocker. Delicious and crisp -- one of the best I've tried. Ditto for Gin / Aperol / Chambord / Lemon. Aperol (or Campari in a slightly smaller amount) adds the bitterness that the strong/sweet/sour (standard 3:2:1 ratio) lacks. It (as the article points out) really fills out the cracks and smooths everything over. I've tried this with Campari, as I say, with slightly less (maybe .25 to .35 oz) -- still works very well. The closest I can compare this to -- in nearly every cocktail I've tried with this formula -- is essentially an IPA. The Aperol/Campari addition (more so than vermouth, for example) is the match for hops (in the beer world) that really ties together the malt in a strong but not overly powerful way in the best IPAs. This hoppy bitterness rides above the sweet malt layer and really makes it a drinkable beer. Ditto for the Aperol/Campari layer in the cocktail formula.

The "stuff" means anything that's not tequila, lime, salt, and agave syrup. Stuff in sense of whatever folks put in there to balance out the sweet and sour -- or to create the sweet and sour. Mixes, sugar, etc. As I said, my personal understanding of the margarita is that it's a balance of the sweet and sour against the salt and tequila -- and I'm not sure (although I know others will disagree) Grand Mariner or triple sec or Cointreau anything like it has any place in a margarita. Just my two cents -- based on no evidence other than the stunning realization that my margaritas -- or what I call "my margaritas" taste phenomenal with tequila, lime, and agave syrup -- and none of the other stuff. Although -- in the interests of thoroughness I do admit that Rick Bayless' new -- really new -- book on margaritas and guacamoles *does* use agave syrup and Cointreau (as well as mezcal) in a few of the progressive but not "classic" recipes so I suspect you're right -- that what I'm suggesting is not really a margarita per se. Bayless indicates that the starting point proportion for his classic margaritas is 1.5 to 2 oz base liquor, 3/4 sour, 1 oz sweet. He also indicates (again from his new book) that the "classic" margarita -- i.e., the original - is 1:1:1 blanco tequila:orange:key lime juice. So, yes, my leaving out the orange does probably mean it's not classic in the classic sense -- but I do think that if we were to make the "classic" recipe as Bayless indicates, it'd be overwhelmingly tart drink and probably lose much of its complexity due to the key limes. Maybe my version -- especially when I add bitters -- is more like a tequila old-fashioned? Dunno. Interesting, though, the possibilities.

Aha! Okay - got it. Thanks. Will try this later this evening (and may add a dash of mezcal.)

How is this different than a margarita? I build my margaritas this way -- skipping the triple sec and all that stuff -- with tequila, lime, and agave syrup. I do add salt on the rim, but I've always assumed the margarita is all about the balance between the sweet and sour.

I post about this in the bitters/nitrogen cavitation thread, but I've had great results with homemade tonic. I've crafted something that resembles Tomr's tonic by the usual method: simmering cinchona, lemongrass, citric acid, and various other herbs -- and then using agave to balance it out. This worked great -- and is as good as Tomr's (but probably better given the fact it's homemade). However, my most interesting result was last night when I scaled down the ingredients and used an isi whipper to infuse the gin (St. George's) directly with the tonic ingredients. Took all of about 5 minutes from start to finish -- including the infusion and drink building -- and the end result was one of the best G&T's I've had -- if not the very best. The key I've found to homemade tonic is to balance out the sweetness with the tart, citric-acidness of the tonic. I add agave to my tonic mixture, but I've found it to more effective to simply add a dash or two of agave to the shaker and build the drink on the syrup. I also like basil and mint muddled with the syrup. But I'll say again -- the nitrogen infused, cinchona/lemongrass/citric acid gin was fantastic. It had even more of "tonic" taste than my 2-hour simmered version -- and I understand that I'll be able to make it on the spot and experiment with additional aromatics (peels, herbs, etc). A dash of grapefruit bitters (Fee Brothers) also worked nicely on the final drink. Obviously, the best part about crafting your own tonic is to control the ingredients and especially the sweetness. I do like Fever-Tree when I'm in a hurry, but when I have the time, I understand that a tiny bit of agave goes a long way -- and works nicely against the other ingredients in a homemade tonic (simmering or -- for me, at least-- the new nitro-cavitation method). For soda water, I've got one of those fizzy water makers -- I forget the name -- but I'm able to fizz up charcoal filter tap water to the max and it seems to work especially nice in G&Ts. My plan later this evening is to pull some pellet hops from my homebrew fridge and then use the hops in place of the lemongrass in the rapid infusion. Hops might make it interesting, but pellet hops will take some experimentation. I suspect fresh hops might be the better route.

As a follow-up, I did the caviation with the mixture -- rapid infusing the solids and Everclear -- and it seemed to work great. What I know have is an intensely aromatic mixture that smells of cinnamon and anise. I poured in a 2:1 sugar syrup, stirred, let sit for a couple minutes, then separated the solids from the liquid with a french press. Wow -- very impressive. I've got a pint and a half's worth of house bitters. My first taste test was with soda water -- a way (for me, at least) to compare to some of the other bitters I have in my cabinet (Fee Brothers, Bittermen's, etc.) Verdict: very nice -- and probably still too bitter but aromatic as hell: a layer of citrus followed by what seems to be a 50/50 mix of cinnamon/allspice and anise. More complex than I expected -- but, as I say, a bit too bitter. Will cut with brown sugar and water later this evening. Next test was in a Manhattan: 2 oz. Buffalo Trace / 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth / home-marinated cherry (marinated in Luxardo Marischino) / and three dashes of the homemade bitters. Result: very different than I expected -- the homemade bitters add a twang -- citrus, almost chocolate in the drink. Obviously, my methods are a bit wonky -- and I'm no expert at any of this -- but I suspect I can reduce the time to make the bitters considerably. The isi whipper most definitely speeds up the infusion process. Next test is going to be on-the-spot bitters: Everclear / cocoa nibs / star anise / gentian / cassia / and a tiny bit of sugar syrup. As an aside, I took some of the cinchona bark powder I had -- combined with with citric acid, fresh lemongrass, and a couple of orange and lime peels -- and rapid infused 500ml of St George's gin. Infused for two minutes. Bingo -- quinine infused gin. Made a G&T with tiny (very small) pour of agave syrup, juice from a lime, muddled basil, and the cinchona infused gin. Added a few ounces of soda water. Result? One of the best G&T's I've had.

Good point. My thinking was to use the nitro infusion to skip the water + solids/reduction step -- but maybe I should just infuse it now -- skipping the whole seven day sitting period? Just infuse, discard the solids, then add the sugar syrup and water. Hmmm.

I went ahead and created an initial batch: licorice root, cinchona bark, star anise, cloves, cracked white pepper, cracked cardamom, cassia, quassia, gentian, cinnamon stick, grated orange peel (from jar), and a couple of fresh orange peels. No exact measurements -- a little bit of everything and hopefully not too much -- and then combined everything in a small mason jar and then poured in half a bottle of Everclear. (Thank goodness for Whole Foods and Amazon Prime. I've got enough barks and herbs for probably 100 more batches.) What's interesting is that after only 24 hours the smell is amazing: it's got a nose of light citrus and heavy licorice with a faint smell of cinnamon -- but very clean, very snappy. I used liquid gentian -- a dropper full -- from a dropper bottle (as opposed, I guess, to the bark itself) -- and, wow, that's one bitter liquid. I assume this should cut through some of the licorice/citrusy flavor to give it some contrasting flavor layers. I tried to taste tiny amounts of each herb as I added it to get a sense of the different components. I realize, too, that the trick here is to make tinctures of each item -- and then combine the liquids -- but I've determined that's intermediate level bitters making -- a project for the upcoming winter. I just want something I can use in my Manhattans (and in my barrel-aged cocktail project -- something I plan to start in a couple weeks once my 3L barrel arrives). My plan is to keep the batch in the jar -- shaking two or three times a day -- for seven days. Then -- instead of separating the liquid and solids -- and then infusing water with the solids (and then reducing and then pouring back into the original liquid) -- my plan is pour the entire mason jar -- liquid, solids -- into my isi whipper, infuse with a single cartridge, shake like hell, and then let sit for about five minutes or so. Then I'll expel the nitrogen and cut the mixture with a brown sugar syrup and water to reduce the proof. (Or perhaps I'll carmelize sugar and then mix the sugar 2 to 1 with water. I want to bring an autumnal taste to the batch.) This infusion should really ramp up the flavors in the actual liquor -- and might be more effective than stovetop reducing -- but we shall see. I suspect I'll experiment here -- balancing the bitter and sweet and not making it too hot proof-wise. Will post results in about a week.

No responses -- okay -- but I also throw this article into the mix: http://tmagazine.blo...ngo-limoncello/ I wonder if something like this -- suspending the citrus solids above the infused liquid? And then maybe topping off with a siphon infusion? I don't know. I'm throwing things out -- thinking about methods.

After reading -- and rereading the 'Bitters' book and finding G. Regan's orange bitters #5 recipe via the web -- I'm about to embark on several batches of bitters (and several barrel aged cocktails with the bitters.) My plan is start with a hoppy grapefruit and then a whiskey infused coffee/pecan mixture. My background is brewing, so I'm familiar with aging with oak (in my case, toasted oak spirals suspended in the 5gallon fermenters) -- but I'm interested in combining homemade bitters with the idea of nitrogen cavitation via the ISI soda siphons -- and perhaps using bits of oak in the siphon to add a bit of character. Has anyone tried to speed up the bitter-making process with nitrogen caviation? Would it be a way to create an on-the-spot bitter (perhaps with a bit of whiskey soaked charred oak in the siphon canister)? Or would the siphon provide merely a good snapshot of the potential flavor combination -- with the need to still age the bitters the traditional homebrew way via mason jars and cheesecloth and gunk skimming? Any results or suggestions about what to avoid? I've been sourcing the herbs and barks -- cinchona, quassia, etc. -- and have a nice collection of potential bitter making ingredients (minus the grain alcohol which has been surprisingly hard to purchase in the several liquor stores I've been to.) I realize there's another thread on bitters -- I've read most of it -- but I'm still curious about the impact of nitrogen cavitation on the whole process. EDIT -- I've also used Polyscience's smoking gun to good effect (applewood smoke/homemade bacon/Redemption rye) in the soda siphon. Perhaps this is better than actual charred chips? I know -- I should try it and see what happens -- but I thought I'd throw it out and see if anyone else has given this a try with bitters.

Yep -- I found the same thing. Cheap vodka is insanely harsh. I tried an infusion earlier this evening with Absolut. Fantastic. Not harsh at all but with all of the cocoa flavor. Used 50g of nibs again. Turned a dark brown, but I notice (after a couple hours now) it's not quite as dark.

Agreed about the quality of vodka. When I make this again (yhis weekend), I'll buy something a bit better than the no-name six-dollar bottle. BTW -- everything was at room temperature.

I used these nibs: http://www.amazon.com/Navitas-Naturals-Cacao-Nibs-8-Ounce/dp/B000OQ4A3S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1328029734&sr=8-2 Infused for 3 minutes in relatively inexpensive Vodka (i.e., not premium). The chocolate flavor was great -- and grew even better after 24 hours. I did nothing to the nibs -- just dumped about 50g in with some vodka (not exact measurement). Used the iSi Gourmet Whip, one N20 cartridge, infused, shook for 30 seconds, let sit for 3 mins, vented quickly. Great cocoa taste -- no bitterness. It's interesting because while the cocoa was pronounced -- very pronounced -- it wasn't at all cloying or heavy. Very nice!