ginger & crown royal dessert?

[QbanCrackr]

watching the cocktail episode of TC:Desserts (i know i know i'm behind on that one), got me thinking of a dessert for one of my favorites...ginger ale & crown royale

only thing that came to mind was a ginger crown panna cotta (i'm kind of limited atm with what i can mold/freeze since i've only got 70mm demispheres)...i tried it a couple of times..well a few times with different ratios + flavorings and none came to my liking.

i did a double layered panna, one with fresh ginger infused into it and the other with a bit of the whisky, that one was ok. i did another with a whiskey panna that had ginger infused into it and it was ok. pure ginger ale (and ginger ale reduction) didn't flavor it as strong as i wanted. so i'm thinking some other ways to get a strong ginger ale flavor--top it with a gelee? i'm guessing for any kind of soda/cola gelee you have to let the bubbles subside (let the drink get flat) right?

i made some other cocktail desserts, a bit on the simple side just using mousses and infused genoises since i haven't learned much about other creams & techniques yet--the taste i liked alot more than the panna, much more pronounced since theyre using fresh fruits & whatnot

i've got xanthan, agar & gelatin with me so i can use any of the 3 but i've never made a gelee (nor do i even know which flavored what would give me the best result)

i gooooooooogled like a mad man but came up short with anything regarding soda or alcoholic gelees, and my searches came up short on the site for like a base idea on the gelees

anyone done this sort of thing before that can at least point me in the right direction?

pastry-wise i'm learning on my own, day by day something new (i just learned how to make a genoise a couple of days ago lol), hopefully one day i'll be able to help people in my spot like you guys have helped me out time and time again

thanks

dd

[Tri2Cook]

I did a dessert based on the Maple Leaf cocktail by making a Canadian whisky ice cream with maple cake, maple caramel, lemon fluid gel and a couple of garnishes. What I learned from it is that it's more about the right balance than how you choose to incorporate the components. Cocktails are all about balance which is why I've had an interest in studying them for the past several months even though I'm not a serious drinker. There's nothing to hide behind in a cocktail.

[QbanCrackr]

You know thats a great point...my only downfall at the moment is lack of knowledge. Im sure if i knew how to make certain things itd be easier ya know? Fluid gels ive never done, though ive read the theory on them. Same as ice cream. I cant wait to learn more so i can make more complex things =p

[stuartlikesstrudel]

What about making a granita with the ginger ale? I think adding a lot of cream would lose the characteristics of ginger ale (which may be what you found with the panna cotta) and so a granita would still be refreshing, a bit watery (like ginger ale is) and taste strongly of it.

And you don't need an icecream maker for it, cause it's meant to be a bit coarse and textured anyway.

[Tri2Cook]

You know thats a great point...my only downfall at the moment is lack of knowledge.

Don't feel lonely. We all face that problem and, if we want to continue to learn, always will. What we don't know can make what we want to do challenging. That's why doing exactly what you're doing is a good thing. Get an idea, try it, learn from it, enjoy it even when it doesn't work because now you know what doesn't work.

Copying the flavors and balance of a cocktail in a dessert is probably a better goal than trying to mimic the cocktail exactly. Most popular cocktails (outside of the typical college bar/club) are not pushing the sweet end of the spectrum. Some are sweet in comparison to the really dry drinks but not in comparison to even the least sweet of desserts. To mimic most cocktails exactly would limit you more than it's worth. You'd be looking at granitas, sorbets, gelees, fluid gels, encapsulations and not a whole lot else.

Think about it this way, the judges on TCJD were impressed with the dessert that inspired you to do this. It was based on the margarita. There is no dairy in a margarita and a margarita isn't typically as sweet as that dessert sounds like it would be... but it captured the essence of the cocktail that inspired it enough that the judges understood what it was supposed to be. Get your flavors and balance where you want them and it will translate even if some of the components seem out of context when compared to the cocktail you're using as inspiration.

[LizD518]

A little more "homey", but what about a gingerbread with a whiskey creme anglaise (sp?)? The proportions of the flavor may be a little off, but both of those applications would carry the flavors well.