Silky mouth feel in cocktails, without all the sweetness?

[kbrede]

The first cocktail I made for myself was a Manhattan 2:1: Templeton Rye, M&R Rosso vermouth and Angostura bitters. One of the things that struck me about the drink was the silkiness of it but I felt it was too sweet. So I dialed back on the vermouth, which resulted in loosing some of that silkiness. After some experimentation I stuck with the 2:1, but changed to the higher proof Bulleit Rye, and used a couple more splashes of bitters.

Last night I tried Carpano Antica Vermouth for the first time. It was an abrupt change to what I'd been drinking. There was a Campari type of bitterness to it. I really like Campari in the Negroni, but it didn't seem right in a Manhattan, at first. After reducing the Angostura bitters to two dashes and adding a lemon zest garnish, I started to appreciate the combination more. The downside, the silkiness of the drink suffered in comparison to the M&R Rosso.

So is it just sugar that adds silkiness to a drink? Or does the body of the main liquor also contribute? Is there a different vermouth out there that might get me closer to what I'm looking for? I did try 1/2 M&R and 1/2 Carpono. It was OK but somewhat confused. I've read about Gomme syrup. Can a person make a Gomme "water" instead? Then I could use Carpano but add Gomme to the drink. Do you think that would work?

Any ideas welcome.

Thanks,

Kent

[EvergreenDan]

I know gum arabic is tricky to dissolve, but the idea of a thickened vermouth seems brilliant to me. You can also try various ratios of dry vermouth to cut the sweetness. I do think that a silky mouthfeel comes largely from sugar, and I share your dislike for sweet things.

Hopefully someone with gum arabic or other thickener experience will chime in.

BTW, a Martini made with frozen gin and refrigerated vermouth is viscous and silky too. It is higher in alcohol than most people like, though.

[mkayahara]

If you don't want to fight with gum arabic, and don't mind playing with thickeners, you might try the locust bean gum syrup to be an interesting approach. I also suspect, though I don't have any real basis for this, that glycerin plays a role in the mouthfeel of some liquors.

[Simon Lewinson]

If you don't want to fight with gum arabic, and don't mind playing with thickeners, you might try the locust bean gum syrup to be an interesting approach. I also suspect, though I don't have any real basis for this, that glycerin plays a role in the mouthfeel of some liquors.

Glycerin was my first thought too.

simon

[Plantes Vertes]

Doesn't glycerin taste sweet, though? I'm not sure.

My suggestion is cellulose gum. It is colourless and flavourless and can dissolve in cold liquids, and it doesn't carry on thickening. It's used medically to thicken liquids for those who can't swallow easily.

[Tri2Cook]

I use a pre-hydrated spray dried cold-soluble gum arabic from TIC gums that's no trouble at all to dissolve.

[Adam George]

Age your drink in a leather flask.