Cocktails on Iron Chef America

[plattetude]

Last night (March 4), Iron Chef America had an interesting twist (pun intended), pairing up each chef with a mixologist. Tony Abou-Ganim worked with Iron Chef Mario Batali, and Bridget Albert with chef Robert Gadsby (Noe Restaurant & Bar, L.A./Houston). The theme ingredient was mango, a fairly cocktail-friendly fruit I'd say. Featured among the judges was cocktail goddess Julie Reiner (Flatiron Lounge, NYC).

There were mojito riffs, a big ol' tiki-inspired drink (which had a healthy splash of Luxardo maraschino and orange bitters -- good to see those on national TV!), and a few prosecco fizzies. I'm not remembering too much of the final products, but all in all, it was good to see cocktails share the spotlight like that. Some of them certainly appeared to skew to the sweet side, particularly Bridget's drinks, though I suppose that's more where popular tastes range these days. There was a savory concoction that included tomato juice or tomato water and paprika that looked pretty interesting though....

Next airing will be this Thursday, March 8, at 9pm.

Christopher

[JerseyRED]

Christopher,

THANKS!

My friend called from Charleston and left me a message about this show but I didn't hear until this morning.

I'm glad I'll have another chance to watdh it!

Rich

[chefAZ]

i thought the mango distillation was the coolest!

[plattetude]

i thought the mango distillation was the coolest!

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Right! I forgot about that (I tuned in late, so I didn't actually see the still, just the final product). I was surprised that it could be done so quickly.

Christopher

[eje]

One of the larger blowouts in recent Iron Chef America history. The winners coming out on top by nearly 20 points, I believe.

I wish the bartenders had been more evenly matched, or even that they had picked a flair bartender to go against Abou-Ganim. Bottle juggling would have at least provided some gymnastic fireworks against Abou-Ganim's more traditional approach.

Not familiar with Ms. Albert. Googling tells me she is a Midwestern consultant for Southern Wine & Spirits.

Abou-Ganim's cocktails were nicely paced. Starting out with richer ones, having a couple prosecco based mixed drinks in the middle, and finishing with his mango "Eau de Vie" (flavored vodka).

Albert seemed to have a few too many rich cocktails based on mango puree. Though, there was a nice looking one in the middle, which she called something like a savory martini.

Hey! No one used Gin! I tell you mangos and gin, it's the way to go...

[plattetude]

....finishing with his mango "Eau de Vie" (flavored vodka).

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Ah, so it was really just a quick vodka infusion?

[eje]

....finishing with his mango "Eau de Vie" (flavored vodka).

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Ah, so it was really just a quick vodka infusion?

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No, it was re-distilled flavored vodka.

I'm just being a stickler.

Eau de Vies are usually made by fermenting some sort of fruit juice and distilling the "wine" which is a product of that fermentation.

It's true, there are some that are made by infusing fruit in neutral spirits or brandy and redistilling. I believe this style of "Eau de Vie" has a distinct name in cultures that care more about that sort of thing.

Edited March 6, 2007 by eje (log)

[slkinsey]

How was this re-distillation accomplished? Tony had a still with him?

[eje]

How was this re-distillation accomplished?  Tony had a still with him?

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Yes, he brought a still. Medium size copper alembic. Pretty cool, though probably illegal, eh? Surprised the revenuers didn't break up the set!

He threw a bunch of chopped whole mango into the still along with some pureed mango and vodka, then re-distilled.

[eas]

So on terminology/classifications:

Flavored Vodka is simply Vodka (ethyl alcohol,distilled >95%) with natural flavorings added.

The term "Eau-de-vie" traditionally and still to most in the trade refers to a clear distillate made from fermented fruit. While not a formal term for classification in either the US, its use in the EU is generally reserved for brandies (the aformentioned process).

The process of first macerating a fruit in a neutral spirit followed by distillation is generally not associated with Eau-de-vie and, in the EU and US, cannot be classified as Brandy. In German-speaking it is called "Geist" and by EU classification as a "Fruit Spirit". The process is generally reserved for lower-sugar content fruits where the cost of conversion to brandy is relatively high (e.g. Rasberries vs Apples).

The mango has a very high sugar and is an excellent candidate for distillation as a true EDV, and also makes for a fabulous infusion.

Considering the broad audience of Iron Chef, it's nice to highlight the use of fresh fruit over the prepacked flavored vodkas crowding the shelves. Even better if Tony highlighted some of the amazing Mango varieties now available in the US.

[eje]

So on terminology/classifications:

Flavored Vodka is simply Vodka (ethyl alcohol,distilled >95%) with natural flavorings added. 

The term "Eau-de-vie" traditionally and still to most in the trade refers to a clear distillate made from fermented fruit.  While not a formal term for classification in either the US, its use in the EU is generally reserved for brandies (the aformentioned process).

The process of first macerating a fruit in a neutral spirit followed by distillation is generally not associated with Eau-de-vie and, in the EU and US, cannot be classified as Brandy.  In German-speaking it is called "Geist" and by EU classification as a "Fruit Spirit".  The process is generally reserved for lower-sugar content fruits where the cost of conversion to brandy is relatively high (e.g. Rasberries vs Apples). 

The mango has a very high sugar and is an excellent candidate for distillation as a true EDV, and also makes for a fabulous infusion. 

Considering the broad audience of Iron Chef, it's nice to highlight the use of fresh fruit over the prepacked flavored vodkas crowding the shelves.  Even better if Tony highlighted some of the amazing Mango varieties now available in the US.

←

Thanks for clarifying eas! I know that information is posted here somewhere. The term "geist" was escaping me this AM. Exactly what I was thinking of.

Do any cultures make alcohol from fermented mangoes? Googling, I see some indication that it may be done in some regions of Mexico.

One thing I was surprised by on this episode was that Alton didn't get to do his usual spiel about the ingredient. No information about the newly available (in the US) Indian mango varieties. Nor any information about stills or cocktails. Probably time constraints, I imagine.

[eas]

Absent the ability to get fresh imported Alphonsos, I'd suggest buying the canned Alphonso Mangos at Indian markets over most all of the fresh mango from Mexico. If you do, pick up a second can as it makes for an easy gelato.

[mixtress]

They did have time constraints due to the number of items to be judged, cocktails and food. I was suprised as well that no one used gin, in fact I cheered when Tony gave me a cocktail made with bourbon, but unfortunately they cut that out. I must say that Bridget's savory cocktail was fantastic, by far her best of the lot. I found that Tony's whole "collection" was more impressive. I would have loved to have seen some scotch and gin cocktails, but was happy to be represented by true bartenders on the Food Network at all. It was a fun show, and a step in the right direction!

Julie