Cocktails at Woodson and Ford
Posted on March 11, 2009, under Drink.
I had a great time at last night’s Dining & Libation Society event held in the beautiful new underground space some are calling Woodson and Ford. The bartenders each spoke about the creation of their cocktails and shared some of the sophisticated techniques they used. Regrettably, Dave Arnold’s 1,600 degree hot poker was on the fritz, so a new cocktail had to be substituted in at the last minute for his Red Hot Manhattan. On the other side of the temperature spectrum, liquid nitrogen was pumped out of coffee carafes to quickly chill the inside of each glass before being filled with a drink.
The Drinks
Admiral Warrender
By Lynnette Marrero & Jim Mearns
Scotch, Demerara, Orange Bitters, Qi Black Tea Liquor
A simple but lovely combination, pairing the smokiness of the scotch alongside that of the black tea.
Sgt. Fruity Peppercorn
By Johnny Iuzzini & Dave Arnold
Pink Peppercorn, Rhum Clement, Grapefruit, Creole Shrub, Edible Twist
“Pink peppercorn” refers to a spirit that Dave Arnold distilled from some “very special” pink peppercorns, sourced from Manhattan’s “Mr. Recipe” no doubt. Grapefruit juice was clarified then frozen into ice cubes which were used to shake the drinks. The “edible twist” was a sort of orange peel confit, which I imagine was simmered low in simple syrup for many hours until totally edible. This drink got a dusting of herbs — flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen and blended — on top.
The Swedish Chef
By Johnny Iuzzini & Dave Arnold
House made Aquavit, Cucumber, Apple, St. Germain, Lemon, Bubbles, Martini Cucumber
After being mixed, the “bubbles” were added by carbonating the drink directly from a big canister of carbon dioxide. The “martini cucumber” garnish was delicious — batons of cucumber, vacuum-compressed with a gin and vermouth solution until beautifully transparent.
George Mendes contributed appetizers including bacalao (salted cod) and coconut mousse with candied olives, seared shrimp with smoked paprika, and curry-dusted potato chips.
UPDATE 3/18/09: Serious Eats has more on the event, including a few photos.
Tags: cocktail, dave arnold, johnny iuzzini
The Edible Martini » Tasty Molecules on March 11, 2009
[...] up on my last post, here’s video of Dave Arnold demonstrating his technique of vacuum infusing cucumber with gin [...]