If you have followed the major trends in the world of food over the past two decades, you know that cutting-edge chefs have employed all sorts of new scientific methods in the preparation of their dishes. They've used what has come to be called "molecular gastronomy" to create intriguing new ways to deliver flavors to patrons. This area of culinary exploration often involves the physical manipulation and chemical transformation of foods in ways that create exciting and visually stunning new modes of presentation. Techniques such as spherification, which creates small orbs of caviar-like liquid that burst in the mouth, and aeration, which transforms typically sold ingredients into ethereal foams, mousses, or soufflés, are just two of the most widely used examples of molecular gastronomy.
Cool trends from the culinary world often spill over into the world of cocktails and mixology. Just as chefs have evolved exciting new modes of presentation, so have high-end bars and mixologists. Some techniques are relatively straighforward—a gizmo called the Jet Chill Dry Ice Twin Probe uses food-grade dry ice to infuse cocktails with a wafting cloudlike aura. Flavor Blaster aroma guns create aroma-filled bubbles that can garnish cocktails with an infinite variety of flavors—everything from bubble gum to bourbon, coffee, meat, and herbal and citrus components.
For the more ambitious cocktail innovators—the ones with deeper pockets—there are other more complicated contraptions that are being employed. Here's a quick overview of four of them.
Rotary Evaporator
Bartenders use this piece of scientific equipment, also called a Rotovap, to create and distill concentrates for cocktails. It works by gently extracting volatile flavors from ingredients at low temperatures (instead of using heat, which oxidizes and sacrifices a lot of flavor integrity) and results in a more concentrated flavor that can be added in measured doses to drinks. The Rotovap can also be used to remove undesirable characteristics from ingredients, such as unpleasant colors or unwanted esters. The machine is also excellent at capturing and preserving the delicate and fresh aroma of spices and herbs that would otherwise be lost if you dried them out or applied heat to them. With a Rotovap, the final product is clean and fresh and unaffected by the flavor-killing effects of too much heat, which is particularly beneficial when working with ingredients such as fruits and herbs.
Some bars use a Rotovap to capture essences and flavors that are not at all commercially available. Alex Kratena at Tāyer + Elementary in London, for example, uses a Rotovap to flavor alcohol with notes of sandalwood. According to Kratena, his Sandalwood Martini contains a distillate that adds a "distinctive, soft, warm, precious wood scent to this amazing classic.”
More and more high-end bars are incorporating the Rotovap into their beverage program, but not without a significant financial investment. A full Rotovap setup will cost upwards of $11,000.
Centrifuge
A centrifuge uses centrifugal acceleration to separate the denser substances in a solution from the lighter elements. Mixologists will often use a centrifuge to break down ingredients into components that can be used separately in cocktail recipes. One bartender, for example, takes a Middle Eastern black lime and breaks it down into a powder that is rehydrated with clarified lime juice. The juice is then injected into the center of ice cubes so the flavor profile of the drink evolves as the cubes melt.
Centrifuges are also used to clarify all sorts of liquids, to turn liquids like coconut milk into coconut butter, to remove impurities in natural products like honey or maple syrup, or to separate essential oils in an ingredient from the water in that ingredient.
Ultrasonic Homogenizers
Homogenizers use ultrasonic waves to break down cellular structures, which in turn releases trapped components into a surrounding fluid. This technique is often used with botanicals such as herbs, spices, and wood. By sonicating lavender flowers in vodka, for example, ultrasonic forces break the cell walls of the lavender flower and the aromatic molecules and essential oils inside the cell are released into the vodka. After straining the lavender flowers from the alcohol, the remaining liquid is infused with an intense lavender flavor and aroma.
Bartenders and chefs also use homogenizers to create unique cocktails and drinks by blending, flash aging, and modifying textures to create flavor combinations and enhance mouthfeel in new and exciting ways.
Dehydrators
Dehydrators work by slowly removing moisture from an ingredient with a warm, dry environment that promotes evaporation. Most dehydrators work with a simple system that employs a heat source, an air circulator, and an exhaust that enables the moisture-laden air to escape.
Dehydrated garnishes have become all the rage in the past few years, but dehydrators have many applications in cocktail mixology. As garnishes, dehydrated fruits, herbs, and flowers add concentrated flavor and a unique visual component to cocktails. Dehydrated garnishes can also be used in alcoholic slushies, where customers can then eat the chewy pieces at the end.
Dehydrators are also useful for transforming ingredients that would otherwise not be practical, such as berries for Sangria or Bing cherries for an Old Fashioned. Dehydrated ingredients can also help reduce waste by making every part of the fruit usable.
Unlike Rotovaps and other high-tech scientific equipment, dehydrators are relatively inexpensive and easy to use in a home kitchen. Some of the top brands sell for $100 to $200 and are readily available through many retail outlets.