http://bostonapothecary.com anything can be elevated by contrast... Thu, 26 Aug 2010 23:16:32 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en advanced emotional content basics (liqueurs!) i apologize for this chart rendering so poorly in the browser. Type & brand alcohol specific gravity alcohol influence on specific gravity adjusted gravity sugar in g/l carlshamns flag punsch 26 1.082 0.03022 1.11222 293 suze 20 1.031 0.02404 1.05504 143 amer picon 21 1.031 0.02504 1.05604 145 amerpicon (beer?) 21 1.066 0.02504 1.09104 237 cynar 16.5 1.081 0.02054 1.10154 265 stock sweet vermouth 16 1.044 0.02002 1.06402 167 stock dry vermouth 18 0.02206 cointreau 40 1.036 0.04822 1.08422 219 brizard apry 20.5 1.121 0.02454 1.14554 381 maracuja do ezequiel 26 1.098 0.03022 1.12822 336 china martini 31 1.104 0.03582 1.13982 366 villardi jabuticaba 25 1.105 0.02916 1.13416 351 constelacao licor cafe 27 1.139 0.03130 1.17030 457 j. monteiro mint licor 22 1.171 0.02605 1.19705 520 carpano antica vermouth 16.5 1.057 0.02054 1.07754 201 campari 24 1.066 0.02811 1.09411 245 citronge 40 1.073 0.04822 1.12122 317 disarono amaretto 28 1.084 0.03240 1.11640 304 marolo chamomile grappa 35 1.025 0.04092 1.06592 171 punt y mes 16 1.073 0.02002 1.09302 242 matilde ... http://bostonapothecary.com/?p=183 i've been collecting books from the university of california's wine and liquor research bibliographies for a long time now.  i've finally turned up a few oldies that reveal tiny glimpse of what was being imbibed in the hayday of the cocktail era. the sources mainly focus on wine and distilled spirits which were ... http://bostonapothecary.com/?p=175 the honey "syrup" technique basically allows you to cut the sugar content of a honey down to a point where it can contrast an equal volume of lemon or lime juice with the desired "emotional content".  the syrup is also rendered shelf stable by having just enough alcohol to fend ... http://bostonapothecary.com/?p=159 This is just an amateur rant targeted mainly at enthusiasts of popular, contemporary, culinary art.  All ideas are mainly the product of meditations i’ve gone through to make better, more powerful cocktails as well as become a better steward of wine.  Not every “foodie” will be amused by my targets ... http://bostonapothecary.com/?p=163 daiquiri x oz. rum y oz. lime juice z g. sugar the daiquiri is an iconic drink with no specific recipe.  what one believes a daiquiri should be, is all subject to the principles of cultural relativity.  this relative concept is significant because of how polarized western food ways are.  one might find another’s ... http://bostonapothecary.com/?p=145 ginger beer ginger beer has definitely come back into vogue lately, but i don’t think its full creative potential has been realized.  the uniqueness and pungency of ginger yields an intense emotional response that begs to be explored.  when you really investigate the mechanics of ginger beer, the simple seeming component ... http://bostonapothecary.com/?p=138 i never really drink gin martinis.  i'd rather have an interesting sour or something more exotic like a sanru.  after making and drinking a few gin martinis i thought i'd muse a little... martini (3 to 1) 2.25 oz. citadelle gin .75 oz. noilly prat dry vermouth dash orange bitters homogenized lemon peel (expressed in the ... http://bostonapothecary.com/?p=132 this is a cautionary tale... any advice would be appreciated. for quite a while i have dreamt of the idea of bottling high pressure sodas in champagne bottles within a restaurant scenario. ginger beers, sparkling lemonade, sparkling versions of still wines, or maybe hibiscus soda that resembles the structure of prosecco. so ... http://bostonapothecary.com/?p=123 so i bought a ratcheting #25 five gallon basket press. i was intending to use it to make cider but thought i could also put it to other uses around the bar. the main bar problem i've been wanting to find a solution to is creating large volumes of clear pineapple juices ... http://bostonapothecary.com/?p=120 the maraschino cherry is an interesting art object.  to many its just a preserved cherry.  but it also can be a trick of expectation and anticipation.  you expect this simple looking preserved cherry to taste like a cherry and it does... but also with the intense almond-y note of the ... http://bostonapothecary.com/?p=112