The Cocktail Spirit with Robert Hess

I unfortunately didn’t have a “Beachbum Berry Mug” to use for this episode. You can see what it looked like, although unfortunately no longer purchase it, here:

http://www.tikibosko.com/gallery.htm

It’s about a third of the way down the page.

-Robert

Licor 43?

Licor 43, also referred to as “Cuarenta Y Tres” (43 in Spanish), is a wonderful liqueur that I enjoy working with.

As the name implies, it apparently is made from 43 different ingredients, and has a general fruity/spicy/vanilla flavor.

It used to be really hard to find, but I’m seeing it more and more these days, and recommend giving it a try.

-Robert

I have what is possibly a stupid question: Why shake with ice and then strain into a glass of ice? Why not just use the ice that’s in the shaker and add more if necessary?

Scott, that’s not a stupid question at all. It wouldn’t be a crime at all to “re-use” the ice here, it just isn’t quite as fashionable. The ice will also have gotten warmed up, and so by straining it into a glass of fresh ice, it helps maintain the drink as cold as possible. So for the most part its all about the level of detail you want to go to in preparing your drinks.

Using ice from the shaker is known as ‘Dirty ice’ I wouldn’t recommend it as the ice in the shaker is broken and it will dilute the drink much faster, always use fresh ice.

however drinks that use crushed ice work well with dirty ice. I recommend trying it with a caipirinhia.

Hey! I just noticed that if you freeze the picture right as Robert sets the mug down at the end of the segment, you can see a picture of the Jeff Barry mug he’s talking about on the book cover right behind the mug as he sets it down.