Raising the Bar with Jamie BoudreauJamie Boudreau - The Vessel 75

Robert Hess 17 Aug 2007
10:22 am

“Foams” are perhaps one of the more common of the “Molecular Mixology” methods. They are relatively easy to make, and can be flavored with almost anything.

The important thing though is not to treat foams (or any other MM method) as a “Hammer” to which everything else looks like a “nail” to apply it to.

Thomas 4 Jan 2008
10:12 pm

Just extraordinary! 

- Would the eggwhite foam technique hold alcohol - spirits or liqueurs in suspension as well as it does the maple syrup? 

- Is there a book (or perhaps one still in production) on molecular mixology? 

Woodford Reserve is the “house bourbon”  at Vessel - nice!  What’s their top shelf brand? 

Wonderful stuff!

Jamie Boudreau 5 Jan 2008
8:32 pm

Thomas:
-The egg white will hold alcohol.
-There is no book that I am aware of.
-We have many top shelf spirits. A trip to Vessel may be in order to see our ever changing selection.

Thomas 5 Jan 2008
8:37 pm

Thanks, Jamie! 

A trip to vessel will be a near-religious experience, I’m sure.  I’m looking forward to that day.

Adam 10 Feb 2008
10:03 pm

I just visited Seattle last week and had one of these at Vessel.  Great drink!  Thanks for sharing the formula.

blair frodelius 8 Mar 2008
2:14 pm

Jamie,

Where can I purchase an ISI Canister?  Lacking one, how would you go about putting the foam onto the drink (spooning or pouring)?  Lastly, how long will the foam last before it starts “falling”?

Thanks!

Robert Hess 9 Mar 2008
12:19 am

ISI canisters are available in many supermarkets and some kitchen stores.

When using “foams” on drinks, they actually start falling relatively quickly.

Jamie Boudreau 9 Mar 2008
3:25 am

I’m afraid that I have to disagree with Robert; foams should not fall relatively quickly, but should last a good ten minutes, at the minimum.
Lacking one, you could pour it on, but the foam will not be of the same consitency or last as long.
But he is right about the availability of ISI cannisters You should be able to find them in almost every kitchen store, and of course, the web.

Robert Hess 9 Mar 2008
8:59 am

I’ll bow to Jamie on this one. I guess I need to work on my foam recipes a little more, because they always seem to start falling apart in a couple of minutes, but then I normally do them as a fairly light layer in a cocktail glass instead of the nearly 50/50 you see used here. Perhaps that might have something to do with it.

Damian WIlliams 1 Apr 2008
4:05 pm

Got a ISI pump this afternoon, and I made this cocktail with my 3rd attempt at a foam!  It’s the best one I’ve done, but it seems too runny - I managed to caramalise the foam with a kitchen blow torch which made it last longer though.  I also made a Porn Star variation (champagne topped with vanilla vodka and passion fruit foam) and a Bloody Mary variation (citron vodka topped with spicy tomato foam, rimmed with celery salt). 
I would heartily recommend spending £30 on one of these for any jaded bartender looking to make some fun cocktails to liven up a quiet Tuesday afternoon shift!  I took it out on the bar and pretty soon everyone in the bar was keen to try the foamy drinks!

blair frodelius 10 May 2008
8:31 am

Apparently there’s been a shake-up at Vessel.  You can read the details on Good Spirits News under the “The World’s Drinks and How to Mix Them” column at:

http://goodspiritsnews.spaces.live.com

I wish Jamie well, wherever he ends up!

Blair

Oscar Malek 13 May 2009
6:14 pm

This is a really good drink, and one that hopefully I might be able to convince my GM to let me introduce behind my bar as it is a great introduction to molecular drinks, as is the Rosewater Rickey!

I must say Jamie, you’re a star!

Michael Kelley 29 Jul 2009
4:14 pm

Jamie,

Is there a particular ratio of egg (or cream) and water and everything else that works best for foams?  In other words, is your recipe designed in such a way that it would be inappropriate to stray from in terms of its ratio?

Thanks,
Mike

Jamie Boudreau 30 Jul 2009
10:21 am

Mike:
Always always always experiment. There are no hard and fast rules, especially when playing with alcohol and acids like lemon juice. The reality is at Vessel we use a sheet of gelatin as well (I prefer the texture) but it works without it. Will it work with another egg? Yes. Will it work without the water? Yes. Play around with it. Have fun.