The Cocktail Spirit with Robert Hess

These days it seems like most people think of the Daiquiri as being a “frozen” drink, which is unfortunate. Those drinking it that way are missing out on a great drink, and those who are “wanting” a great drink are avoiding it because they don’t like frozen drinks.

You can use the Daiquiri to get a good handle on the whole “balance” thing with the lime juice and the simple syrup. Just play around with the ratios a bit until you feel that it isn’t too sweet or too sour for your palate. One thing I’ve learned is that the sweet/sour balance really does tend to vary from one person to another.

-Robert

Robert, Do you think that the Vodka added to the simple syrup actually makes a difference? The effective concentration of alcohol would be pretty low, and fungi can tolerate reasonably high levels of alcohol since they produce it themselves. You can try a side by side test (with and without the vodka) to test your hypothesis.

I’ve never done a true scientific “side-by-side” test on this, but I have simply noticed that without alcohol, mold. With alcohol, no mold. But you’re right, I should try to get some more data. Would also be good to find out how much alcohol is needed and how long the ‘protection’ lasts (wrt. alcohol evaporation)

Robert,
What is the right proportions for simple syrup?  I’ve seen 1 pound sugar (about 2 cups) to 1 cup water - and 1 cup sugar to 1 cup water.

There are essentially two main recipes people tend to use for simple syrup, either a 1 part sugar and 1 part water (by volume), or 2 parts sugar to 1 part water.

Obviously the second results in a sweeter syrup, it is often refered to as “rich” simple syrup.

Which you choose to use can be a bit of a personal choice. I personally prefer the 2-to-1 version myself. But I have several friends who swear by the 1-to-1 version.

-Robert

When you specify simple syrup in your instructions, are you using 1:1 or 2:1?

Merry Christmas.

Robert, I also notice that your syrup is tan.  What kind of sugar do you use to make it? 

And I salute you atop your Soap Box regarding sour mix.  Good speech!

We get so much lovely sunshine here in Seattle that lots of things take on that wonderful tan color.

Ok, maybe not :->

Actually I used “Demerara” (aka. raw cane) sugar to make my simple syrup for this episode. I find that it has just a little bit of extra character to it.

-Robert

I’m a little confused by your comments regarding simply syrup.  In the episode you say you use a 1:1 ratio. Here in the comments you say you prefer to use a 2:1 ratio.  When you use simply syrup in the episodes, are you giving us the recipe for 1:1 syrup or the richer 2:1 syrup.

Thanks,
Owen

Owen,

Good catch… as I was rattling off at the mouth I should have said “two cups of sugar” instead of one. I personally prefer to use a 2:1 ratio in my syrup.

Which of course raises another issue as to if “you” might happen to prefer the 1:1 ratio, how does that alter your drink? Well as you might expect it won’t be “quite” as sweet, and so you may need to slightly adjust the recipe to your palate, which is part of what makes “mixology” such a fun thing because we are each providing our own slight interpretation of a drink every time we make it.

I can see the dense Seattle rainforest outside your window there, so I knew you were joking about the sun. 

I recently tried finely granulated raw sugar in some bar syrup and it turned out kind of greenish.  The coarser dememera or turbinado sugar you suggest here creates a better color.  And a touch of molasses odor (but not flavor). 

Thanks for the tips!

Robert,

Granted, we all should be using fresh squeezed juices and simple syrup when making a daquiri.  Have you had any experience with the Freshies brand?

I’ve never tried Freshies, but I personally can’t imagine any “mix” product being even close to fresh ingredients, except in very few cases and situations.