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Next-Gen Cocktails

Get ready to take your mixology game to the next level as technique-driven cocktails are set to become all the rage. They’ll blend scientific elements with savvy kitchen skills for drinks sure to shake up future bar trends.


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The Future of Foam

When cocktail foams first hit the bar scene, they were a gamechanger. The frothy top on sours and other egg white drinks were literally elevated to fluffy clouds, inspired by stunning soda fountain drinks. Cocktailing in the future will see bartenders taking this even further with “airs” and “bubbles” (lighter and even more dramatic drink-topping elements) growing in popularity, because they make the sipping experience more interactive and multi‑sensory.

Try this technique with this Double Bubble recipe


Ask an Expert
Frankie Solarik, pioneer in Canada’s modernist cocktail movement, judge on Netflix’s Drink Masters and founder of Toronto’s BarChef and Prequel & Co. Apothecary, says that airs are sure to be the next big thing because they’re such a novel way to showcase fresh aromas and flavour notes in a drink. “With an air, you can introduce a new flavour to a cocktail with zero texture on the palate, which is really cool and pretty impactful,” says Solarik.

Tip
It’s surprisingly easy to master this next-level technique at home, advises cocktail expert Solarik. The key is using natural food additives (such as lecithin, xanthan gum and egg white) that, when added to a liquid, give the bubbles enough structure to capture air and remain stable. There are multiple ways to aerate a liquid, from using a simple immersion blender to commandeering an air pump from a fish tank (with a thorough cleaning, of course), the latter of which makes some gorgeously high-drama bubbles.

Hack
Instead of a fish-tank pump, use an immersion blender to dissolve ½ tsp (2 mL) soy lecithin in ½ cup (125 mL) pomegranate juice. Once the powder is dissolved, tilt the blender on a bit of an angle, so that part of the blade is above the liquid. Aerate the liquid until it starts to form an “air,” stopping every once in a while to scoop the bubbly foam off the liquid with a julep strainer.

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Next Up: Nitro

For years, nitrogen has added a gorgeous texture to stout beer and cold brew coffee. Now nitro is poised to shake up the cocktail world as bartenders start to find ways to use it in drinks that provide inimitable texture, thanks to the velvety mouthfeel and stunning cascade of miniscule bubbles that this gas infuses into drinks.

Use canned nitro cold brew in this Espresso Nitroni

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Although adding nitro doesn’t manipulate the flavour of the cocktail, it has a huge impact on how we perceive flavour, explains Jess Mili, director of operations at Civil Liberties, an award-winning cocktail bar in Toronto that’s on the cutting edge of using nitro in drinks. “It’s like the difference between drinking whipping cream and then tasting it once it’s aerated and transformed from rich, heavy fat into a light pillow of bliss,” says Mili. “Nitrogen does the same thing.”

Tip
Know your nitro! Until recently, says Mili, only bars could dabble in nitro. Now, though, a few companies are selling Nitro Press coffee makers—which use nitrous oxide cartridges to create an extremely similar effect—that can be used to make show-stopping, creamy cocktails. But take care not to mistake a whipped cream siphon for a nitro press. The latter employs more pressure and takes different cartridges. And, neither of these techniques should be confused with using liquid nitrogen, which can be dangerous and should never be used by a home bartender.


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Precision Infusion

Having conquered the hearts and minds of chefs, the sous vide cooker, a “water oven” that makes it possible to cook ingredients at low, precise temperatures, has recently been seen behind the bar—this tool’s next frontier for exploration. Expect to see and taste more sous vide–method cocktails in the future, given that it’s a dead-simple way to deliver potent, fresh flavours from fruit and other ingredients into a cocktail glass.

Try this next-level technique with our Figgy Fashioned

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Owner, manager and head mixologist at Stratford’s The Relic Lobby Bar, Ulises Sanchez says that bartenders initially started using sous vide as a time-saving move: you can mix up an infusion, seal the heatproof plastic sack, drop it in a sous vide bath and get on with the rest of your prep list. The reason the technique is about to take off at bars, though, has a lot more to do with the thirst for novel flavours in cocktails—from smoke to heat to umami and tropical fruit. Sous vide infusions can help preserve the full, punchy flavour of raw ingredients, since it’s a gentler and more precise cooking method. These days, more is more (flavour, that is). Sous vide has got us covered.

Tip
Some cocktails, such as the Old Fashioned, can be almost entirely prepared via sous vide, so that all the home bartender has to do when it’s time to serve is cool, strain, pour over ice and add a dash of bitters.

Hack
A slow cooker can take the place of a sous vide machine—just be sure you have a vacuum-sealer that can handle sous vide–quality plastic bags. This recipe can easily be scaled up to serve groups, too!

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Simple Spheres

Although the “spherification” of food and drink in modernist cuisine has produced spheres of all sizes, from “pearls” to “ravioli” and even much larger “eggs,” so-called cocktail caviar is a rising-star ingredient because, in the bartending world, everyone’s talking about texture. Sometimes compared to Pop Rocks candy, cocktail caviar is a relatively easy way to add both a burst of contrasting flavour and a novel textural dimension to an ordinary mixed drink like a Highball.

Try this trend in this Green Eggs and Dram

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Ask an Expert
Hamilton bartender Alyssa Luckhurst, who trained in modernist techniques for three years at Toronto’s BarChef and Vela, says that the time is right for cocktail caviar to take centre stage because we’re finally really acknowledging that the appearance of the cocktail is an important part of the experience. “I mean obviously there’s that saying about how we ‘eat with our eyes,’” Luckhurst says. “Cocktail caviar isn’t all about looks though; people love it because it’s adventurous, surprising and fun, almost like a grown-up Jell-O shot.”


Tip
Spheres made with this basic spherification method don’t have a long life and should be served within 30 minutes after they’re made, so prepare all the solutions in advance and make the caviar last.