The concept of molecular mixology is not as well known as molecular gastronomy -- likely because of some combination of a non-equivalent marketing push (think what Top Chef did for molecular gastronomy), the public's resistance to double-digit prices on cocktails and a bunch of bartenders who choose to make drinks without labeling the process.
Tales of the Cocktail 2009 explores a lecture on how influential molecular mixology is in relation to the history of cocktails. It's an interesting breakdown of how the elements of a drink (aroma, texture) mesh with the environmental factors at a bar to create the taste experience.
Molecular mixology was the hot new trend
in 2006, as bartenders experimented with how science might be brought
behind the bar. New York restaurant WD-50 broke the Jell-O mold by
turning jell-shots into paper. In 2008, Cointreau released a kit
for turning its orange liqueur into caviar pearls. Molecular
mixology didn't really catch on, but it's still cool
to watch this video of a cucumber being vacuum-infused with a vodka martini.
Here in town, your best places to witness the happy marriage of science and drinking are The Drop and Manifesto. As to why molecular-inspired drinks aren't popping up everywhere, Camper
English of Alcademics offers up the idea that molecular mixology might
ultimately be more about aesthetics than ingredient manipulation:
"Molecular is just a way of thinking" about drinks, rather than a specific set of techniques, writes English.
And
that gets to the heart of why molecular mixology is not a widely used
concept. In many cases it's more ethereal than using liquid nitrogen
or turning an ingredient into foam. And drinkers have always had a hard
time talking about our feelings.
[Image via Flickr: the delicious life]
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