COCKTAIL ZERO% BAR MANUAL ALEMBIC HERBS & SPICES 1.SALT I use sea salt. Please don’t ever use the standard table salt - it has a slight chemical taste that can easily off-balance a drink. Although this may sound odd, table salt is too salty! Sea salt costs a little more than regular fine salt, but you won’t need as much and it has a lovely moreish taste. It really can boost a drink’s flavour profile and works brilliantly with citrus. A pinch is all you need. Also used for rimming a glass. 2.PEPPER Black pepper is one of the most commonly used spices in the world. Native to southern India, it’s always best freshly ground. Just take dried black peppercorns either whole or already crushed. I enjoy smashing them up in a pestle and mortar so they have quite a coarse and rustic finish. Like salt, pepper is a great for seasoning to lift flavours. Try adding a sprinkle of cracked black pepper to a slice of fresh pineapple or a ripe strawberry and see how the flavours come alive. SPICES & BOTANICALS INGREDIENTS 3. CINNAMON Cinnamon is a tree and it’s the bark which is used for spice. Cinnamon has been used for many centuries for aromatic purposes. Just a pinch on, or in, creamy cocktails adds a wonderful warming spicy tone. I like to add a nice chunky piece of the bark to hot drinks for further depth and flavour. A good tip is to gently roll the bark between your hands allowing it to relax, break ever so slightly and release the wonderful aroma. 4. DRIED MIXED HERBS A jar of mixed herbs is typically basil, marjoram, oregano and thyme. This mix gives you an instant Mediterranean flavour, working just as well behind the bar as in the kitchen. Mixed herbs marry well with vegetables like tomatoes and spice and taste really great in my Bloody Mary. The green specks also contrast very nicely with the red tomato juice.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODMwNDI=