Biancaniello points out an exceptional cocktail is comprised of four essential elements: the name, the look, the smell and the taste. Here are three recipes from his new book to add to your repertoire:
MAYAN CAMPFIRE
(adapted from “Eat Your Drink”)
2 ounces tequila
3 tablespoons Hershey’s chocolate syrup
1½ teaspoons smoked jalapeno tequila (recipe follows)
Enough large-size marshmallows to cover top of glass (4 to 6)
In a cocktail shaker, combine the tequila, chocolate syrup and smoked jalapeno tequila with ice. Shake, then strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Place the marshmallows on top and slowly toast them with a small kitchen torch. Be very careful not to apply the flame for too long on any one area near the rim of the glass. The whole process should take less than 10 seconds.
Smoked Jalapeno Tequila
10 smoked jalapenos
1 (750 ml) bottle 123 Organic Reposado (Dos) Tequila
Place the jalapenos in a quart-size jar and pour in the tequila. Cover and let sit in a cool, dark place to infuse for at least 2 weeks. Strain back into the bottle. This infusion becomes so strong with smoke and spice that it is intended to be a tincture and not consumed on its own. It will keep in a cool, dark place for at least a year.
Our assessment: This is a fun and unusual cocktail, sure to spark some conversation — just be extremely careful using a torch. And trust me, you don't want to drink that jalapeno-infused tequila straight.
CHAI ICED TEA
2 ounces chai-infused gin (see below)
2 ounces condensed milk
3 or 4 cinnamon sticks, for garnish
Into a cocktail shaker with ice, pour the chai-infused gin and condensed milk, shake and then strain into 3 or 4 shot glasses. Garnish each with a cinnamon stick.
Chai-Infused Gin:
2 tablespoons dried chai tea
1 (750 ml) bottle CapRock gin
Put the chai directly into the bottle of gin. Let it steep for about 1 hour, agitating it every 15 minutes, and then strain into a clean bottle. Tea is one of the few things that can overinfuse in alcohol, so it’s really important to watch this carefully. The infused gin will keep in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.
Our assessment: This drink is smooth and exotic. The chai-infused gin is also great with just a splash of tonic in a rocks glass with ice.
WARM TEA
2 ounces Calvados
¾ ounce honey syrup (see below)
¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
2 ounces hot Earl Grey tea (see below)
Pour the Calvados, honey syrup, lemon juice and tea into a teacup, stir together and serve.
Honey Syrup:
In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup water to a boil. Pour in 3 cups honey (preferably buckwheat honey). Stir until all the honey has dissolved. Let cool, then strain the syrup into a glass bottle and seal. The syrup will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Earl Grey Tea:
Pour 2 ounces loose Earl Grey tea in the filter of a glass teapot and pour 1 cup of boiling water over it. Let it sit for 2 minutes, then remove the tea and filter.
Our assessment: Earl Grey tea and apple brandy make a delicious hot toddy combo.
From the book: "Eat Your Drink: Culinary Cocktails" by Matthew Biancaniello; 162 pages, $22.99. Published by Dey St., 2016.
What you get: Here is a collection of creative drinks, organized as a multiple-course meal: amuse bouche, first course, second course, main course, dessert and after dinner. Some of the drinks call for hard-to-find ingredients, like garlic blossoms, pumpkin juice or culinary sunflower petals, and it's highly unlikely I will ever serve White Truffle Eggnog in an emu eggshell. That said, quite a few of the recipes can be made with fairly common ingredients. Also, I saved money by making several substitutions, such as using Laird's Applejack brandy instead of much pricier Calvados.
In his own words: "My mission is to be constantly creating, finding unusual fruits and herbs that I can store in the memory banks of the cocktail enthusiast forever." — Matthew Biancaniello
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