En | Chef Tamer

FERRAN ADRIAN

MODERN MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY

Molecular gastronomy or molecular cuisine is the science of cooking but it is commonly used to describe a new style of cuisine in which chefs explore new culinary possibilities in the kitchen by embracing sensory and food science, borrowing tools from the science lab and ingredients from the food industry and concocting surprise after surprise for their diners. Formally, the term molecular

gastronomy refers to the scientific discipline that studies the physical and chemical processes that occur while cooking. Molecular gastronomy seeks to investigate and explain the chemical reasons behind the transformation of ingredients, as well as the social, artistic and technical components of culinary and gastronomic phenomena in general. The term Molecular Gastronomy was born in 1992 (complete history on this post Many of these modern chefs do not accept the term molecular

gastronomy to describe their style of cooking and prefer other terms like "modern cuisine", "modernist cuisine", "experimental cuisine" or "avant-garde cuisine". Heston Blumenthal says molecular gastronomy makes cuisine sound elitist and inaccessible, as though you need a BSc to enjoy it. In the end, molecular gastronomy or molecular cuisine - or whatever you want to call this cooking style - refers to experimental restaurant cooking driven by the desire of modern cooks to explore the world's wide variety of ingredients, tools and techniques. Molecular gastronomy science research starts in the kitchen

and the learnings of how food tastes and behaves enable these chefs to cook with it and discover new sensory pleasures with it. Molecular gastronomy experiments have resulted in new innovative dishes like hot gelatins, airs, faux caviar, spherical ravioli, crab ice cream and olive oil spiral. Ferran Adria from El Bulli restaurant used alginates to create his system of spherification which gelled spheres that literally burst in your mouth. Heston Blumenthal from The Fat Duck restaurant applied the learning’s of the ability of fat to hold flavor to create a dish that had three flavors -basil, olive and onion - and each of them was perceived in turn. The potential of molecular gastronomy is enormous. It is revolutionizing traditional cooking and transforming eating into a whole new emotional and sensory experience.

When people hear molecular gastronomy or molecular cuisine for the first time they often mistakenly view it as unhealthy, synthetic, chemical, dehumanizing and unnatural. This is not surprising given that molecular gastronomy often relies on fuming flasks of liquid nitrogen, led-blinking water baths, syringes, tabletop distilleries, PH meters and shelves of food chemicals with names like carrageenan, maltodextrin and xanthan. My wife's first reaction when I surprised her with a liquid pea spherical raviolo was to say "Can I eat this? Is this safe? Why don't you try it first?” The truth is that the "chemicals" used in molecular gastronomy are all of biological origin. Even though they have been purified and some of them processed, the raw material origin is usually marine, plant, animal or microbial. These additives are also used in very, very small amounts and have been approved by EU standards. And the science lab equipment used just helps modern gastronomy cooks to do

simple things like maintaining the temperature of the cooking water constant (water bath) , cooling food at extremely low temperatures fast (liquid nitrogen) or extract flavor from food (evaporator). There is still some debate out there about the healthiness of molecular gastronomy but I personally believe there are other bigger health issues in everyday food we consume. In the end, you are not going to be eating liquid pea spheres every day anyway.

If you are passionate about cooking, have a creative mind and at the same time you are analytical and logical, molecular gastronomy is most likely going to become your passion. Molecular gastronomy cooking requires a good use of your left brain and right brain. Most of the molecular cuisine recipes need to be followed precisely. More than often, steps need to be followed in a very specific sequence or the whole dish will be a disaster. Quantities are measured in fractions of a gram or fractions of a percentage. Slight variations in food acidity levels could be disastrous for some dishes like a learned when making caviar for the first time as I replaced melon with pomegranate. At the same time, molecular gastronomy is about experimenting, being curious, using intuition, playing with emotions and creating a multi-sensory dining experience with artistic dish presentations, textures, aromas, flavors and even sounds. The plate is your canvas! Or do you need a plate? How about serving soup in a tea cup or a sphere in a bended spoon or a salad in a parmesan basket or a brochette on a titanium mesh? Ok, maybe the

titanium mesh is too much. Let's leave this for the expensive molecular gastronomy restaurants. If you are not a professional chef with a fully equipped kitchen you can still enjoy molecular gastronomy at home and without spending too much money. Many molecular cuisine recipes don't even require especial equipment or "chemicals". Even with as little as $50 you can get some basic molecular gastronomy substances to start making spheres, airs and gels. Of course, cooking with liquid nitrogen is a different story even though it is totally doable at home but you'll have to spend about $500 and carefully follow some safety procedures not to injure yourself or your loved ones.

The major challenge is going to be finding good molecular cuisine recipes with complete detailed explanations, learning the basic principles behind each recipe so you can be creative and come up with your own dishes and finding good pictures of finished dishes so you know how they are supposed to look. It seems like molecular gastronomy chefs don't want to share their secrets completely and they just give you a truncated version of the recipe.

That's why I created this molecular gastronomy website with recipes that I or my readers have tried at home and modified as necessary, tips and techniques to get the best results with molecular recipes and successfully create your own signature dishes, affordable ways of acquiring or substituting molecular gastronomy

equipment and substances and beautiful pictures of finished dishes to inspire your creativity. I welcome professional chefs, amateur cooks and scientists to use this molecular gastronomy website to collaborate in building this community to make molecular gastronomy more accessible and affordable to everyone. People should not be deprived of the multi sensory pleasures of molecular gastronomy.

His spherification technique was introduced by el Bulli in 2003. It consists of a controlled jellification of a liquid which forms spheres when submerged in a bath. The spheres can be made of different sizes and have been given names like caviar, eggs, gnocchi and ravioli. The resulting spheres have a

thin membrane and are filled with the original liquid. A slight pressure of the mouth on the sphere makes them burst and release an amazing explosion of flavor. The spheres are flexible and can be carefully manipulated. It is possible to introduce solid elements in the sphere which will remain in suspension in the liquid giving the possibility of introducing multiple flavors and textures in one preparation. There are two main kinds of spherification techniques and each of them has its advantages and disadvantages which make them more suitable for certain recipes. The Basic Spherification technique consists of submerging a liquid with sodium alginate in a bath of calcium. The Reverse Spherification technique consists of submerging a liquid with a mixture of calcium gluconate and calcium lactate in a bath of sodium alginate. There are also a couple of other spherification techniques which consist of instant jelling by immersing the liquid in cold oil or liquid nitrogen.

Basic Spherification

The Basic Spherification technique is ideal for obtaining spheres with a very, very thin membrane that is almost imperceptible in your mouth. It results in a sphere that easily explodes in your mouth as if there is no solid substance between your palate and the liquid. The main problem of this technique is that once the sphere is removed from the calcium bath, the process of jellification continues even after rinsing the sphere with water. This means that the spheres need to be served immediately or they would convert into a compact gel ball with no magical liquid inside. The other issue of this technique is that jellification does not occur if the liquid acidity is high (PH<5) but this can be corrected by adding sodium citrate to the liquid to reduce the acidity level before the spherification process. Examples of Basic Spherification are "Spherical Mango Ravioli" and "Liquid Pea Ravioli" (shown below). Learn more about Basic Spherification.

Reverse Spherification

The technique of Reverse Spherification is much more versatile than Basic Spherification as it can make spheres with almost any product. It is best for liquids with high calcium content or alcohol content. Contrary to the spheres made with the Basic Spherification process, these spheres have a thicker membrane and are long-lasting as the process of jellification can be stopped when the sphere is removed from the sodium alginate bath and rinsed with water. Thanks to these characteristics, the Reverse Spherification spheres can be manipulated more easily and can be used in more ways (for example as fillings in sponge cakes or mousses, in cocktails or can even be macerated in aromatized olive oil for a few days). Examples of Reverse Spherification are "Yoghurt Spheres", "Liquid Mozzarella Spheres" and "Spherical Olives" (shown below). Learn more about Reverse Spherification.

He Spherification technique was introduced at el Bulli by Ferran Adria in 2003 marking an inflexion point in molecular gastronomy. As many other molecular gastronomy techniques, spherification was discovered by working together with a leading company in the food industry and, of course, the genius of a chef like Ferran Adria and the rest of el Bulli team.

In 2003, Ferran Adria and el Bulli team were visiting a company called Griffith España to see their installations when they came across a Mexican sauce that contained little balls in suspension which added acidity and spice when eaten. This reminded him of a drink he knew that contained little spheres made by immersing a liquid with sodium alginate in a bath of

calcium. In both cases, the spheres were solid and did not have a liquid filling.

They got a sample of the alginate and when they returned to el Bulli Taller, the experimentation began. Their first spherification experiment was with water as the main ingredient and a syringe to form little drops of the alginate solution. Because they used water in a water bath they couldn’t see any spheres but when they strained the liquid they discovered that they had been able to create small balls with liquid inside (now called caviar). Right after that they tried with a spoon instead of a syringe to create a larger sphere and now the first “spherical ravioli” was created.

2003 The First Spheres at el Bulli

As we know today, spherification produces spherical forms of varying textures and consistencies and several of them were created in the first year.

Spherical ravioli, filled ravioli, marbles and miniravioli: the first dish el Bulli team was able to

prepare with spherification was the liquid pea ravioli. They came up with the name ravioli because they thought the sensation in the mouth was exactly like ravioli filled with liquid. They then made mango, raspberry and filled ravioli with Gernika pepper broth and pepper seed filling. El Bulli team then tried a smaller version of the ravioli called miniravioli and the marbles. The latter is the same size as the ravioli but with a thicker membrane that maintains its perfect spherical form when plated and “explodes” in the mouth.

Spherical caviar and pellets: The team at el Bulli tried different ingredients for their first caviar dish and the winner was the Cantaloupe melon caviar. To be able to prepare enough caviar in a reasonable time to serve to dinners at el Bulli, they created a device with several syringes that could be pushed at the same time. According to Adria, this was one of the most exciting times at el Bulli and Cantaloupe melon caviar was the signature dish of 2003. That year they also created truffle pellets using the

spherification technique and macerating them in truffle juice overnight to intensify the flavor. Spherical balloons: After being served caviar and spherical ravioli, el Bulli’s customers were impressed one more time with another variation of the spherification technique. Spherical balloons are made using the spherification technique together with another technique developed at el Bulli using soda siphons. According to el Bulli, this preparation is one of the most difficult to make. The balloons were made by pouring rose-perfumed water and sodium alginate into the siphon. Then, using a special adaptor, el Bulli team activated the siphon over a calcium solution making opaque spheres. Minute later transparent balloons are formed.

“Spherical” noodles: This was also the year of the first spherical noodles. The first noodles were created using a syringe filled with a mixture of lychee-juice and sodium alginate, then tracing zigzagged laces over the calcium solution, thus producing lychee noodles.

2004 The Evolution of Spherification at el Bulli

It is common to see in molecular gastronomy that when a new molecular technique is discovered, chefs keep using their imagination to apply it in different ways and come up with variations of the original technique to develop new concepts. This is exactly what happened at el Bulli with spherification in 2004. Four new ideas emerged.

Spherical filled ravioli: In 2003 el Bulli made filled ravioli but this year with a frozen liquid inside instead of pepper seeds. This filled ravioli was made by placing a tablet of frozen lemon juice in the spoon containing tea with which they went on to form the tea sphere.

Spherical gnocchi: This is basically a sphere made from foam, providing a unique creamy texture to the sphere filling. This year el Bulli had two

versions of it. One was made of pumpkin purée and the other was an adaptation of the classic

potato gnocchi.

2005 el Bulli Creates Inverse Spherification

While el Bulli was serving the first spheres, el Bulli Taller, the scientific department of the restaurant, was researching how to modify the spherification technique to be able to work with products that already contained calcium in them. With Basic Spherification

After multiple unsuccessful experiments to improve the spherification technique, el Bulli team realized that they could just try a reverse spherification by inverting the components and inserting a product that already contained calcium into an alginate bath. This discovery, now called

this natural calcium would trigger the jellification process of the liquid

inside the sphere, obviously an unwanted effect.

Reversed Spherification, allowed el Bulli to create spheres with new ingredients like olives and dairy products for the first time ever. As an extra bonus (not minor), reverse spherification allowed el Bulli chef’s to detain the jellification of preparations, something they were unable to control in basic spherification.

Cooking with Liquid Nitrogen, Vacuum Machines and Syringes

The recipe for liquid olives, which calls for 1.25 grams (0.04 ounces) of calcium chloride, 200 grams (7 ounces) of green olive juice, 2.5 grams (0.09 ounces) of alginate and 500 grams (18 ounces) of water, sounds more like the materials list of a high school chemistry experiment and hints at one important piece of equipment every molecular gastronomist must have: a scale. A good digital scale is indispensable and can even be used for non culinary tasks, such as evaluating nutritional content or even calculating postage.

Here are some other tools you might need to master molecular gastronomy:

• Vacuum machine. Remember the sous vide

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steak we talked about last section? If you really want to do the job right, consider a vacuum sealer. A good model will evacuate the air from plastic bags and then seal the bag tightly closed. You can also buy a thermal bath to provide precise heating of your water bath. Hypodermic syringe

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. You may shudder at the sight of a needle, but you may have to overcome your fear if you want to practice molecular gastronomy. As we've already seen, syringes are helpful in the process of spherification. Some chefs also use them to inject liquids into meat to enhance flavor and texture. Liquid nitrogen. At a temperature of -321 degrees F (-196 degrees C), liquid nitrogen will flash freeze any food

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it touches. As it boils away, it gives off a dense nitrogen fog that can add atmosphere and drama to food preparation. Unfortunately, liquid nitrogen must be transported in specially made flasks and can be dangerous if it touches skin. A safer alternative is the Anti-Griddle, described next. Anti-Griddle

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. The Anti-Griddle, a product of Poly Science, looks like a traditional cook top, but it doesn't heat up food. Its -30 degrees F (-34 degrees C) surface instantly freezes sauces and purées or freezes just the outer surfaces of a dish while maintaining a creamy center. The Gastrovac

Of course, you'll need to have a well-stocked spice rack to accompany your high-end gadgets. We've already discussed alginate and calcium chloride -- the two chemicals needed for spherification. Another important gelling agent is

. Manufactured by International Cooking Concepts, the Gastrovac is three tools in one: a Crock-pot, a vacuum pump and a heating plate. In its low-pressure, oxygen-free atmosphere, the Gastrovac cooks food faster at lower temperatures, which helps the food maintain its texture, color and nutrients. When the food is done warming, you restore the pressure and create what ICC calls the "sponge effect." The liquid rushes back into the food, bringing intense flavors with it.

methylcellulose, which congeals in hot water, then becomes liquid again as it cools. Emulsifiers are a must for maintaining a uniform dispersion of one liquid in another, such as oil in water. Two popular emulsifiers are soy lecithin and xanthan gum. Finally, more and more

molecular gastronomists are turning to transglutanimase

Now we're ready to put everything together. In the next section, we'll present three recipes for a molecular gastronomy-inspired meal.

, a chemical that causes proteins to stick together. Because meat is protein, chefs can do inventive things with transglutaminase, such as removing all fat from a steak and gluing it back together or fashioning noodles from shrimp meat.

Sous vide, or low temperature cooking, is a process of cooking food at a very tightly controlled temperature, normally the temperature the food will be served at. This is a departure from traditional cooking methods that use high heat to cook the food, which must be removed at the moment it reached the desired temperature. Sous vide was first used in kitchens in France in the 1970s and traditionally is the process of cooking vacuum sealed food in a low temperature water bath. This process helps to achieve texture and doneness not found in other cooking techniques. Sous Vide has slowly been spreading around the world in professional kitchens everywhere and is finally making the jump to home kitchens. As sous vide has become more popular and moved to the home kitchen the term now encompasses both traditional “under vacuum� sous vide and also low

Sous Vide

temperature cooking. Some preparations rely on the vacuum pressure to change the texture of the food but in most cases the benefits of sous vide are realized in the controlled, low temperature cooking process. This means that fancy vacuum sealers can be set aside for home sealers or even zip lock bags. The basic concept of sous vide cooking is that food should be cooked at the temperature it will be served at. For instance, if you are cooking a steak to medium rare, you want to serve it at 131 degrees Fahrenheit. Normally you would cook it on a hot grill or oven at around 400-500 degrees and pull it off at the right moment when the middle has reached 131°F. This results in a bulls eye effect of burnt meat on the outside turning to medium rare in the middle. This steak cooked sous vide would be cooked at 131°F for several hours. This will result in the entire piece of meat being a perfectly cooked medium rare.

Why Cook with Sous Vide?

Just like any method of applying heat to food there are many reasons to use sous vide cooking, depending on what you are trying to accomplish. Because food cooked in the sous vide style is vacuum sealed, when it is cooked it doesn't lose any of the food's moisture or flavor. This is especially exciting when compared to braising, where most of the flavor is transferred to the sauce because of the lose of juices. Sous vide cooking also allows you to cook tough cuts of meat at an incredibly low temperature, not only tenderizing them but keeping them perfectly cooked at medium-rare. This is very effective for shanks, roasts and other pieces of meat that are typically braised or roaster.

Cooking food in the sous vide method also results in new textures. This is because the vacuum sealing process can make food denser (like watermelons, for example), and because the lack of the typical high high can result in silky and smooth textured food that is impossible to replicate in the oven or pan. A great example of the power of sous vide cooking is short ribs. Normally short ribs are braised for hours or cooked in the oven at low heat, resulting in very tender meat that has lost most of its flavor to the sauce. Using sous vide you can cook those ribs perfectly medium-rare, retain all their moisture and juice, and tenderize them all at the same time, resulting in the best short ribs you've ever had.

Dehydrator

Food drying is a practice used to preserve fruit, vegetables and animal proteins after harvest since antiquity,[1] and a food dehydrator refers to a device that removes moisture from food to aid in its preservation. A food dehydrator uses a heat source and air flow to reduce the water content of foods. The water content of food is usually very high, typically 80% to 95% for various fruits and vegetables and 50% to 75% for various meats. Removing moisture from food restrains various bacteria

Devices require heat using energy sources such as

from growing and spoiling food. Further, removing moisture from food dramatically reduces the weight of the food. Thus, food dehydrators are used to preserve and extend the shelf life of various foods. The first commercial food dehydrator was sold in 1920.

solar or electric power, and vary in form from large-scale dehydration projects [2] to DIY projects or commercially sold appliances for domestic use. A commercial food dehydrator's basic parts usually consist of a heating element, a fan, air vents allowing for air circulation and food trays to lay food upon. A dehydrator's heating element, fans and vents simultaneously work to

remove moisture from food. A dehydrator's heating element warms the food causing its moisture to be released from its interior. The appliance's fan then blows the warm, moist air out of the appliance via the air vents. This process continues for hours until the food is dried to substantially lower water content, usually fifteen to twenty percent or less.

Most foods are dehydrated at temperatures of 130°F, or 54°C, although meats being made into jerky should be dehydrated at a higher temperature of 155°F, or 68°C, or preheated to those temperature levels, to guard against pathogens

that may be in the meat. The key to successful food dehydration is the application of a constant temperature and adequate air flow. Too high a temperature can cause hardened foods: food that is hard and dry on the outside but moist, and therefore vulnerable to spoiling, on the inside.

Mini Air Bread with Iberian Bacon & Caviaroli

Molecular gastronomy Chef Nandu Jubany delights us with incredible flavors and textures of Caviaroli olive oil caviar, air bread, smoky Iberian bacon, grated white truffle and crunchy sea salt flakes. A true modernist cuisine experience!

Apple Caviar with Banana Foam

The apple caviar from Ferran Adria is a great way to bring molecular gastronomy to your cheese plate, desserts or drinks. Pair it with strawberry sorbet, banana foam, Gruyere cheese or an apple martini. The little spheres will burst in the mouth releasing a delicious fresh apple juice.

Yuzu Cilantro Spheres

These spheres burst in your mouth releasing a refreshing taste of yuzu, orange peel and cilantro. Yuzu and cilantro pair perfectly as they have similar molecular compounds in common. In this recipe we’ll be using Frozen Reverse Spherification to create the spheres.

Honey Caviar, Fourme d’Ambert, Black Tea

The honey caviar is a great way to bring molecular gastronomy to your cheese plate, desserts or drinks. In this recipe we are pairing the acacia honey caviar with a delicious Fourme d’Ambert cheese and a small cup of black tea. Did you know that black tea pairs perfectly with acacia honey and Fourme d’Ambert?

Caviaroli Olive Oil Caviar with Prosciutto

Excellent way to start a meal with Caviaroli olive oil caviar by Ferran Adria on top of a slice of toasted baguette with Prosciutto or Iberian Ham.

Strawberry Salmorejo with Olive Oil Caviar

The Strawberry Salmorejo with Olive Oil Caviar is a molecular gastronomy dish by Chef Artur Martinez from Capritx (1 Michelin Star) in Spain. Salmorejo, typical dish from Cordoba in the south of Spain, is similar to a traditional tomato gazpacho but richer and smoother. In this recipe, strawberries are used instead of tomatoes to create a unique dish that it is then topped with Caviaroli olive oil caviar to add a magical touch.

His scientific equipment, techniques and know-how of molecular gastronomy, generally applied to food, have been quickly adopted by chefs and mixologists to create interesting cocktails. Molecular mixology brings science to the shaker to create new flavors, textures, and surprising presentations and enhance the overall drinking experience. Bartenders and chefs leading the molecular mixology movement have created incredible cocktails and drinking experiences. Cocktail spheres that explode in the mouth, cocktail caviar, edible cocktails, multi-color layered cocktails, cocktails that resemble lava lamps, cocktails with foams and bubbles, cocktails infused with surprising leather and cigar flavors, powdered cocktails, cocktails with suspended elements, cocktail gums, paper cocktails, solid cocktails, cocktail marshmallows, flavored ice spheres,

frozen ‘nitro’ cocktails, cocktail popsicles, cocktail glasses filled with cotton candy and much more!! The creativity and imagination of these mixologists is endless!

Mixologists who work at molecular gastronomy restaurants are fortunate to have easy access to the expensive equipment used by the chef. But a lot can be done with reasonably priced tools in almost any bar and at home if you have patience and a little extra time to dedicate to the cocktail preparation. Molecular mixology equipment ranges from simple blowtorches to vacuum chambers, ISI Whips, sous vide machines, cotton

candy makers, liquid nitrogen, rotary evaporators and dehydrators. You can easily get started with our Molecular cocktails were first created by molecular gastronomy chefs such as Ferran Adria, Heston Blumenthal and Grant Achatz but the trend was quickly adopted and taken to the next level by pioneer mixologists such as Tony Conigliaro, who has collaborated with Heston Blumenthal, Eben Klemm, Eben Freeman and Angel Chocano.

Molecular Mixology Kit.

Cocktail Spheres - Spherification

The technique created by molecular gastronomy Chef Ferran Adria is also used in molecular mixology. Basic spherification, for example, is used to create caviar of Cointreau that can be added to champagne, cosmopolitans, margaritas, sidecar and many other traditional cocktails to make them more interesting. Molecular gastronomy Chef Jose Andres serves at Minibar Carbonated Mojito Spheres made using Reverse Spherification

and carbonated in an ISI Whip charged with CO2.

Cocktail Truffles

At his restaurant Alinea, Grant Achatz has served a couple of spiked eggnog cocktails by creating a sphere of eggnog filled with an alcoholic mix (similar to a chocolate truffle with liquid filling). One of them called Eggnog - Pedro Ximenez, Benedictine, Buffalo Trace, consists of an eggnog sphere filled with a spicy filling of cucumber, cinnamon and bourbon served floating on sweet Pedro Ximenez in a shot glass.

Cocktail Gels (or fancy Jell-O shots!)

Bar Nineteen 12 in Beverly Hills serves a flight of five jelly shots: a half-sphere blueberry martini with a fresh blueberry suspended in the center, a slice of jellified layers of Grand Marnier, Kahlúa and Baileys to create an edible B-52, a pear martini made with pear purée, a mojito shot in the shape of a diamond and a round bubble gum martini. The fancy jello shots are served on a glass box filled with ice and lighted from inside. They also serve other jellied cocktails like campari and orange juice, gin and tonic, champagne with candied orange peel, vanilla bean Prosecco, and Manhattan and tequila sunrise.

At Craft restaurant in Los Angeles, pastry chef Catherine Schimenti serves jelly cubes of Prosecco, simple syrup and vanilla bean seeds.

Molecular mixologist Eben Freeman, of Tailor restaurant in New York City, is a pioneer in creating molecular cocktails. Freeman makes a trio of edible cocktails that is delicious! Cuba Libre Gelatin Square, Ramos Gin Fizz Marshmallow and White Russian Breakfast Cereal.

The Cuba Libre Gelatin Square is made by mixing rum and coke with gelatin. Once set, the gelatin is cut into cubes and served on a lime chip. The lime chip is made by freezing a whole lime, it is then cut with a meat slicer into very thin slices which are then dipped in syrup and dried in a dehydrator until crispy.

Learn more about making

Cocktail Marshmallows

Cocktail Gels.

The Ramos Gin Fizz Marshmallow of Freeman's edible cocktails trio (photo below) is made with a traditional Ramos Gin Fizz recipe (gin, lemon juice, lime juice, egg white, sugar, cream, orange flower water, and soda water) plus some additional sugar and gelatin, then whipped and baked to make the marshmallows. The marshmallow squares are then tossed in juniper sugar (juniper berries grinded in a spice grinder).

Infusing Solids and Dehydrating Cereal

The White Russian Breakfast Cereal of Freeman's edible cocktails trio (photo above) is made by tossing Rice Krispies in Kahlúa liquor, then dried in a dehydrator. This process is done twice to add more Kahlúa flavor to the cereal. The Kahlúa krispies are served in a bowl and chilled “vodka milk” is added. The vodka milk is a mixture of half and half with some sugar and, of course, vodka.

A molecular cocktail from Grant Achatz that falls in this category is “Elixir Vegetal”; a sugar cube infused with charteuse, green French liquor made with 130 herbal extracts, fennel and lemon. At The Aviary, the molecular gastronomy chef serves compressed watermelon with soju topped with sesame seeds and cantaloupe compressed with Champagne topped with Prosciutto.

Paper Cocktails

Molecular mixologist Freeman has also experimented with “paper cocktails” such as a thin, crispy sheet of quince sour made with whiskey, quince and lemon.

Powdered Cocktails

Molecular mixologist Eben Freeman also serves powdered cocktails. He makes dehydrated rum and coke by mixing cola-flavored popping sugar with rum powder. I guess this has no alcohol content so maybe we should call it powdered virgin cocktail.

Whiskey, Wine and Cocktail Gums

Molecular gastronomy chef Heston Blumenthal serves his famous whiskey gums at his restaurant The Fat Duck. The whiskey gums have the shape of a bottle and are served on a photo frame with the map of Britain (photo above). Each whiskey gum is made from a different whiskey and it is placed on the map indicating the region where it was made. He also has a wine gums version.

Molecular mixologist Freeman has also jellied gin and tonic and has served it on lime chips and sprinkled with "tonic" powder. The “tonic” powder, which adds fizz to the edible cocktail, is a mixture of baking soda, citric acid and powdered sugar. Molecular gastronomy Chef Michael Han serves gin and tonic gums in his Singapore restaurant. The gum is served on a cold stone and the diners are told to place the gum on the tongue and let it melt in the mouth.

Cocktail Ice Pops

Bar Nineteen 12 also converts cocktails into ice pops. Colorful martini Popsicles of various flavors including apple, watermelon and sour cherry.

Frozen ‘Nitro’ Cocktails

Molecular gastronomy Chef José Andrés serves “nitro caipirinha” at Bar Centro in Los Angeles. The “nitro caipirinha” is made at the table by freezing a delicious caipirinha using liquid nitrogen. The end result is caipirinha slush with very high alcoholic content.

Fruits or Vegetables Filled with Cocktail Gel

Molecular gastronomy Chef Grant Achatz has transformed the classic cocktail Sazerac into an edible cocktail with an incredible presentation. The classic Sazerac cocktail is made with whiskey, Peychaud bitters, simple syrup, absinthe and lemon garnish. The molecular mixology version of Chef Achatz is served in a syrup-poached kumquat filled with whiskey gel and topped with a pudding dot of Peychaud bitters, fine lemon peel and micro mint leaf. Deconstructed edible Sazerac in a bite!

Mixologist Jamie Boudreau serves a cocktail in cored cherry tomatoes filled with a gel of gin, Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce and salt.

Suspending Solid Elements in Liquid

Another molecular mixology technique developed by Chef Ferran Adria is to suspend solid elements in liquid to create visually stunning cocktails and drinks. Xanthan Gum is used to thicken the liquid to maintain elements in suspension in a drink without sinking. One of his creations is White Sangria in Suspension with herbs, fruit and spherical caviar suspended in the sangria mix.

Serving Cocktails in Hollowed Fruits and Vegetables

Tony Conigliaro, co-founder of 69 Colebrooke Row in London, created the Don Julio Kaffir Margarita which is served in a frozen kaffir lime that has been cut on one end and hollowed to be used as a shot glass. The tequila is infused with kaffir lime leaves and zest using the low temperature infusion with sous vides

method. The margarita shot is accompanied by another frozen kaffir lime filled with sea salt snow and oak-smoked rock salt pieces placed on a kaffir leaf coated with gelatin with kaffir essence. Lick the salt off the lime leaf, drink the margarita, followed by the salt snow.

Spirit Granité

Eddie Perez, the Foundry mixologist in Hollywood, created a cocktail served in a spoon with granité of pear vodka mixed with finely grated dehydrated maraschino cherries, topped with pearls of Champagne gelée and fresh Champagne grapes that have been peeled and marinated in Drambuie, sprinkled with lemon and lime zest.

Foams, Airs and Bubbles

Foams, airs and bubbles are a great way of adding a molecular touch to any cocktail. In the

Cranberry Bubbles Cosmo, a classic cosmopolitan is topped with cranberry bubbles made using the “bubbles with air pump” technique. Elderflower foam, made with St. Germain liquor and chardonnay foamed in an ISI Whip, can add a nice touch to a glass of Champagne.

Cotton Candy

Cotton candy is another fun way to serve a cocktail in style. The glass is generously filled with cotton candy; the cocktail is served in a shaker and strained over the cotton candy making it disappear as it dissolves. Molecular gastronomy Chef Jose Andres serves a “Magic Mojito” with cotton candy at The Bazaar in Los Angeles. Some molecular mixologists are experimenting with cocktail flavored cotton candy.

Layered Cocktails

Layered cocktails do not create new textures or flavors but make a beautiful presentation. Layered cocktails were made before the term molecular mixology existed but this technique is still used today by molecular mixologists so I decided to include it.

To create layered cocktails, each ingredient is carefully poured into a glass or carafe starting with the densest liquid first and progressing to the least dense. At The Aviary in Chicago, Chef Grant Achatz uses the Cocktail master device to make a 7 Layer Hurricane with cranberry stock, passion fruit juice, blood orange juice, lime juice and three types of rum. Get your Cocktail master from our store and create your next signature cocktail or dish.

Infusing Spirits with New Flavors

Infusing alcohols with other flavorful ingredients is a great technique to enhance flavors, create unique flavor profiles, build up the complexity of a drink and surprise your diners. You can infuse flavors into alcohol using flavorful ingredients like herbs, spices, seeds, fruits and others. There are a few infusion methods that are particularly good for molecular mixology because they are fast and can be done in cold or low temperature to maintain the alcohol content of the spirit: high pressure rapid infusion with the ISI Whip, vacuum chamber infusion and low temperature infusion Sous Vide. (Read more about infusion techniques). Infuse spirits with cocoa nibs, coffee, nuts, fresh herbs or anything you want to experiment with.

Distilling Ingredients at Low Temperature

Lucky molecular mixologists who can afford purchasing a Rotary Evaporator, which costs over $6000, use this equipment to extract essential oils of a solid ingredient by boiling in a vacuum at low temperature without damaging the fresh aroma compounds. The essential oils can then be mixed with other ingredients to be used in a cocktail. This method has been used to extract soil and leather aromas for example.

Unusual Flavor Pairings

Molecular mixologists also rely on the scientific method of flavor pairing to find odd new combinations that taste ridiculously good and make you wonder why mankind didn’t discover them before. The scientific method of food pairing was most famously applied by Heston Blumenthal, chef of The Fat Duck, and is based on the principal that foods combine well with one another when they have similar molecular compounds in common These are a few innovative creations using this technique:

- Grey Goose l'Originale - oyster leaf – caviar: The pure taste of Grey Goose L'Original matches perfectly with oysters. Instead of using oysters for this cocktail they used oyster leaf, a special plant with a slightly salty taste. The resemblance with the taste of oyster is striking; therefore this plant is sometimes called the vegetarian oyster. The tiny leaves of the plant are decorated with caviar, red wine vinegar and shallot, a reference to the traditional preparation of oysters in France.

- Grey Goose le Citron - Camembert – litchi: It’s old news that cheeses can be matched to perfection with various fruits. The savory nature of the cheese is underscored when

combined with the sweet, fresh taste of fruit. The aroma analysis showed that Grey Goose Le Citron can be perfectly combined with camembert, the world famous white cheese from Normandy, traditionally made from raw, unpasteurized milk. Add also lychee for a surprising, yet delicious treat.

- Rum, raisings and hazelnuts

- Rum Havana Club 7 Anos, Darjeeling tea, Lime, Grapefruit and Cardamom

Smoking and Aromatizing

Using a device like the Smoking Gun, the Super-Aladin smoker or the Volcano vaporizer, molecular mixologists can quickly add smoke and other aromas to cocktails without using heat. These devices have been used to create drinks such as Cigar-smoke Infused Manhattan,

Smoked Beer, Applewood Smoked Bloody Mary, Smoked Bourbon and Bacon Vodka Bloody Mary.

Flavored Ice

Another technique used by molecular mixologists is to make ice cubes or spheres flavored with one of the ingredients of the cocktail. As the ice melts, it releases the aromas and flavors of that ingredient into the cocktail instead of diluting it. At the Aviary, Chef Grant Achatz serves a Rhubarb cocktail with Peychaud bitters ice spheres. (Picture from

Gourmet Pigs. Great overview of other cocktails served at The Aviary too!)

Eat-and-Drink Cocktails

There is a trend in molecular mixology to pair a food bite with a cocktail. Chef Cathal Armstrong and mixologist Todd Thrasher created an eat-and-drink cocktail for their PX Lounge bar consisting of sauternes, poached pear and Licor 43 (citrus and vanilla flavored Spanish liquor with 43 ingredients) topped with foie gras on a crispy wafer. The cocktail is called Pear of Desire and it is served in a beautiful small flute glass.

Being Passionate

with the food is the key