The art of cocktail creation “the Ipour experience”

As a follow up to my previous blog “Syrup & Spirit Sundays” I have decided to share my cocktail creation experiences with you. What follows is a step by step breakdown of how our cocktail was created and thought process behind our syrups, infusions, and ultimately the end product!

Why did we use the spirits we did?

Recently my grandmother moved out the house she lived in for 40 years and into a condo. Among the garage full of stuff that she pawned off on me was a mix box of spirits that was all over the map. It was a perfect opportunity for Jay and I to utilize Bartenderone’s Ipour feature.

Step One:
* Carrot/Habanero/Roasted Garlic Syrup
1 Roasted Garlic clove
¼ of a smoked habanero
2 carrots
*All ingredients chopped and blended into a puree

*Traditional Simple Syrup
1 cup of granulated sugar
1 cup of water
*Puree added to simple syrup
*4 hours later puree is double strained and coffee filter strained

*Original recipe
1 oz Van Goghs Dutch Chocolate Vodka
½ oz Kahlua
½ oz Hot Syrup
Shake over ice and strain into a martini glass
Garnish: Shaved white chocolate rim

We found the first version of this cocktail to be too sweet. Although the hot/spicy syrup had some considerable heat to it, the sweetness of both the Kahlua and the syrup dominated the cocktail.

*2nd Recipe
1oz Van Goghs Dutch Chocolate
1/8 Kahlua
½ cognac
½ hot syrup

We found this time that the addition of the cognac helped make this cocktail more spirit forward. Slightly less sweetness allowed the heat of the puree in the syrup to come forward and be an integral part of this cocktail.
We did however feel that the spice we needed and wanted would have to have a smokier taste. We decided “instead of the focus being on hot it should be on the flavour and aroma. The chipotle provides perfect sweetness and smoke to compliment the sweetness of the cocktail.” We ended up with a mole like cocktail………a sweet play on a classic Mexican mole sauce. A well-balanced synergy of spice, heat, and sweet

Jeremy Browes