Businessweek
A Revived Cocktail-Making Method Blends Magic With Mad Science
A whiskey concoction that tastes like Chardonnay? A martini made with sheep’s milk? Welcome to the world of clarified drinks.
From left: Jelas’ Vietnamese Coffee; Whiskey Cloud, an ode to the New York Sour; Die Die Must Try, with shochu and Champagne; and margarita.
Photographer: Melissa Hom for Bloomberg Businessweek
Clarified cocktails are like little magic tricks. Light-colored and mostly transparent, they disguise a powerhouse of flavors.
Removing solids and cloudy particles from a drink via high-tech methods or simple filtration “hides the flavors in plain sight,” says Nacho Jimenez, owner of Superbueno, a Mexican American cocktail bar in New York.