5 Top Techniques You Need to Know from Netflix Drink Masters
Drink Masters, an exciting mixology competition show that we recently reviewed, debuted on Netflix at the end of October, and a whole lot of the action takes place in the kitchen. At go time, the contestants build and garnish their complex cocktails behind the bar, but a lot of effort (and panic) happens at the prep tables behind the scenes during the Mix. The producers built a spacious back and front of the house set on a sound stage in Hamilton Ontario, stocked with a vast ingredient pantry, all the boozes, and every piece of equipment imaginable, from high-speed blenders, juicers, vacuum sealers and ultra-fine strainers to blowtorches, soda siphons, a cotton candy machine, and, yes, even a Vevor Moonshine Still (more on that later).
Clearly we expect more than just a gin and tonic or a strawberry margarita from a Netflix reality show, but we were amazed at the level of contemporary, modernist techniques the contestants employed to get their drinks to the judges. Here’s what we learned:
photo with linked credit "Fat washed bacon rye" by JohnEdgarPark is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
Fat Washing
What is it? Bartenders use all kinds of fat to bring flavor and a richer mouthfeel to alcohol.
How do you do it? Add a liquid fat like melted butter, nut oil, or bacon fat to room temperature liquor and allow to sit, then chill to allow easy removal of the hardened fat.
Who did it on the show? Our mixologists use this method very frequently, adding depth with everything from peanut butter to coconut oil. Suzu’s brilliant use of chile oil to wash tequila in his “Child’s Play” cocktail for the Spice and Ice episode moves guest judge Tiffany Barriere to happily announce "it gave me a savory, cold feeling!" Let’s not ignore Tao’s foie gras washed whiskey in a signature Old Fashioned for Episode 9.
Vevor Moonshine Still courtesy of Vevor
Distilling
What is it? Distilling is a process where a liquid is heated to create a vapor and then condensed back into liquid form. The resulting pure colorless liquid, called a distillate, will have a concentrated flavor, and if it started out as alcohol, a higher concentration of alcohol.
How do you do it? Gently heat your liquid in a copper or stainless steel still, ice down the vapor, then collect the distillate as it drips out of the condenser.
Who did it on the show? Tao busts out the Vevor Moonshine Still several times during the competition, to great effect. He makes a distillate from cacao nibs and coffee beans during the dessert episode (week 5), much to guest judge Gonzo Jimenez’s surprise, and again in episode 8 for the spicy challenge, distilling a vat of chile-infused black olive tapenade into a few ounces of olive essence, thoroughly grossing out host Tone Bell. The resulting cocktails both won Tao the “Top Shelf” designation for best cocktail of the week. Later in the season, Kate distills banana peels, Suzu hits some genmaicha, and Tao attempts a real wow with essence of baguette.
Foam cocktail from Drink Masters photo courtesy Netflix
Foams and Airs
What is it? Mixologists and culinarians create fluffy yet stable foams out of flavorful liquids to spoon atop drinks or dishes.
How do you do it? Add a measure of soy lecithin powder to your base and whiz it with an immersion blender until foamy. Our bartenders also frequently use iSi N2O-powered whipped cream chargers to make denser style foams that hold their shape.
Who did it on the show? We saw oceans of foams and airs, from angostura to orange, over the course of the competition–the technique was actually featured during the tournament of speed and precision in Episode 6. Kate is particularly expert at the genre (she says she uses it often on the menu at her Albuquerque bar Happy Accidents), exemplified by the mint peach foam that garnishes the 1920’s bourbon punch in Episode 4’s group challenge to the passion fruit foam that topped her pornstar martini in Episode 2. Notably, LP makes a next level jalapeno air using an ingredient from the modernist pantry called foam magic and an aquarium pump for her Tree of Life cocktail, which gets her to the Drink Masters semifinal.
Spheres and foam courtesy of Netflix
Spherifying
What is it? Another molecular technique highlighted in the Episode 6 Tournament, where liquids are turned into gel-encased spheres or tiny caviar-like pearls.
How do you do it? Carefully. Mix a precise amount of agar powder (essentially vegan gelatin) or other chemicals based on the acidity of your base into warm liquid, transfer the mixture to a dropper or squeeze bottle, and slowly drip droplets into a container of cold oil. The spheres may then be removed from the oil with a strainer and soaked in a flavorful liquid or served as is.
Who did it on the show? "If you can't make a great martini, then I don't want to see you making spheres,” says show judge and self described cocktail purist Julie Reiner–she wants to see solid, classic bartending before she sees modernist mixology. Meredith makes the squishy little guys first, out of fig puree, in Episode 2, and everyone in the tourney is required to transform vermouth into pearls.
photo with linked credit "Thyme x Table - 'I Can See Clearly Now'" by Edsel L is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Clarifying Milk Punch
What is it? Milk punch is a clear drink created by the intentional curdling of milk to clarify the liquid and add texture and flavor to the resulting cocktail.
How do you do it? Punches can be clarified by curdling the milk with acid, alcohol, or both. The curdled punch must be carefully strained to produce a crystal clear result.
Who did it on the show? Lots of folks used this technique, but Tao explained it best when making his pandan oolong milk punch to pair with Chef Edward Lee’s vegan dumplings in Episode 7. It’s "like making cheese, " Tao says, "and you are left with clear unctuous whey." Kate even curdles cereal milk from a bowl of cocoa puffs for her nostalgic take.
Drink Masters smoking! photo courtesy of Netflix
Other Techniques
We saw lots of other techniques, many borrowed directly from the culinary world, utilized in imaginative ways on the show. There were jellies and gels, atomizers and aromatizers, orgeats and oleo saccharums. Mixologists these days love to smoke (Episode 1 included a Mix Off challenge based entirely on this technique), flambee, carbonate, infuse (rapidly or slowly), and freeze ingredients to manipulate flavor and texture. We’d love to know the total amount of liquid nitrogen and dry ice those bartenders blew through on the show–especially in the Winter-themed Mix Off in Episode 8 inspired by Judge Frankie Solarik’’s signature icy creations at BarChef in Toronto. Cheers! Can’t wait for Season Two.