Time to Tackle a Cocktail Project

Like any practice, there are levels to at-home bartending. Stocking up on the best tools, spirits for mixing and classic recipes may be one tier of mastery, but building an entire carbonation rig in your kitchen is probably the ultimate home bar flex. If you’ve nailed the easy cocktail projects, it’s time to take things up a notch. Here are five next-level cocktail projects to try.

First employed in the famous Benton’s Old-Fashioned at PDT in 2007, fat-washing has evolved to encompass a whole wave of spirit-infusion techniques. At its simplest, fat-washing requires melting a fat—say, coconut oil or animal fat—infusing it into a spirit, freezing the mixture, then straining out the solids for a bolder, fuller-bodied flavor. Try the technique with coconut oil, chile oil and even peanut butter.

Clarification

Transform everything from Daiquiris to Cuba Libres into crystal-clear liquid—no centrifuge necessary—with one of several techniques: Allow the solids within a cocktail to gel with the addition of agar-agar before straining them out; curdle them with milk, as is often seen in clarified milk punches; or simply filter out those particles with a sieve or muslin. If you’re well-versed in clarification already, try a newer technique: Daniel Villa’s method, which calls on milk powder (rather than liquid) and unlocks the ability to toast the powder for added nutty flavor.

Fermentation

Fermentation projects shouldn’t be relegated to sourdough starters and pickles. Equipped with a packet of wine yeast, you can transform teas, juices or jams into wine-like ferment. The final product can be treated as a finished cocktail or mixed with other ingredients to enhance the complexity of even the simplest formula. Try lacto-fermenting cherries for syrups and garnishes, celery soda to top mezcal highballs or raspberry cordial for an elevated Kalimotxo.

Force Carbonation

According to Jack Schramm, a highball is never just two ingredients—that is, if you consider that carbonation is an ingredient unto itself. To unlock the best highballs, bartenders turn to force carbonation, a technique that creates better, longer-lasting bubbles. (This is how Dave Arnold makes his ideal version of the G&T.) Schramm makes the case for creating your own at-home carbonation station, but if you don’t have the time or space for a full set-up, an iSi whipper is your next best bet for fizzy, force-carbonated highballs at home. You can make Nitro Espresso Martinis; foam-topped, Brazilian-style Moscow Mules; or extra frothy Garibaldis.

Switching

This Frankenstein approach to spirit infusion requires freezing the spirit’s water content to separate it from the alcohol, then replacing it with just about any liquid. Iain McPherson, one of the primary advocates of the technique, has experimented with grapefruit gin and watermelon bourbon. So long as you have a freezer that can reach –27ºC (–17°F), there’s plenty of room for experimentation.