Hemingway Deconstructed

This Month’s Mixology Monday is upon us and the theme is “Standoffish.”  Brought to us by the folks at Booze Nerds, the idea is to add an ingredient to a cocktail that is not included with the main ingredients and is not a garnish.  At the same time, this ingredient needs to add something to the final drink.  Well, we love foams and foams can fill these requirements!  We have two cocktails to offer, but before I get to them, I want to ramble on about foams for a moment!

I generally limit the foaming ingredient, ( the surfactant), to egg whites.  Gel sheets produce a prettier and more stable foam, but they take a little more effort than I usually wish to invest.  Egg whites are quick, stable enough and reliable.  I also generally use pasteurized egg whites for our foams.  I think that they are better for this application than are fresh egg whites.

The foams I make are from one of two ratios:

• 2 egg whites: 6 oz. of liquid
• 3 egg whites: 5 oz. of liquid

The 3:5 ratio produces a creamier and, therefore, thinner foam.  While the 2:6 ratio creates a light and fluffy foam.  For these cocktails, I used the 2:6 ratio for the daiquiri and the 3:5 for the shooters.

Now, on with the drinks!  We have chosen a seasonally appropriate shooter that can either be a cocktail or an appetizer and is easily adjusted to accommodate the non-drinkers in the crowd.  The other probably reflects my wish to either hold onto summer or to head for the Islands!

The Hemingway Deconstructed

 

This cocktail is our Z Daiquiri, which is along the lines of a Hemingway, but without the grapefruit juice.  So we simply incorporate the grapefruit juice in the foam.  The foam is tart and a touch bitter.  It combines very nicely with the not too sweet daiquiri.  While on the the topic of sweetness, you may want to adjust the amount of simple syrup based on the tartness of your lime juice.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. good aged rum
• ¼ oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• 2 oz. fresh lime juice
• 1 oz. simple syrup
• Hemingway foam – see below

Directions:

1. Chill a martini glass with ice and water.
2. While the glass chills, combine all of the ingredients, except the foam, in a shaker.
3. Shake with ice until shaker is fully frosted: 10 – 15 seconds
4. Strain into the chilled martini glass.
5. Carefully float the foam from your iSi whipper and serve immediately

Hemingway Foam

• 2 egg whites (3 oz. pasteurized egg whites) lightly beaten
• 2 oz. Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
• 4 oz. Fresh grapefruit juice – double strained
• 2 Dashes Bitter Truth Grapefruit Bitters

1. Add all ingredients to an iSi Whipper
2. Seal the whipper and shake to further break up the egg whites
3. Double charge the Whipper with N2O, shaking after each charge
4. Refrigerate for 2 hours before use.  Will keep refrigerated for a few days.

Pumpkin Bisque Shooters

First, a big “Thank You” to Booze Nerds because without this MxMo, I might not have thought to add the Applejack foam to these!  I love pumpkin and I’ve always been a fan of pumpkin bisque.  I like mine to be savory.  Save the sweet for the pie!  Since I have a more than passing infatuation with rum, I simply looked to combine two of my favorite flavors.  I tried this warm, with bourbon and with dark rum.  Not great in any combination.  Cold bisque and gold rum were the perfect match.  The bitter sweet flavor of the apple brandy foam is perfect with the savory, slightly spicy pumpkin bisque.

For 2 Shooters:

• 2 oz. Cold Pumpkin Bisque – see below
• 1/2 oz. Gold rum such as Cruzan or Mount Gay
• 1 dash Simple syrup
• 1 Dash Angostura Bitters
• Apple Brandy Foam – see below

1. Combine pumpkin bisque,rum simple syrup and bitters in a mixing glass without ice and stir to combine.
2. Divide between 2 tall shooters
3. Gently float the Apple Brandy Foam on the shooters
4. Serve immediately

Apple Brandy Foam

• 3 egg whites (4 1/2 oz pasteurized egg whites)
• 3 oz. Applejack Brandy
• 2 oz. Fresh Orange juice – double strained
• 2 Dashes Bar Keep Apple Bitters

 

1. Add all ingredients to an iSi Whipper
2. Seal the whipper and shake to further break up the egg whites
3. Double charge the Whipper with N2O, shaking after each charge
4. Refrigerate for 2 hours before use.  Will keep refrigerated for a few days.

Pumpkin Bisque

• 1 tsp Cayenne
• 2 Cups Diced Onion
• 2 cloves Chopped Garlic
• 1 1/2 Tbls. Butter
• 1 – 15 oz. Can Pumpkin Puree
• 4 Cups Chicken Stock
• 1/4 tsp. Ground Allspice
• 1/2 tsp Fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. Salt to Taste
• 1/4 Cup Dry Sherry
• 1 Cup Heavy Cream

1. Saute the onions in the butter until translucent – about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook 30 sec.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients except the cream and simmer for 30 min
3. Place the mixture in a blender and puree until smooth.
4. Return the puree to the pot, add the cream and continue to cook until heated through.
5. Serve immediately or cool for the above shooters.

Cheers!

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