"She who wakes to play with cocktails goes to bed with hangover"
– Ancient Chinese proverb
Red Hot
Is it just me or do red hots and fireballs taste more like ginger than cinnamon?
Rub rim of shot glass with a cut piece of ginger root. Dip in pulverized red hot candies. Gently warm ginger bread bourbon. Pour into shot glass. Ignite. Don't do anything silly like try to drink it while its on fire.
Spice Island
This is the kind of cocktail that I could drink all day (if I were inclined to drink all day)…light, bright and well balanced.
Place 180ml (6 oz) ginger beer, 60ml (2 oz) ginger bread bourbon, 30ml (1 oz) kaffir lime juice, and 15ml (1/2 oz) agave nectar in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled highball glass.
For spice-ice stirrer: Plug one end of a wide straw with softened beeswax. Pack with alternating layers of whole cloves, shards of cinnamon stick, diced fresh ginger root and pieces of kaffir lime leaf. Slowly fill with water, tapping lightly to eliminate air bubbles. Plug top of straw with more beeswax. Freeze until solid. Remove plugs and unmold by quickly dipping in warm water. Use immediately.
Bourbon Ball
In the Alinea book, the liquid-filled spheres are made by dipping molded frozen apple juice in horseradish-infused cocoa butter to form a shell. Here, because alcohol does not freeze solid, the shell is made first in silicone molds with an opening and then filled.
For the spice shells: Place molds in freezer. Melt cocoa butter with ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Fill the chilled molds to the top and let the cocoa butter set up for a few minutes. Invert the molds, letting the excess cocoa butter run out. Place in freezer until frozen solid.
To fill the shells. Blend together 4 parts ginger bread bourbon, 2 parts creme de cacao and 1 part frangelico. Fill the shells, then seal the opening with cocoa butter.
For the nutella powder: blend together 2 parts tapioca maltodextrin with 1 part nutella until it is absorbed.
smoked eggnog
Infusing with Lapsang Souchong tea is a quick and effective way to impart smoky flavor. That little trick is courtesy of Dave Arnold and Nils Noren.
Place 228g (8oz) whole milk in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Stir in 28.5g (1 oz) Lapsang Souchong. Cover and let infuse for 10 minutes. Strain and chill. In a bowl, whisk together the chilled milk, 285g (10 oz) heavy cream, 114g (4 oz) ginger bread bourbon, 85g (3 oz) sugar and 3 eggs. Strain into a whipped cream charger, filling halfway. Charge with 1 N2O cartridge. Chill for an hour. Shake well and discharge into cup.
For ginger bread croquant: Grind 60g of ginger bread in a spice grinder into a powder. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake in a 300F oven until toasted and dry. Heat 40g isomalt until fluid and bubbly. Pour out on a silpat. Let harden, then break into pieces and grind in a spice grinder into a powder. Combine with the cooled ginger bread powder. Spread out on a silpat into desired shape and bake in 300F oven for 8-10 minutes or until fused.
Playing with Fire and Water 