INFUSING FLAVOURS FOR AROMATIC COCKTAILS

Tags

How to intensify the flavours in your cocktails?

Infusion is a method of extracting flavours from aromatic botanicals. It is the chemical process used in the distillation of commercial gin and liqueurs, as well as flavouring ingredients like bitters, tinctures, syrups, flower waters and cordials. It's also one of the best ways to create non-alcoholic cocktail ingredients, as you can play with the complexity of flavour without the heavy-duty costs associated with booze.

Choosing your Botanicals

Any ingredient with highly fragrant and concentrated flavour, really. Botanicals include roots, flowers, barks, fruit rinds, seeds, nuts, herbs and berries. They are usually dried, especially if traditional infusion methods are used, as the firm outer layers stand up better to the process. Soft, leafy herbs, for example, turn brown and taste very bitter if left for more than a few days, they break up if churned, and that releases bitter chlorophyll flavours. Strong alcohol can have the same effect — breaking the plant's cell walls down and releasing the bitter sap-like flavours. But, you can use them if you learn a little about the different extraction methods, so it's essential to get your head around the options to get the flavour profile you want and expect from an ingredient. 

Aromatic botanicals for getting Flavour

Choosing your Base

Once you've chosen your botanical flavours, you'll need a liquid base. Traditionally you can use water, alcohol or oil.

Oils are often used for medical purposes, to create soothing ointments, topical creams or oral medicines from herbs and spices, but you also see oils with chilli, rosemary or garlic infusions on the tables in pizza restaurants or in kitchens. Infused oils can make a beautiful garnish on a cocktail if dropped onto the surface of the drink in an attractive pattern, but oil won't blend with other water-based ingredients within the actual cocktail recipe, so unless you use an emollient (a blending agent), you'll struggle to mix it well.

Water- based infusions work really well. You can use more delicate ingredients like the blossoms used for orange flower water and rose water or fresher fruits and herbs. Cucumber or lemon suspended in a jug of water is technically an infusion. Add sugar, and you've made a syrup. Go one step further and add a stabilising agent to give the product shelf life, and you've got a cordial. Some commercial non-alcoholic spirit replacements are simply a well-crafted blend of botanicals on a water base.

Finally, there's alcohol. Alcohol is also typically used in medicine as it is by far the most effective way to extract the properties of more robust botanicals. Bitters were originally stomach medicines, liqueurs like Chartreuse had many medicinal uses, from wound healing to flu elixir, and even gin was invented as a diuretic. The perfume industry also suspends compounds from botanicals in alcohol. The more concentrated the scent, the more value the essences hold. Virtually every spirit base can make commercial and homemade ingredients, from tequila to vodka. The higher the strength of the alcohol, the more efficiently it will extract. Therefore, gin is based on neutral grain spirit, which is as close to 100% alcohol as you can get. You can cut the high abv down with water after adding the flavours from the botanicals if you want to replicate this commercial practice.

Aromatic botanicals

Choosing your Method

There are several different ways to infuse flavour, but we're going to stick with the basics. The first is a heated steep, the second is maceration, the third is decoction, then percolation, and finally, flash infusion. Each process will bring out different qualities in your botanicals. You'll need to consider how the base spirit's shelf life and flavour profile will change over time and through heating. 

The Heated Steep

Steeping simply means putting a thing in liquid. You steep a teabag to make a cup of tea. You don't agitate the contents like you might in a maceration. Instead, use heat to help release the flavours from the botanicals. The important thing is to make sure that you don't boil the liquid, as boiling creates concentration. So whatever base you use, make sure you know the boiling point and don't exceed it. Using technology can help you keep the heat constant over more extended periods. A slow cooker would work, but sophisticated kitchens and bars use a sous vide. The super controlled nature of the heated water bath will allow for consistent, highly flavoursome syrups and spirits every time.

By vacuum sealing your ingredients, you get complete surface contact, increasing the chances of getting every inch of flavour available. Woody, dried herbs like rosemary or tough seeds and dried berries like pimento or peppercorns make incredible steeps, but soft fruits and herbs will only work at very low, highly controlled temperatures.

Maceration

Maceration is the process of softening ingredients in a liquid. You may use alcohol alone, motion, temperature or pressure. Anything that changes the state of the botanicals from firm to soft counts. Food items like berries or roots like ginger work really well using this technique. Sloe gin is a form of maceration. Pricking the skins of the fruit allows the freezer to begin the stages of softening without letting the fruit centre rot. Some bartenders swear by putting their macerated berries in a low heat dishwasher cycle.

Other macerations just need to be left on a shelf or picked up and shaken every now and then because the alcohol is strong enough to break the cells required to release the flavour compounds.

Decoction

Decoction is a method of extraction aimed at speeding both these processes up. First, your organic ingredients are chopped, pulped, smashed, mashed or crumbled, then added to liquid and boiled in a sealed environment. The process concentrates flavours quickly. It's used in the production of beer, stock and tisanes. Stems, roots and bark work well.For example, decoction could make lemongrass flavour, nutmeg or cinnamon flavour.

Percolation

You can grind your ingredients have the liquid pass through the grounds, much like the process of brewing coffee. You'll need some sort of filter to slow the liquid down, like a filter coffee paper. Increase the strength of flavour by repeating the process over time, or use a controlled pressure environment like an espresso machine to force liquid through compacted powder. Percolator kettles are relatively inexpensive but could make some seriously interesting concoctions.

Flash Infusion

This technique quickly couples ingredients, such as herbs, spices or fruit, with liquids such as alcohol, oil, water, or vinegar using a cream charger. Applying pressure from a nitrous oxide canister forces the alcohol into the cells of the solid ingredients. When it's depressurised again, the alcohol rushes back out, carrying the flavour with it.

Other infusion methods take more scientific exploration and equipment, such as using a rotary evaporator, ultrasonic bath or nitro muddling. Once you're comfortable using the more basic techniques and feel how certain ingredients react and affect the flavour of your resulting infusions, it might be worth investigating them further. If you are interested in commercial techniques like fermentation and distilling, it's best to seek professional support, as these processes can be dangerous without the proper knowledge and equipment. If you want an additional aroma, or need to simplify your cocktail aromatics, there’s always the Flavour Blaster aromatics to help intensify the flavour of your drinks. 

Back to All Articles

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.

Explore our related articles

How AI is Taking Bars and Restaurants to the Next Level - Must Read!
How AI is Taking Bars and Restaurants to the Next Level - Must Read!
    January 21, 2025 Rebecca Todd

    How AI is Taking Bars and Restaurants to the Next Level - Must Read!

    According to Deloitte's 2024 survey, 70% of hospitality businesses invest in digital services and AI-powered tools to improve efficiency ...

    Read more
    How AI is Taking Bars and Restaurants to the Next Level - Must Read!
    Top Tips For Resetting and Restocking Your Venue for A Successful Year Ahead
    Top Tips For Resetting and Restocking Your Venue for A Successful Year Ahead
    January 16, 2025 Amy Andrews

    Top Tips For Resetting and Restocking Your Venue for A Successful Year Ahead

    Tips to Kickstart a Fresh and Profitable Year in Hospitality As we leave the busy holiday season behind and step into the new year, it’s ...

    Read more
    Top Tips For Resetting and Restocking Your Venue for A Successful Year Ahead
    Don't Miss The Pistachio Trend! Pistachio Themed Recipes to Delight Customers in 2025
    Don't Miss The Pistachio Trend! Pistachio Themed Recipes to Delight Customers in 2025
    January 14, 2025 Amy Andrews

    Don't Miss The Pistachio Trend! Pistachio Themed Recipes to Delight Customers in 2025

    Pistachio is the flavour of the moment, captivating palates worldwide with its rich, nutty taste and vibrant green hue. In 2025, this tre...

    Read more
    Don't Miss The Pistachio Trend! Pistachio Themed Recipes to Delight Customers in 2025
    Why Your Venue Should Participate in Restaurant Week and How to Make It a Success
    Why Your Venue Should Participate in Restaurant Week and How to Make It a Success
    January 14, 2025 Amy Andrews

    Why Your Venue Should Participate in Restaurant Week and How to Make It a Success

    Restaurant Week is a prime opportunity for venues to showcase their culinary prowess, attract new customers, and enhance their brand visi...

    Read more
    Why Your Venue Should Participate in Restaurant Week and How to Make It a Success
    Disposable Vs Reusable Tanks - Which Tank Is Right For Your Flavour Blaster Aroma Gun?
    Disposable Vs Reusable Tanks - Which Tank Is Right For Your Flavour Blaster Aroma Gun?
    January 14, 2025 Amy Andrews

    Disposable Vs Reusable Tanks - Which Tank Is Right For Your Flavour Blaster Aroma Gun?

    So it's time to get your refills for your Aroma Gun, and suddenly you're faced with a choice.  Reusable Tank or Disposable Tank?  What's ...

    Read more
    Disposable Vs Reusable Tanks - Which Tank Is Right For Your Flavour Blaster Aroma Gun?
    10 Ways to Increase Footfall this Season!
    10 Ways to Increase Footfall this Season!
      November 13, 2024 rebecca todd

      10 Ways to Increase Footfall this Season!

      To help you maximise your venue’s potential during this crucial time of year, we’ve pulled together 10 proven strategies to increase your...

      Read more
      10 Ways to Increase Footfall this Season!
      How the Hospitality Industry Can Reduce Waste to Save Money
      How the Hospitality Industry Can Reduce Waste to Save Money
      October 15, 2024 Amy Andrews

      How the Hospitality Industry Can Reduce Waste to Save Money

      In today’s competitive hospitality industry, cost-saving strategies are essential for staying profitable. Not only does waste reduction h...

      Read more
      How the Hospitality Industry Can Reduce Waste to Save Money
      Dry Ice Doesn't Have To Be Scary! How JetChill Is Making Dry Ice Accessible, One Venue At A Time!
      Dry Ice Doesn't Have To Be Scary! How JetChill Is Making Dry Ice Accessible, One Venue At A Time!
      October 11, 2024 Amy Andrews

      Dry Ice Doesn't Have To Be Scary! How JetChill Is Making Dry Ice Accessible, One Venue At A Time!

      We have created a safer alternative to dry ice pellets, using patented technology to create a dry ice powder instead! As the powder is so...

      Read more
      Dry Ice Doesn't Have To Be Scary! How JetChill Is Making Dry Ice Accessible, One Venue At A Time!