Last Friday, Mandi, Amy, and I decided to forgo the usually Bermuda Friday night activities to stay in and cook and watch the opening ceremonies. The meal we were set on was going to take at least 3 hours, so we knew we would need plenty of drinks and an appetizer while we were waiting for the meal. Amy found some cool drinks we could try, and our tomatoes were bursting off the vine, so we decided on a simple bruschetta.

I sent this article from the New York Times to Mandi and Amy on a Monday at work. Minutes later they were planning on getting together that night and making them. The blaags have been a buzz with avocado recipes and also avocado drinks, so I thought I would join in the fun and post one today. I should also note that posts in the coming weeks will become a bit sporadic. I have tomorrow and Friday off work for Bermuda’s cup match, a 2 day cricket game that is a holiday here. Then after that I will be moving into a new apartment so my stuff will be all over the place. The kitchen is a huge upgrade though so that will be nice when all this is over.

I have always been interested in the scientific elements of modern cooking, what many people would call “molecular gastronomy”, but I never thought I would do any of it myself. Recently after cheering for Richard in the latest top chef, and reading playing with fire and water a lot, I have had the itch. It was actually Mandi who pushed me over the edge to finally buy some of the stuff. One day she was bored at work and kept sending me cool pictures of different plates people had made. It was her who originally found playing with fire and water and she really wanted to start trying some stuff. Finally the packages came in the mail, methylcellulose, sodium alginate, and calcium chloride. A few new salts and a syringe. The first thing we were going to try was sphereification. This is kind of old news and sometimes considered a gimmick these days, but it is one of the easiest methods in this modern cooking world so I thought it would be a fun place to start. Also, even if it isn’t quite as cool in the food world anymore, I feel that it still has a place in the emerging “molecular mixology”.

This drink was inspired by a drink Mandi got at KO prime.  From the menu:

Grapes of Wrath
Grey Goose Poire Vodka, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, muddled cucumber & pineapple.

She continually said that this was the best part of her meal.  She wasn’t the biggest fan of her bone marrow app (I was), and she has had better pork belly.  We didn’t look up the actual drink last night when we attempted to re create it, but what we made was delicious and very similar.  On a side note, I hate muddling and did not muddle this drink.  I think you can get all the flavor from the fruits and mint without bruising and smashing them into a big mess.  This is a great article on mixing drinks and it totally captures my opinions on cocktails.  Be sure to watch the video too! Click below for the recipe for this drink.

One of the most frequently asked questions here on TFIMB is “what is that delicious looking drink I see floating around in the background of the pictures, and how can I make it?”  I have decided to start putting up some drink recipes on here from time to time starting today with 2 margaritas.  First we have a frozen pina colada margarita, followed by a more basic margarita on the rocks.