Everything You Need to Know About Using Gelatin and Agar-Agar In Cocktails
Lots of cocktails include gelatin for a surprising visual effect. When combined with Perrier gelatin can offer an interesting fizzy taste using molecular mixology. The most commonly used food gelatin is a gelling agent of animal origin, presented in sheet format, granules or powder. Sheet gelatin is very popular in cooking and pastry cooking and its presence in the drinks industry is constantly rising. Gelatin must be heated to activate its gelling power, whereas the drinks we concoct are more often than noticed and it’s quite unusual to find heating equipment behind a bar or to have time spare to cool it.
Luckily, a number of ways are available to you to utilize this “advanced technology” (or material). We take a closer look at gelatin use in cocktails and at a newcomer to the market, cold soluble gelatin, also known as icing sugar. Its properties enable cold liquids to be jellified very quickly. It is also capable of turning alcohol into gelatin instantly. Mousses, froths, caviars and ravioles are all also the result of jellification and are beginning to find an exciting place in our world of cocktails.
You can also replace animal-based gelatins with a vegetable jellifying powder made from red seaweeds: agar-agar. It is being used more and more frequently in cocktails and gastronomy in general, thanks to its reputation – it contains zero calories and is totally natural. The only problem? You need to boil a mixture containing agar-agar in order for the jellification process to occur. The temperature must be monitored to avoid too much alcohol from evaporating. We will reveal a few tips on different types of jellification and an exclusive technique to achieve a multicoloured vertical display, as well as a strange shaped jelly. Below we share with you a vertical or layered jellification technique for an explosive effect by creating two cocktails designed by Liquid chef.
The Perrier Rainbow
Ingredients
Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
Monin green apple syrup
Fresh lemon juice
Monin blackcurrant syrup
Perrier
Blue food colouring or blue Curaçao
Cold soluble gelatine
Castor sugar
Mix the ginger liqueur with a drop of blue food colouring and a little Perrier. Mix with the icing sugar.
Form the first blue layer by tilting the Martini glass. To obtain a vertical effect, delicately pour the preparation along the inner side of the glass without moving it, using a syringe. Place cling film over the top half way down to the centre of the glass. Leave the glass to stand in a cool place, setting it at an angle so that the preparation is sitting vertically and touches the cling film.
Wait for about 20 minutes and then use the syringe to add a second layer of green apple syrup mixed with a little Perrier. Again leave it to cool.
Repeat the same operation for the following layers. Once the multicoloured layers are finished and cooled, stand the glasses upright and place them in the fridge. Of course, we recommend you make a batch of several glasses at the same time. When ready to serve, take the glasses from the fridge and top with ice cold Perrier. Serve with a spoon to savour the different jellies.
Images by Loran Dhérines
