I microwaved a Negroni (here’s what happened)
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- čas přidán 9. 08. 2023
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Today I’m finding out what happens when you microwave a cocktail. If you google “microwave cocktails” you’ll get an endless list of warnings about the dangers of microwaving alcohol - which makes sense considering ethanol is highly flammable and heating it about 78 degrees releases highly volatile vapours.
Amongst the sea of warnings you’ll find a few recipes from Ryan Chetiyawardana aka Mr Lyan. Ryan is one of the most innovative bartenders in the world. He’s been involved with numerous bars that have all featured in the top 50 bars in the world, he won world’s best cocktail bar, has been awarded best bartender in the UK twice as well as world’s best bartender. Basically, he knows his shit, so I thought I would test one of his recipes out.
NUKED NEGRONI RECIPE
- 1.5 cups Threefold London dry gin (bit.ly/TFD-london-dry-gin)
- 1.5 cups sweet vermouth (bit.ly/curiada-vermouth)
- 1.5 cups Campari (bit.ly/curiada-campari)
- 6 blackberries
- grapefruit peel
- rosemary sprig
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Wonder what the ABV is after cooking it?
@@kabel9357 the temp only reached 35 degrees and it was a sealed container so there would have been no loss.
If you ever repeat the experiment, try sticking normal negroni in the fridge as well. Some people, who are not big fans of this cocktail made-to-order, say that pre-made batched negronis taste better. Glen And Friends Cooking channel tried refrigerating it overnight and says it changes the favour for the better. I wonder what effect microwaving has without the refrigeration variable.
I always wondered why my homemade Negronis were not as good as the ones at restaurants. I use good gin. I’ll try making a batch and refrigerating it over night.
Cocktail ingredients don’t fully homogenise when mixed but the addition of time and/or heat can help.
@@BritInvLvrAlso consider going with cheap bottom shelf Gordon's Gin. There's something in Gordon's that cuts whatever flavor in Campari I'm not a huge fan of.
Can confirm, this works well. We’ve got Silver Lyan here in DC and the nuked Manhattan is a treat.
Ok this is on my list to try!! Cheers Steve!
I would love to watch more like this. That was awesome, Steve!
Thanks Tincho! Any particular suggestions?
@@StevetheBartender_ not at all 😂 microwaving a cocktail had never crossed my mind. Hahaha
BRO!!! 🤯🤯 This just made my head spin! What a way to rapid infuse some batch cocktails 😍
Definitely gonna experiment with this!! 👌🏼👌🏼
Great episode dude 🤘🏼
Very cool and very different! Thanks
Thank you! Cheers!
It has been a while since I've caught a video, but it is looking very crisp. New camera/lens? Either way, great video!
Thanks Scott! A new rim light and this was rendered in 50fps instead of 25fps 😃
Best part was learning something new,. Second best part was "this guy knows his shit" - Awesome. I would have NEVER thought of doing this for rapid infusion. I enjoyed the change of pace and vibe, nice work Steve!
Likewise, I would never contemplate putting a cocktail into the microwave but glad I did.
I didn’t intentionally change the pace… so you mean that it was slower?
@@StevetheBartender_ Pace was probably the wrong choice of words. The pace was on par with your usual pace. It was really good, the vibe of "let's experiment" was what I meant. I was pretty excited to see how it was gonna turn out. again, great job brother!
WOW that was an unexpected approach. I am not sure microwave would ever come to my mind when thinking of drinks, but it's great you have this "Open-minded approach".
Really liked this video and maybe I will give this a try, as feeling very curious now. Cheers!
Perfect timing! I've just finished a raspberry negroni, so I'll give this one a go! Thanks! ⭐️
I'd be interested to hear your thoughts!
@@StevetheBartender_ It's chilling in the freezer as we speak. I didn't add any fruit, just rosemary, and I didn't do a big batch so I'm not sure how it'll compare to your recipe. However, I do know my negronis so I'll feed back when I know more! 🤔😃
@@StevetheBartender_ It's pretty smooth and well rounded compared to a standard Negroni, but I put WAY too much rosemary in mine. It's drinkable but I'll need to pay more attention next time when scaling down. 😂 It got me thinking about how an infused rosemary gin would work, and also reminded me of the Gypsy Cocktail. You may have already covered it, but could be worth a look. Rosemary, raisins and gin - really rich and herbal. I've enjoyed your channel for a few years now, so thank you and best wishes! 🍸🥃
@@SilentJukebox lol, I used 1 sprig for 1 litre.. how much did you use?
@@StevetheBartender_ Hahaha, I'm too embarrassed to say. Maybe half a sprig for two drinks... 😐😂 It's all part of the learning curve. 😂🙋🏻♂️
What an interesting idea and that it has a positive effect is supresing. I would never have thought of trying this. Thanks for risking your microwave. 😂
Haha, you're welcome! I was pleasantly surprised..
Pretty wild experiment. Hope you like that 1 litre batch!
I think what is going on here, is, like you say, a rapid infusion. I have not tried it yet, but this video inspired me to mix a a bunch of Negronis, leave it in the fridge, and test them after 1 day, 2 days, 3 days, etc. My guess is that you would get a similar result, but maybe fresher than something that has been in the micro.
It'd be amazing if you could document this somewhere! Y'know, in the name of science ;)
That IS a good way to test. You need to have a "Control" right? Nice work!!!
Yeah but the control should be the same... ie. negroni vs microwaved negroni.... rather than negroni vs microwaved negroni with blackberries, rosemary and grapefruit... still, it was a good experiment :)
Hello Steve : would you know or showcase a Sencha (Japanese Green tea) based cocktail ? Thx
What are the brands of the 2 glassware you used please?
any idea about the temp and times for a sous vide version of the nuked negroni?
I really like the idea of grapefruit and blackberries in a negroni. I heard of hot toddy microwaved in a pinch. i wonder if a cocktail like a gunshot fizz that uses a bunch of muddle fruit would be good in the microwave
Best to use for cocktails that you would typical age i.e. spirit-forward drinks, rather than bright and/or citrusy drinks.
@@StevetheBartender_ that definitely makes sense
A very unusual recipe you need to try to make
I suspect that the "takes away the sharpness" just means lower alcohol content - because some of it was evaporated by the microwaves. The same trick is used by the "velvety smooth rum" - high sugar content plus lower than declared alcohol content - it's cheaper to make too.
The liquid only increased in temperature to 35 degrees though. And if there were any vapours it would have re-condensed back into the container as it was sealed.
I'm sure I'm going to try this technique
It’s worth trying.. Ryan Chetiyawardana also does a Microwave Manhattan and a Vieux Carre.
I thought FOR SURE that this was going to be one of those "Home Bartender Mistakes"
There was no way I would have tried it if the recipe came from anyone else 😂
Seems like you could get the same effect in the sous vide? Fun experiment!
Yep! 100%. The main thing is only few people have a sous vide at home :)
@@StevetheBartender_ Yes but I have one, thats the important thing ;)
Now there needs to be a show down. Freezer negroni vs nuked negronis (same spec).
Showdown time!
Couldn’t understand the first ingredient. Had to read the description.
Not a huge fan of Negronis, too bitter for my baby palette. May give this a try. Will definitely try it for a boulevardier though. Thanks
It rounded off the edges and made it a touch fruitier… the blackberries would work well with whiskey I think!
How about blending the Negroni (in a Ninja or Vitamix) for a few minutes to aerate and heat it, and then add the infusion ingredients before chilling it?
Worth experimenting with - let me know if you try it 👍
Would nuking a drink diminish the alcohol content?
I'd say most likely no... unless you heated it a lot more. 1 litre of liquid microwaved for 3 minutes only reached 35 degrees,so way off the temperature required to evaporate ethanol... but it's quite possible that trace amounts could have evaporated. In saying that though, I used a closed container so any vapour would have re-condensed.
35 degrees is damn near freezing...
*googles Celsius to Fahrenheit* Ahh makes sense now
Had to convert from koalas to bald eagles
😂😂😂
What will they think of next. LOL
Hey Steve. Does the drink actually needs the microwaves or can it be done in a saucepan as well?
Do you make your own ice cubes
I'm fortunate to have a Hoshizaki ice machine.
Alternatively, you can use Tovolo moulds as they are the perfect size for making drinks: amzn.to/3QGak15
You know what you could do with these side by side videos I’d do them blind so make the drink step away and let Kat switch them around while keeping note of which variation is which because I feel like knowing which drink is which can have an impact on tasting differences.
Absolutely, I should incorporate blind tasting!
I need to be a bartender
Wouldn’t Sous Vide get the same thing done, maybe better?
Yes, it would.. but not everyone has a sous vide.
Hi brother
Sorry to criticise, but that was a terrible experiment, Steve! If you're going to compare microwaved vs. not, then at least make the same drink. What matters here are two very different things which I think need to be tested separately: 1) is the drink tasty? 2) did the microwaving have any affect?
And really, since we're comparing taste, I'd also ensure they're the same temperature too.
Without controlling those variables, you might as well be comparing it to a Manhattan. ;-)
I wasn’t really comparing microwave vs not.. It was classic vs nuked Negroni 👍
The temps were the same. They were both pre chilled in the fridge and stirred for the same time, although I didn’t mention it in the video.
I'm glad the temps were the same - As I've been learning about cocktails, I've been impressed by how much of a difference that makes.
You know, I was probably misinterpreting because I was *expecting* the video to be about comparing microwaved vs. not.
In my mind, the microwaving is a weird gimmick, which could easily be replaced by warming on the stove, which is the more common way infusions are done.
I run into the issue where my wife (and most-frequent share-er of my cocktails) is NOT a fan of Campari, so I don't get to use it as often as I would otherwise.