Molecular mixology, culinary
cocktails, and spirit infusions seem to be finally disappearing into the night,
and the term “house-made” is making less of an appearance on menus. Not that
these are bad things, but they sometimes seem to put more of a focus on
creativity than quality, and craft rather than service. Most cities renowned
for cocktails come full circle back to the basics and focus on high-level
execution of simple, well-balanced drinks. Being someone who never found much interest
in the most contemporary cocktails, I do feel like I missed out. So I decided
to show up late to the party.
Having no home still, I’ve still
been able to experiment with creating liqueurs, bitters, vermouths, beers, and
even kombucha. While several of these have turned out unpalatable, many have
turned out not only drinkable but enjoyable and do offer some application in
bartending. I’ve learned about ingredients and their interactions, balancing
flavour, and particularly the fickle, unpredictability of the infusion process.
I’ve gained even more respect for anyone who makes a consistent product (tip of
the hat to whisky blenders), because every time I remake anything it turns out
at least slightly different, regardless of how accurate I try to be.
One of my more fun recent
adventures was making a homemade amaretto. My intention was to create a product
more accurate to the tradition of the drink (with less sugar and no artificial
flavours) that can be enjoyed by itself without any need for mixing. The final
product turned out very well, albeit quite different than I expected.
Today, amaretto is considered
(and often listed as) an almond liqueur. This was not originally the case. Like
every product, there is a legend behind it:
In 1525, Bernardino Luini (a
pupil of Da Vinci) was painting a sanctuary in Saronno and needed a model to
depict the Madonna. A young windowed innkeeper provided inspiration (and
supposedly a love interest as well), and offered him a gift to show her
affections. Being poor, she had little to offer, so made him a drink of brandy
steeped with apricot kernels.
Stories aside, the accepted
origin of this liqueur is the combination of apricot pits and brandy, which
would impart a slightly bitter flavour - hence the name “amaretto,” meaning
“little bitter.” This could be balanced by the addition of sugar (making the
mixture a liqueur by definition), or by the addition of sweet almonds, which
have a long history in Italian cooking. While fruit kernels offer a strong
nutty flavour, it is the almond taste that became typical for amaretto, likely
due to their availability and cheaper cost.
Today, rumour has it that the
most popular of amaretto brands use no natural ingredients at all, simply
artificial extracts of vanilla and almond added to a base of vodka and caramel
colour. Whether this is true or not, the taste leaves much to be desired. Most
importantly, like so many liqueurs today, amaretto tends to be sickly sweet. If
I am to go to the trouble to recreate a natural recipe, I will be adding
considerably less sugar so as not to cloy and mask the taste of the
ingredients.
On to my experimental findings.
Below are some notes to observe before trying your hand at my recipe.
Having never infused anything
with apricot pits before, I decided to use a control. I steeped kernels in a
neutral spirit (vodka) and tasted it periodically over the course of two weeks.
Interestingly, almost no flavour was imparted until near the two week mark,
when I started to notice a slight bitterness and nuttiness. This led me to
realize that future batches need to contain more kernels and need to steep for
a longer time. In the amaretto infusion, only bitterness was noticeable at
first, with the nuttiness coming about a week later.
Citrus peels can dramatically
change the taste of infusions. This is not just because they are strong
flavours but because they are adding oils to the solution. Spices or herbs
offer flavour through alcoholic extraction, whereas citrus adds flavour
instantly. Think of how you add a twist to a cocktail and express the oil. This
is why I remove the peels after only a day or two.
The higher-proof the infusion
is, the faster it will extract flavour. Increasing the ABV will speed up the
process and effectively increase the amount of flavour extracted. Therefore I
recommend cutting the brandy with a high-proof neutral spirit (such as an
overproof vodka or Everclear). Be aware that higher-proof solutions will
require more water and sugar at the end to balance.
All nuts and spices used for
infusions should be briefly toasted in the oven. This will increase the potency
of their flavour. The apricot pits must be cracked open to reveal the kernel
inside, as the outside of the pit has no flavour or aroma at all.
Lastly, be sure to always taste
your products. Tasting every day not only helps you monitor the progression of
flavour but also gives a lot of insight into the process, allowing you to make
consistent changes to your recipe. I find infusing some ingredients at a time
allow more flavour control than infusing everything at once.
Here is my basic amaretto
recipe, true to the history of the product, but with a few other flavours - and
a lot less sugar. The taste is surprisingly reminiscent of hazelnuts, with
orange, vanilla, and fruit behind it, and almond on the aftertaste.
- 2 cups brandy (preferably not
something big and bold, so avoid sherry-cask aging)
- ½ cup high-proof vodka
- 2 oz 1:1 simple syrup
- 2 oz distilled water
- 15 apricot pits, cracked open
and toasted
- 1 sliced apricot (ideally dried)
[optional]
- 1 cup whole almonds, toasted
- Peel of ½ orange, pith removed
- 1 vanilla bean
Combine brandy and vodka in a
mason jar and add the orange peel.
Infuse for two days then remove
the peel.
Add the almonds, apricot slices,
and vanilla.
Infuse for 2 weeks, shaking
every day.
Strain the mixture through a
sieve or cheesecloth into another mason jar to remove all solids.
Add the apricot kernels.
Infuse for 4 weeks, shaking
every day.
Strain out the nuts then run the
mixture through a paper filter to remove any sediment. (This may require
several filters because of the almonds).
Add the water, then simple syrup
½ oz at a time, tasting to achieve the desired balance. I don’t suggest adding
more sugar than this. If you’re using Everclear, you may wish to add a little
more water.
To toast the nuts, bake at 400F
for 5 minutes, rotate and bake another 5 minutes.
If you want to dry your own
apricot slices, you have to bake them at a very low temperature for a very long
time or use a dehydrator. This ingredient is optional; I just enjoyed having a
slightly fruity flavour in the mix.
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