Cocktail No 31 The Stem Cell

My own creation based on the research we are doing to harvest stem cells from liposuction waste (body fat is very rich in stem cells and everyone thinks that research will be improved if you use fresh stem cells straight from the body instead of growing them through culture which changes them - end of science lecture).

The squeamish won't like the next bit, but I was really going more for an optical feel than taste. I wanted a milky reddish tinge to the drink to reflect the combination of fat emulsion and traces of blood in the washings from the lipoaspirate. So a mix of cream, with a splash of Pernod and water from sugar syrup creates the right emulsion and Rosso Vermouth and Angostura Bitters gives the red tinge. The pearl onion is the single stem cell in the mix - it doesn't really work like it does in the Gibson, but its white like a stem cell.

Perhaps the viscosity could be increased, so addition of an egg white would turn it into a Stem Cell Fizz.

The Squeamish can now start reading again.

Tastewise it works rather well. Really minimise the Pernod, otherwise it overwhelms the drink - you just want a hint of aniseed in the background. The Rosso Vermouth balances the drink surprisingly effective considering the small amount added. Its a little sweet, velvety and wonderful aftertaste. There will probably be several iterations of this until I perfect it.

Recipe (Working)

Add to a shaker 2 measures of Gin, a capfull of Rosso Vermouth, a teaspoon of Pernod, a teaspoon of single cream, a splash of sugar syrup and Angostura Bitters. Shake on ice and strain into a Cocktail glass. Garnish with a pearl onion.

Cocktail No 18 Vodka Gibson

Essentially the same ingredients as the previous Vodkatini, but such a different taste. Many are put off by the high alcoholic strenght of the Vodkatini with good reason - is essentially 2 shots of Vodka diluted with a capfull of Vermouth, a drop of oil from the lemon peel and whatever water comes from ice melting in the shaking step.

Its a bit of a surprise as well as I usually make my Martinis to this ratio so turns out I have been making Gibsons instead.

The Gibson (originally gin based) dates back to 1908. It uses a higher proportion of Dry Vermouth to the Vodka making for a more mellow taste. It does not have the purity of taste of the Vodkatini. The absense of citrus is very obvious - its worth trying the 2 in parallel just to see what an impact a twist of lemon peel can make.

The Vermouth is much more apparent, but it comes through as more an extra sweetness then herbals, which is a surprise as there is 10-20x the amount compared to the 'tini.

And don't miss out the onions; whoever thought to add mini picked onions to vodka was inspired. I am struggling to describe it, but the combination of sweet onion with the residue of acid vinegar with the alcohol is - well wonderful - try it and let me know what you think. I can see canapés of pickled pearl onions frozen in tiny volumes of Vodka Gibsons.

Recipe

Add three measures of Vodka with 1 measure of dry vermouth to a mixing glass or shaker. Mix with ice until very chilled. Strain into a cocktail glass and decorate with three pearl onions. Serve with a cocktail stick.

Eat the Onions whilst you are drinking the Gibson.