Hehe, you guys are having fun bustin' my head. Analogy killers!
Steve = Funny, yet again.
Carla = yes, a video of a developmental process, like thiers were. The end cocktail is finished and waiting for filming.
Look closer, friends, have you ever had a cocktail with sorrel in it? One that morphs from one flavor into another? Sure, they chose the old fashioned to go into the ice egg, but that won't be the drink at the end of the day. They're just testing the technique with a standard.
I'm guessing when they do the past, they'll pull out Jerry Thomas and reproduce the classics, to the letter. Present, they'll be working with St. Germain, mezcals, rums and Japanese Ice balls. Future, you'll see these kind of things.
They have structured the concept so that they can.
Now, back up a second and think about flavor. Distilling a fruit juice does what to the fruit juice? The sugars and acids go away. Think about Absolute Lemon (they actually begin with raw product, no additives-) sweet? Sour? Neither. Just raw, lemon flavor in a neutral grain alcohol. Take away the yeast and grain. Raw lemon flavor. Sexy.
You can't tell me that this doesn't affect the end product. It does, in a huge way. The only novelty here is in your mind because you haven't thought it through. The process leads to an exceptional result.
Otherwise, why dump hundreds of grands on something like this? Ya know, Grantz Achatz was nominated by his fellows to judge the selection of the American team for the Bocuse D'Or. The fella has more awards than he can put on the wall. Do you seriously think he buys into novelty?
I have some experience with the modern approach. I've kinda led two programs already. The marketablility of this style is incredibly strong. I've personally proven it to be worth tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, over a single year. And I can quantify this stat, easilly. I'm not going to do it in this public forum- it's a trade secret. I've already had one of my techniques misappropriated this year (not here,) I'm not going for my money-maker.
But I'll give you the sister- people try these drinks, with 'thier novelties' and find them highly entertaining, intensively creative and sensorally superior to thier counterparts. They always come back and they bring thier friends and tell thier relatives. I take pride in mixing up cocktail lists, I'll do something classical, like a rusty horseshoe, do something culinary, like a puree drink, do something tiki-ish, like a sling variation, yet the modern, molecular drinks are the ones that I can hear the table laughing from across the room (aka. Sonic Margarita.)
At the end of the day, I like to see them smile and hear them laugh.
I have a new cocktail program I am trying to find a home for- been working at it in secret for a year now. You are going to love this!
