You can see all of my cocktail shenanigans on my Instagram page.

(me being me, I can stop giggling about the definition of the word being silly or “high-spirited” - definitely not dishonest or manoeuvring)

Milk Washing

Milk washing is the process of adding whole milk to a spirit, breaking the milk into curds and whey using a citric acid solution, and then straining the curds out.

Surprisingly, milk washing dates back to the 1700s and was first done as a means to clarify liquors (distilling and refining techniques were not as advanced as they are now). Like consommés and 'rafts' (used in cooking), milk-washing helps coagulate additives, tannins etc so that they can be strained out easily, resulting in a more full-bodied, smoother, less “harsh” and more flavourful end product.

Important things to remember when milk-washing a cocktail are

• the acidic cocktail liquid must be added to the milk and not vice versa

• the ratio of the milk to the liquid should be 1:5 or 1:6 for best results

• strain out the resultant mixture as best as you can (coffee filters work great)

Fat Washing

By adding a fat/oil - sesame oil, ghee, bacon fat, duck fat, coconut oil - to alcohol at room temperature, you can infuse the flavours of the fat in the alcohol. Let the alcohol and oil mix sit for a few hours at room temperature and then chill it, so that the fat solidifies. Once that happens, you can skim/strain the fat. And voila!

Adding as little as 1:10 fat:alcohol (or even 1:20 for fats that have a distinct/strong flavour) is more than enough to flavour your alcohol with the fat. It's so cool that it's something that one can do so easily at home, without any special equipment.

Tomato Water

Did you know letting tomato pulp strain slowly over a sieve will result in a clear(ish) liquid that tastes entirely of tomatoes but looks nothing like it? Even better, heat the tomato pulp until the liquid begins to separate and you can intensify the tomato-ey-ness. Then, you can use the tomato water however you please. In cocktails, for ceviches and tatakis, just as a clear juice, anything really!

Smoking

The downside here is that you need additional/special equipment

• blow torch/butane torch/brulee torch (this isn't expensive really, but it makes sense to get something like this only if you use it frequently)

• option A: a wooden plank (easiest and cheapest way)

• option B: smoke top

• option C: smoking gun (this can be used for brûlées as well)

• for B and C: smoke chips (food safe/small wooden chips - applewood, hickory etc and can be a little expensive)

But the upsides are plenty, cocktails-wise or otherwise. As far as cocktails go, you can have a good (or mild, if that’s what you prefer) smoky aftertaste in white spirits instead of just leaving it to smoked bourbons or whiskies. Infusing smoke into a drink looks and feels like so much fun. You can take it up a notch and even do smoke bubbles. Here's a handy guide to smoking cocktails. You can also see some additional videos on the same channel that will be tonnes of help.

Not up for fancy smoking techniques? You can just smoke herbs or dry spices (a cinnamon stick perhaps) and use them with white spirits. They looks great, give a mild smoky taste and will just leave you VERY happy!

Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl by David Wondrich

Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail by Dave Arnold