Episode 276 - Cocktail Theory with Dr. Kevin Peterson

Jan 19, 2024

Dr. Kevin Peterson, author of Cocktail Theory, discusses the ideal dilution and ingredient ratios for classic cocktails. He shares how bartenders can design cocktails using olfactory motifs and perfumery techniques. The podcast explores the similarities between bartenders and magicians, the complex systems in cocktail service, and the connection between safety and memory. They also discuss the concept of reality in cocktails and the challenges of business ownership.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Aeration, Temperature, and Dilution in Cocktails Using Smaller Ice Cubes

02:01 • 7min

The Mr. Potato Head Theory of Cocktail Construction

09:28 • 31min

Introducing Direct Fire Consulting and Discussing the Impact of Temperature on Aroma in Cocktails

40:44 • 4min

Exploring Dilution in Cocktail Recipes

44:35 • 7min

Exploring Safety, Memory, and Higher Order Thinking in Drinks

51:17 • 2min

Exploring the Concept of Reality in Cocktails

52:57 • 21min

In this heady, fragrant chat with Dr. Kevin Peterson, author of Cocktail Theory: A Sensory Approach to Transcendent Drinks, some of the topics we discuss include:

Why his time testing combustion engines in a laboratory made Kevin the perfect person to analyze the classic cocktail families for their ideal dilution, temperature, and ingredient ratios
How bartenders can use the notion of “olfactory motifs” rooted in memory, nature, and music to design cocktails that thrill at a more three dimensional level--not just on the taste buds.
What tips and tricks Kevin has drawn from the perfumery world to punch up the impact and blast radius of his drinks, including atomized spritzes, scent strips, and even service temperature manipulation.
The sense in which bartenders are like magicians, constantly manipulating attention and generating novelty, and how you can apply these principles to both cocktail construction and service.
And why, at the end of the day, cocktail service and consumption involves a whole bunch of complex systems that are constantly colliding, leaking information, and changing the way we play the game.
Along the way, we provide tips and tricks to make your friends and bar guests say “I can’t UNsmell that,” probe the koji-fermented link between pineapple, aged cheese, and sharpies, uncover why Kevin doesn’t want to be known as “the cricket guy.” And much, much more.

Featured Cocktail: The Everlasting Daiquiri

To make it, you’ll need:

2 oz rum (Kevin recommends Gosling’s Black Seal)
½ oz Fresh Lime juice
½ oz turbinado simple syrup

Prior to construction, you’re gonna want to chill down your rum AND a champagne flute in the freezer. Both need to be ice cold.

Then, add your liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker with 3 large ice cubes, shake for (according to Kevin) 12 seconds, then strain into your Champage flute over a smaller ice cube. So if you’re using large, 2” cubes in the shaker, plop a smaller one from a standard ice tray or ice maker into the flute before you strain.