Four I'm Under My Host

If you read this earlier post I’ve started experimenting with recipes from Scott Beattie’s excellent Artisanal Cocktails. This past weekend it was the Pelo Del Perro, which means “Hair of the Dog” in Spanish. I picked this one because the weather was warm and a grapefruit juice cocktail sounded refreshing. And because it is garnished with a fruit juice foam, one of Scott Beattie’s signature effects and something I’ve never tried before.

The ingredients for making the foam include gelatin (“bloomed” in water), grapefruit juice, simple syrup and coconut milk. You pour the lot into a whipped cream dispenser, charge it, let it rest in the refrigerator for a few hours and then dispense. I’ll let you buy Scott’s book for the exact details but even without the foam the cocktail is excellent. The cocktail itself is equal parts normal vodka, grapefruit vodka, tequila, grapefruit juice and lime juice, sweetened with a half-part of agave nectar. The rim is coated with a mixture of 5 parts sugar and 1 part red Hawaiian sea salt. Shake, pour and top with the foam.

It was delicious and highly recommended even if you aren’t in the market for a hangover remedy. The first batch was a little strong on the grapefruit flavor, so for the second batch I used more unflavored vodka and less grapefruit vodka. I was using Absolut Grapefruit vodka and my guess is that it is a bit less subtle than the Charbay brand that Scott recommends (and I couldn’t find).

The foam was less successful than I would have liked. It tasted great but the appearance was not what I was hoping for. The bubbles were larger than I expected and the resulting foam was a bit lumpy. I’m not sure why. Perhaps too much gelatin? Or my half-sized dispenser isn’t the right tool for the job? Any advice from experienced cocktail foam makers is appreciated. Back to the kitchen for another try!

Pelo Del Perro

Next up, the Creole Watermelon…..

Related posts:

1. A Taste of Persia