Drink to the Future: Literally!

Would it surprise you to learn that the drinks of the future are available now? In some cases, they even look like a science project. From the iridescent cocktails popular in the Miami/South Beach area to the cutting edge stuff Chicago’s superstar chef-cum-mixologist Grant Achatz is infamous for.

It’s true, bartenders around the country are pushing the envelope and experimenting with mind-bending drinks. It’s called molecular mixol
ogy. Achatz created a cocktail-filled ice balloon that once shattered spills into an old fashioned rocks glass. But while most of these creations should not to be tried at home, here are a few we recommend. —roz edward

 





Neon Berry Caiprinha

The drink glows in the dark — or even better — under a black light, thanks to the interaction of the blue curacao and the green lime juice. You can also add Illuzoon a natural colorant with an amazing effect: it glows under UV-light.
1 ounce Ciroc Citron vodka
1 ounce Blue Curacao liqueur
1 ounce lime juice
1 splash pineapple juice
 Also hailing from the Windy City, are iNG’s “flavor-tripping” entries in the new cocktail milieu. The establishment uses a “miracle berry,” a pill or powder derived from an African berry that alters your taste buds and turns bitter to sweet.

 The Nitrous Oxide – not so much high-tech, but it takes skill all the same.
3/4 ounces Crown Royal
3/4 ounces orange liqueur (cointreau, grand marnier …)


 
Pour both ingredients into a brandy snifter. Tilt glass and flame the liquor. When flamed, cover it completely so no oxygen escapes (very important). You will feel a suction to the hand, pop your hand off, take the shot, and immediately cover the glass again so no oxygen escapes. Make a slight hole in between your index and thumb, and inhale as much as you can, and hold it. That is the Nitrous Oxide!


Gin and Tonic of the Future      

Cocktail is served in a flask with a frozen sheath of lime juice around the outside.



In the Rocks – A new fashion Old Fashion in which the cocktail is injected by syringe into a hollow egg of ice, which you shatter and drink. Really?