Sip On Your Favorite Seafood With The Help Of Infused Liquor
Liquors with unexpected infusions are a hallmark of fancy cocktail menus. To choose one at random, Jac's on Bond in New York City serves up a Caprese Martini with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and tomato- and basil-infused vodka for a buzzy take on the classic Italian salad, minus the mozzarella. From inventive add-ins to classic ingredients like coffee, brown sugar, and botanicals, boozy infusions are an increasingly popular way to add character and an element of surprise to cocktail hour. Seafood, though, might be the most unique infusion agent of them all.
Those privy to dining at the Michelin-starred Zest by Konishi, a Hong Kong restaurant that blends French and Japanese cuisine, may know about the iconic Eau De Mer, a uniquely savory cocktail made with caviar-infused rum and seaweed syrup. Meanwhile, shellfish, bivalves, and other salty swimmers are making their way into whiskey, vodka, and more. File under: Don't knock it 'til you try it.
Trout brandy, anyone?
Outside of Hong Kong, other options for seafood-infused liquors are coming out of the woodwork. The luxury vodka brand L'Orbe, named for the cylindrical tube at the center of its bottles, makes a fish egg-infused spirit with Polish vodka and Baeri caviar pearls that can retail for more than $400. Over in the Netherlands, seafood lovers can head to the small fishing town of Bruinisse to seek out the small-batch Oyester44 Maritime Vodka infused with oysters and spiked with filtered seawater — perfect for a bloody mary and a plate of fresh oysters.
Stateside, New Hampshire's Tamworth Distilling hawks, among other environmentally minded concoctions, bourbon infused with green crabs — a clever use for an invasive species that otherwise "wreaks havoc on our coastal ecosystem," per the brand's website. Tamworth likens the spirit's flavor to the spice-laden low country boils of the South, thanks to the inclusion of corn, coriander, bay leaf, and warming spices like clove and allspice. The distillery has since introduced an "ember-kissed trout distillate" to its Saison de Frai apple brandy, complete with trout roe for a boba-like drinking experience.
Leave it to the pros, mostly
If you think the process of infusing liquor requires a mixologist's savvy, think again. Though infusions take time (and often some trial and error), many booze-and-food fusions are perfectly achievable at home. Seafood-infused spirits, on the other hand, might be best left to professional distillers, whose equipment helps remove unsavory smells that may be imparted by the seafood. Before you raid your local fish counter, you might try taking a note from Tamworth's Saison de Frai by spooning some salmon roe (or caviar, for that matter) into a glass of apple brandy or your other favorite spirit instead.
If you're positively hell-bent on experimenting with seafood-infused booze at home, you might try using cured ingredients for concentrated flavor. Los Angeles restaurant Bar Moruno's salmon martini utilizes booze imbued with the umami essence of smoked fish. Speaking with Saveur, bar manager Dave Kupchinsky explained his process. "I take smoked salmon and infuse it into Tanqueray gin. That sits for about three weeks, then I strain it off, including a lot of fat—but you have to leave some of the fat because that's where all the flavor is," he said.