José Andrés Teams Up With MIT Research For Cocktail Trinkets

José Andrés has always been playful with food (remember that sneaker-bowl used at Jaleo?), and it seems like he's adding a few more trinkets to the drink world, as well.

Andrés has teamed up with MIT mathematician John Bush to create both a cocktail accessory and palate cleanser, taking inspiration from water bugs and water lillies.

The first, a "cocktail boat" of sorts, is made of edible materials and printed in the cast of small boats. When placed on a drink, alcohol leaks in, reducing the surface tension on the drink and thus propelling the boat forward. According to reports, the boats can swim around a cocktail for about two minutes.

The palate cleanser, a "floral pipette" that looks like an upside-down flower, captures a drop or two of liquid when it is released, which could potentially be sipped as a palate cleanser.

"Engineers often take it to the next step by asking, 'How can we apply this?' In this collaboration, scientists and engineers have combined with chefs, allowing us to follow the entire route from nature to the kitchen," Besh told MIT.

These two contraptions have reportedly been given to ThinkFoodGroup, Andrés' management company, where chefs are experimenting with the molds. An Andrés rep tells us these have yet to hit the menus, as the project is still in the works. To get a glimpse of what you could expect at The Bazaar, however, watch the videos below.