Cocktail Sense with Dr. Kevin Peterson

We start the journey to a better cocktail. As it's the opening episode of the series, we set some ground rules, introduce some of the ideas and why Kevin left his engineering job to start a special kind of bar.  Why is an Old Fashioned "fragile," and a Negroni "robust?" Castalia at Sfumato is located in Detroit, Michigan. More: https://www.castaliacocktails.com/ Pre-order Kevin's book: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/drkevinpeterson/book-cocktail-theory On Kevin: Dr. Peterson has formerly worked as a line cook, a combustion engineer, an auto mechanic, and on the production line at a butter factory. At various points he's been in school for physics, philosophy, culinary, and my highest degree is a Ph.D in mechanical engineering.  His current roles are the Nose at a niche scent company, Sfumato, that I founded with my wife, and Chief Cocktail Scientist at Castalia, a cocktail bar in Detroit we also co-founded. We work with our staff of six at Castalia to create experiences pairing fragrances and cocktails. To do these pairings effectively, Kevin has had to dig deep into his background in physics and engineering, culinary and perfumery, and experience srunning Castalia for the last five years, and examine how our senses work, what our senses find intriguing, and how to optimize cocktails to fit perfectly into an overall experience.  

It's one of the "old reliable" cocktails. The Old Fashioned. If you're any sort of spirits drinker, you've probably had one. But there a lot to explore with this widely available cocktail. The Old Fashioned comes from a day when spirits weren't as well crafted. But it's also a great test if you're going to a bar for the first time if they know the basics.

We've all seen the daiquiri in a container as tall as a person. But there's so much more to this rum-focused drink that's been adopted by partygoers and seekers of fun, and we dig into it. Dr. Kevin Peterson, cocktail afficianado, flavor and scent expert, breaks it all down.  Rum is a loosely legislated spirit, and it's a fact to love as it allows so much creative flexibility and for more flavor profiles.  Then, we wander into a lynchpin of Kevin's work around cocktails - the Mr. Potato Head theory of making excellent drinks. Drinks that are balanced, melded together in something beautiful - how any good aroma can be paired with a balanced drink and it will work together. 

There's this stereotype that Gin... and the Gin and Tonic... ends up tasting like Christmas Trees. But there's so much more to his spirit, and here we make the case that you should think about in many cases replacing Vodka with Gin for a better tasting cocktail. We get into the why it tastes the way it does, why a lot of people meet Gin far too early, and introduce you to a similar spirit, Aquavit, that you shouldn't ignore.  There's so much gin, and custom tonic to explore - that you can really spread your wings with this combination. Simple, but the possibilites for tasty complexity.  Dr. Kevin Peterson is an author and owner of the Castalia at Sfumato Cocktail Bar in Detroit, Michigan. He applies his engineering experties to making some of the best tasting cocktails in the nation.  Check out his bar: https://www.castaliacocktails.com/  

This week we dive into the Margarita. Although popular, it's often not elevated. Sour mixes often are not fresh, stealing flavor. And then, there's bubble part - often forgotten, but very important. Dr. Kevin Peterson gets into a better way to make (and think) about your next Margarita. From the glass it's served in, to the technique - and even maybe adding nitro for a smoother experience. If you've ever had a drink at brunch, you won't want to miss this episode.  Visit Castalia in person: https://www.castaliacocktails.com/ Book a class: https://www.exploretock.com/castaliacocktails Check out Dr. Kevin Peterson's book: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/drkevinpeterson/book-cocktail-theory

The Negroni is a drink that's not for everyone. What we've found is that people either really love it, or they're just not into it. In episode six of Cocktail Sense, Dr. Kevin Peterson gets into the Negroni. Why it's a forgiving drink. How it can be used to help serve people better. Speaking of serving people better, we also talk about speaking up to get the cocktail you really enjoy, instead of suffering through one you don't.  There's also a local to Detroit gin - Drexel Spirits - that you should check out. Plus, Kevin introduces Jer to Malort. Was it for science, or nefarious reasons? Don't forget to check out Castalia at Sfumato in Detroit's Midtown. Get a drink, or take a class, or both: https://www.castaliacocktails.com/ Don't forget to check out the other episodes of the podcast, and come back next week!