Episode 211 - The Science of "Switched" Cocktails with Iain McPherson

In this fascinating deep dive with bartender and ice cream fanatic Iain McPherson, some of the topics we discuss include: How a childhood love of frozen treats, a fascination with lucid dreaming, and a stint at Italy's most hallowed gelato university led Iain to explore the largely untapped universe of freeze concentration. Why this process - first pioneered by German "Eisbock" makers - has affectionately and efficiently come to be known as "switching." Then, we break down the process, including how to use switching to modify both ferments and distillates, what tools you'll need, and some of the experiments that have yielded the most interesting results at Iain's bars. We also cover why switching produces more pure flavors than heat- and pressure-intensive techniques that employ traditional stills or rotovaps, a few important precautions to keep you and your guests safe when making and enjoying switch-finished products, what the future holds for freeze-thaw mixology, and much, much more. This episode is brought to you by Near Country Provisions. If you live in the Mid-Atlantic and want to enjoy ethically raised (and delicious) meat from local farmers delivered to your door every month, then you need Near Country in your life. Head over to NearCountry.com and enter the code BARCART when you sign up for your subscription to receive 2 free pounds of bacon or ground beef in your first delivery.