Is there a preferred tequila age for Strawberries Por Mi Amante?

Question

I'd like to soak strawberries in tequila for a Por Mi Amante. I'm not concerned about the brand, but I'm curious if there is a flavor difference as a result of soaking in blanco vs reposado vs añejo.

Asked by Ron

Answer

The Cocktailians recommend Reposado: "use the 100% agave stuff, and definitely go for the reposado -- you want something with a little age and character". Paul Clarke quotes cocktail luminary Charles H Baker's recipe from 1939, which is non-specific, but Paul also uses Reposado.

Blanco is likely to be a little too light and easily dominated by the strawberries, a good Añejo is probably overkill, so a decent Reposado fits the bill.

Answered by Paul Wheatley

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How can I improve the 2:1:1 margarita recipe?

Question

I bought my wife that Margaritaville Frozen Concoction Maker, and it is awesome. We make a lot of margaritas, but always with pre-made mixes. I tried one recipe to make one from scratch, and it was HORRIBLE.

I tried using the 2:1:1 ratio described below - 2 parts tequila, 1 part triple sec, 1 part lime juice. It tasted just like a shot of tequila with a little lime.

What are some alternatives I can try to make it taste better?

Asked by Martin

Answer

You probably are used to having a lot of sugar in your mixes. Use lime-ade instead of lime juice, or add some simple syrup. Adding orange juice also helps. Of course, this isn't "traditional", but you'll probably like it better.

If you're looking for a ratio, I would try something like 2 parts tequila, 1 part triple sec, 2 parts lime-ade, 2 parts orange juice. Adjust the lime-ade and orange juice until it tastes good to you.

Answered by Bob

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Shaking cocktails without bar equipment

Question

Is it possible to make shaken cocktails without bar equipment handy? How do you improvise when a cocktail shaker or strainer isn't available?

Asked by maxhawkins

Answer

I've been able to shake and strain cocktails with two cups pretty easily. Ideally one cup should be slightly smaller than the other, though this isn't absolutely necessary if you're careful.

Put the open ends together and shake as necessary (if they're slightly different sizes as described, you can get a real nice seal and shake vigorously). Now, place one cup on the counter, and the other on top of it upside down, ideally still "inside" the other one.

You want to tilt the top cup about 5-10 degrees to the side, which will "break the seal" between the two cups and leave a very small opening. That's where you'll strain through. Now all you have to do is tilt the entire contraption 90 degrees and pour!

This is more easily explained with images...I will try to find or make one for you ASAP.

edit: Couldn't find a good example, so made one for you with what I found around the office:

Answered by stephennmcdonald

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Can alcohol bottles (especially liquor) be stored on their side?

Question

I have a fairly well-stocked mini-bar, but not a lot of space. I've considered storing the bottles in a drawer, but I've heard that you should store certain alcohol upright. Is this true? If so, why? If it's only true for certain types of alcohol, which ones?

Asked by jandjorgensen

Answer

Beer bottles should be stored upright. This is to minimize contact (and hence oxidization) between the beer and bottle cap, and (for unfiltered beers) to keep any sludge on the bottom of the bottles. (How To Store Beer)

Wine should be stored (mostly) on its side. This keeps the cork moist; and a dry cork can shrink and allow too much air into the wine bottle. (Storage of wine) But note that:

Champagne and other sparkling wines tend to age better if they are kept upright.

The rules for liquor aren't as defined, but it should generally be stored upright. (Taming Your Liquor Cabinet). It's stored that way at the factory, and it's shipped and displayed that way. Also for many "fancy" bottle types, the bottle won't even sit properly on its side. Also, alcohol in liquor can leak through - or even break down - whatever material is used for the cap. But it's generally safe to store liquor bottles horizontally in the freezer for a time. It depends a lot on the specific bottle and cap in use.

Answered by KatieK

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Cooking alcohol: how many calories are lost?

Question

Google fails me.

I'm curious how many calories are burned away when you cook various kinds of alcohol...wines, liquors, beers (including lite beer).

Asked by marienbad

Answer

It depends on how much alcohol there is relative to other things--sugars primarily, as they are about the only calorific part of most alcoholic beverages once the alcohol is gone (alcohol is the most calorific part for sure). You can use the alcohol proportion by volume (ABV) to approximate a little.

Assuming equal amounts of each:

Spirits don't leave much calorific stuff behind at all after the alcohol is gone because they're mostly alcohol. Alcohol by volume is between 40 and 60 percent in most cases.

Wine leaves a bit more, as there is more unfermented sugar remaining in the beverage you buy, but there's still not a heck of a lot. It depends on how dry the wine is. Alcohol by volume is between 10 and 20 percent mostly.

Beer can leave quite a bit, as many have significant amounts of unfermented/unfermentable sugar. This can be where ABV lets you down for estimating--high alcohol beers are also often high in unfermentable sugar too, so when the alcohol goes you're still left with quite a few calories. ABV can be anything from 4 to 20 percent, with the majority clustering around 5 percent. Lite beers are usually pretty low in alcohol and also pretty dry, meaning low residual sugars too.

A gray area is liqueurs and the like. Many are fairly high in alcohol by volume, but also heavy on sugars.

I should also point out that in many cooking applications, the calories added by the alcoholic beverage are fairly negligible, given the small amounts used relative to the number of servings. Even a Boeuf Bourguignon or Coq au Vin with a whole bottle of wine in it doesn't have all THAT much wine per serving--that whole bottle gets broken down into 6 or more servings, so each person gets less than a glass worth of alcohol-free wine calories. That probably averages something like 40 extra calories per serving.

Answered by bikeboy389

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Is there any trick to make a palindrome-cocktail?

Question

I'm trying to make a palindrome cocktail:

• made by building the components, like for example the classic B52; and also
• having the same ingredients going from top to bottom as it has going from bottom to top.

At first I thought it was surface tension that separated the layers of a built cocktail. However, it seems it is density that determines where a particular component will go. One of the resources on density I found was this spirits density chart. Now, of course: no particular spirit is found twice on that chart! This makes the palindrome cocktail quite a challenge.

The Question: Are there any products, tricks or techniques available to separate layers in a built cocktail without relying on density?

---

Some brainstorm-ideas I came up with but have no faith (yet) in trying:

• Separate layers with a sort-off crême-brûlée-style crust. However this will most not seall off completely on the edges, plus I risk setting the spirits on fire.
• Use some kind of gelatine product?

As a side note, even though my question is about a true palindrome drink (with the exact same spirits top-down as bottom-up), if there are no real tricks, I'd also be interested to see some added suggestions on a "fake" palindrome where it's just "looks" like a palindrome (color/transparancy wise). I tried this, but given the above density chart that felt as a hard-enough challenge in itself.

---

Logged attempts

I'll update this section as I experiment with provided answers (but the question above won't change, of course).

• A Cointreau + Baileys + butterscotch liquor. An attempt to make a color-based palindrome (a cheat!), but the colors are obviously not similar enough.
• B Dark Rum + Cointreau + Dark Rum. The bottom dark rum was mixed with gome syrup and even more sugar (as much as would dissolve) to make it sink to the bottom. Based on this answer below. Still have to work on color though.

• J1 Cherry-butterscotch-jello + lemon liquor + cherry-butterscotch-jello. The top jello kind-of sunk inside the middle melon layer.
• J2 Cherry-butterscotch-jello + lemon liquor + cherry-butterscotch-jello. Same as J1, only more careful sliding the top jello in on the back of a spoon.
• J3, the proof of concept! Melon-liquor + cherry-butterscotch-jello + lemon liquor. First I put the bottom liquor in the freezer, then the jello on top (wiggle it in place), then more liqour on top, and wait a few minutes for the bottom layer to melt.

Footnote

Although I'd accept any tricks that allow a basic palindrome-cocktail, I'd be extra happy if they allow for palindromes above 3 layers (so 5 layers and up).

Asked by Jeroen

Answer

You could, of course, create gel layers, and the determining factor in stability would be the firmness of those gels. However - and I suppose this is just a hunch - I seriously doubt that a gel firm enough to hold the weight of all the heavier layers above it (and you are asking for at least 3) would really be drinkable, unless you're aiming for the consistency of a "Jello shot".

A better idea, in my opinion, would be to simply change the densities of certain layers, and an effective (and tasty) way to do that is with sugar, or more accurately, sugar syrup. There's a type of syrup used in bartending called Gomme Syrup, which is a thick sugar syrup with Gum Arabic added to prevent crystallization (among other things).

Sugar, by itself, has very poor solubility in alcohol, but sugar syrups and gomme syrup in particular will have few problems, considering that's already how many mixed drinks are made (like Whiskey Sour). If you're feeling really adventurous, you could also use sugar alcohols such as sorbitol or xylitol, which dissolve readily in ethyl alcohol in solid form. However, these are much more potent (sweetness-wise) than sucrose and some people report gastrointestinal reactions, so use at your own risk.

Sugar syrups are very dense, so if you mix them thoroughly with a particular spirit, you'll end up with a heavier (and sweeter) version of that spirit. So to make your palindrome, start with what you'd normally put at the top (say GM for the B52), mix it with syrup (it shouldn't take an excessive amount - maybe 20-30% by volume, but you'll have to experiment), and layer that on the bottom. Then take the next-lightest, mix it with slightly less syrup, and continue. Once you reach what would normally be the densest liquid, layer the drink as normal up to the top with the "pure" spirits.

The more layers, the more math you'll have to do, because you'll need to make sure that you add just enough syrup to layer 2 so that it's lighter than layer 1 (bottom) but still heavier than layer 3, and so on. Unless you're prepared to make the drink very sweet, you'll need to be fairly precise in your calculations.

Disclaimer: I haven't yet tried this myself, as it's the first I've heard of anyone trying to do this. However, I see no reason why it wouldn't work with proper (careful) layering technique. In fact, I remember doing something very similar all the way back in primary school, called rainbow in a glass.

Answered by Aaronut

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does bread have alcohol in it?

Question

According to wikipedia, the byproducts of yeast fermenting (like done in baking it says) are carbon dioxide and alcohol (not necessarily ethanol -- the kind you can get drunk on).

If that's the case, then technically speaking does every form of raised bread have chemical alcohol in it?

Asked by Thr4wn

Answer

The majority of the alcohol evaporates during baking.

McGee's On Food and Cooking says (pg 532):

In making beer and wine, the carbon dioxide escapes from the fermenting liquid, and alcohol accumulates. In making bread both carbon dioxide and alcohol are trapped by the dough, and both are expelled from the dough by the heat of baking.

I also found this report, which states that some alcohol (0.04 to 1.9%) may remain.

However, the report is from 1926, so
1. it may not be really represent modern day situation
2. the data, methodology etc. is not reported: it looks more like an informal news than a real research article, so I cannot critique on whether the results are realistic.

Answered by nico

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I have difficulty finding “ANGOSTURA” bitters, is there any substitute?

Question

My preferred pre-dinner drink is the Manathan, but I have difficulties finding ANGOSTURA bitters.

Is there anything else that I could use instead of it?

Asked by DavRob60

Answer

You could try Peychaud's Bitters (difficult to find), Fernet-Branca, orange bitters or other types of bitters. Worcestershire sauce may also be used as a substitute but works well in savory dishes. I wouldn't recommend it for a Manhattan.

Or, if you're very ambitious you can try to make your own bitters, although the ingredient list is somewhat intimidating! Good luck!

http://spiritsandcocktails.wordpress.com/2008/04/22/how-to-make-bitters/

Answered by Vecta

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How can I flambé ice cream?

Question

For a dessert I recently made, I intended to flame, or burn some alcohol on a quinel of ice cream. Unfortunately, it would not light. I've searched the web a bit since and have come to think it was to cold for the alcohol to evaporate and so burn (bad explanation, I know). Is this why? How would I go about achieving this, ideally with no chemicals as I have a kitchen not a lab.

Thanks in advance!

Asked by Sebiddychef

Answer

For a substance to burn, it must first reach its ignition point. For it to keep burning, it must reach its fire point. The ignition point of a 40% ABV liquid such as brandy is 26ºC/79ºF, and the fire point is approximately 10ºC higher than that.

What this means in practical terms is that you need to heat the alcohol a little first before you add it to the ice cream. The simplest way to do this is to put the alcohol in a ladle and heat it over the hob - it won't need much as 36ºC is not a great deal over room temperature. Then light it carefully with a long match, and pour it around your ice cream - if you've got it warm enough it should keep burning until the alcohol is consumed.

Answered by ElendilTheTall

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Is it possible to make low-alcohol Limoncello?

Question

Lemons are currently in season and dirt cheap. I'd like to make a homemade Limoncello.

The recipe I'm using calls for odorless, high-ABV (150+ proof) spirit, like Everclear. Unfortunately, my state doesn't allow the sale of high ABV spirits.

Can I use a lower ABV, like vodka, as a stand in? Will this change steeping time?

Asked by Jake McGraw

Answer

There are plenty of recipes for limoncello/lemoncello out there that use vodka. I would reference one specifically calling for vodka rather than adapting one that relies on either 150 or 190 proof Everclear.

The higher alcohol content means a stronger extract from the lemons (does not necessarily apply to leeching of sugars, just oils), and a corresponding need to be sugared down more. As vodka is easier to just sip and lower in alcohol, it would likely require less simple syrup, and either more lemons, agitation, longer steeping or a combination thereof.

Answered by mfg

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What is the right moment to add sugar to make my own coffee liqueur?

Question

I've been looking for a good coffee liqueur recipe. In some places they add sugar and water before you store the liqueur for a few days or weeks, and others say to add the sugar and water after it.

The 'before' ones use instant coffee which I think it's not in the 'original' (old) recipe.

Does adding the sugar before or after make any difference in the outcome? The liqueurs I have bought usually get thicker as time goes by.

Answer

I'll try to answer this.

Concerning the first recipe you linked, it doesn't matter at all whether you add it first or not, since there is no extraction going on. Theres no fresh coffee, no fresh vanilla. Just extract, which of course is already extracted, so no extended wait time is needed! There might still be room for improvement, letting flavors 'marry' and so, but I'd say a day should be enough.

The second recipe is different. It steeps fresh coffee in alcohol, and here it's going to need time. One month is however an extreme amount of time. Usually, hot water and coffee is steeped for seconds, and cold water and coffee is often steeped for 12 hours. Consider that alcohol is a stronger solvent than water. But if going for a true alcoholic extraction, pure is better / faster, so you should steep before adding water, and the sugar probably doesn't make much difference.

This said, I'm not sure you should actually let it steep in alcohol at all, and I'm not sure you should dilute it either.

If I was doing this, I would go for water cold extraction. I'd be concerned that alcohol would extract too much, the same as too long hot water steeping leads to bitter, sour, pungent coffee. I'm not sure why you would want to dilute it with alot of water either. Water adds nothing to the party. Dilute it when using it instead, this leaves you free to choose each time. Perhaps you'd like to mix it with milk instead, sometime?

Do you have a french press? Let 1 part coursely ground coffee steep in 3 parts cold water over night. Use the filter / top to filter it, and pour it into your vodka. I'm not completely sure, but I think 1 part extract to 4 parts vodka would be fine. Use the same ratio of sugar as in the recipes you linked, or after taste.

UPDATE:

I didn't completely read the second recipe before I answered. It says to boil the vodka-mixture. Sure, the alcohol doesn't vanish in an hour, but I'd still say it's an unacceptable waste (spirits are expensive where I'm from!). Also, the effect is the inverse of destillation, so you are left with a weaker, but sweeter, drink. I'm not sure why it says to boil it. It says that it's to 'thicken the liqueur', but they could just use less water instead.

Good luck!

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By what method, other than heat, can I cause the alcohol in a liquid to evaporate?

Question

If boiling and other heat methods cause a deterioration of flavor, What is the fastest way of accelerating the evaporation rate of alcohol in a liquid like beer?

Answer

You could try ice distillation: Stick it in the freezer, and skim off the ice. Keep the ice, discard the liquid and melt the ice.

If you had a freezer that you could precisely control the temperature, I believe there are certain preferred target temperatures, but simply checking on it frequently in a standard freezer should do the trick.

The vacuum based suggestions also sound good, if you have appropriate equipment for that.

Basically, you're asking about distillation in reverse. Traditional distillation is primarily boiling, but there's also a few traditions (applejack, eisbock) involving ice distillation. In ice distillation they're after a higher alcohol product and keeping the liquid (discarding the ice), but I believe if you switch which part you keep you'll get the same results.

Much like any other distillation, you may need to run through the process multiple times to get the desired result.

With beer, the primary flavoring is from compounds extracted from hops, which react with oxygen to produce unpleasant flavors. By "unpleasant" I mean turning the bitter and tangy flavors into something more like wet cardboard. So depending on what you're doing you may also need to protect your beer from exposure to oxygen. I believe with beer the real enemy is oxygen, with heat or light accelerating the undesirable reactions.

Depending on the style of beer, esters and phenols may also be important to the flavor. In styles where those flavors are desired, it's typically a wide mix, and it's quite possible some of them will evaporate easier than alcohol or be harder to freeze.

Note that no distillation method is "perfect", with all distillation methods you'll have water and alcohol in both outputs of the process, you'll just have a greater amount of alcohol in the evaporated or unfrozen part and a lesser amount in the unevaporated or frozen part.

Note also that in the US any process for separating alcohol from something else is illegal at home.

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What's an inexpensive substitute for Port wine?

Question

Is there a good substitute for port? It's for a slow cooked pork loin recipe. I'm not concerned about the alcohol, but I would like to keep the cost down.

Answer

Decent port is not necessarily expensive; you may find yourself spending more on the meat. For example, Sandeman's Founders Reserve 750 ml runs about US$15 before taxes, Dow's Fine Tawny 750 ml is about US$13, and Graham's Six Grapes Ruby 750 ml is about US$8 (and this is just the start of the list). These are, perhaps, not the connoisseur's choices, but they are hardly undrinkable. Depending on the laws where you live, you (or your favorite wine shop) can order any of these online from a variety of sources.

Port has a unique character that is not easy to replicate with any other wine or fortified wine. If you are trying to replicate a result, do not substitute. If you really want something else that will serve the same role even if it will taste different, I would look to a Madeira, a cream sherry, or sweet Marsala (depending on your tastes).

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Apple Pie in a Jar Drink

Question

I was recently out of town for a business trip and heard some people talking about some type of drink that they had at a party called Apple Pie in a Jar. I was curious if anyone else has heard of this and would know how to make it? It sounds interesting especially since I like Apple Pie.

Answer

Sounds like you're talking about this recipe.

Looks like some apple juice, cider, cinnamon,sugar, and some grain alcohol.

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What are some good substitions for alcohol in cooking?

Question

One of my favorite recipes these days is making a good bananas foster dessert. Everyone I know enjoys it, to some extent, so it's a go-to dessert, for me.

One of my concerns, however, is that since the recipe calls for rum and banana liqueur, I can't (or at least I choose not to) serve it to anyone too young. I'm not so concerned with the legal age limit as with serving it to very young children, like a nephew under 10 years old. The idea is to burn off the alcohol, but I assume there is still some that remains in the dish after it is served.

So what I'm wondering is, what are some good alternatives to alcohol in common dishes? I obviously won't get the same "flambe" presentation from the bananas foster, but it seems like a small tradeoff when considering I'll be able to serve it to more people. (I wouldn't make the dessert for my sister, if her son couldn't eat it too)

Answer

I can't give you a list with good substitutes for common dishes. First, I doubt that my common dishes are your common dishes. Second, it would be too long. If you want to substitute alcohol in a dish, you have to understand what it does in the specific recipe, and then use your imagination to think of an ingredient which will have a similar effect.

Alcohol has mostly three effects in a dish. First, it is a liquid, and its bulk must be considered. In recipes where the ratio is important (mainly batters), if you leave out the alcohol, you have to add some other liquid to maintain the original ratio.

Second, alcohol adds its own taste. A small part of it is the taste of the ethanol itself, but cooks mostly use beverages with a strong taste of their own as a component of the dish.

Third, alcohol is a solvent. It can get more taste out of your other ingredients than pure water. (Ever wondered why vanilla extract is alcohol based?) This is especially important in recipes which give it a longer time to interact with the other ingredients, such as the slow boiling of a coq au vin.

Depending on which of these effects are important to you, you have different options to act.

• Just leave it out. If you aren't baking, you probably aren't that interested in the ratio. And if you expect the result to taste well enough without the alcohol, the simplest solution is to skip it.

• Use a liquid substitute. This is especially important in baking and confectionery, but you can decide to do it in any case. Depending on the original kind of alcohol and taste you are aiming for, you can use pure water, a liquid trying to stay close to the original taste, or a liquid which gives a completely new taste profile to the whole recipe. For example, in a sweet dish like your foster dessert you can use caramel dissolved in apple juice instead of dark rum if you want to mimic the original, or cherry juice to create a cherry-banana dessert. Common liquids to use are sugared water (when the original recipe had a sweet liquor), a fruit or vegetable juice, a herbal infusion, clear stock, or pickle liquid. Don't be afraid to use more than one liquid to get closer to the effect you want. If the recipe already uses some other liquid, you can just use more of it.

• Use a spice or condiment. This is when your main concern is the taste, and you don't care about the missing liquid. Again, you could be trying to mime the original closely (using orange zest instead of Grand Marnier), or just using any strong spice so the dish doesn't become bland. It is up to you. A special case is to use only a taste "essence": for some beverages common in baking, you can buy a propylene-glycol based condiment which approximates their aroma. Rum essence is widely available, but I'm quite sure that the whiskey flavored ice cream in the supermarket isn't full of real whiskey.

• Leave the alcohol in the recipe (possibly reduced). Obviously impossible in some circumstances, like a wine sauce, but quite feasible in others. You don't have to drown the dessert in rum and flambe it. If you use 20 ml of rum per 1000 g of other ingredients, a child who eats a normal serving (150 g) will consume somewhat less than 1.2 g of ethanol if no alcohol at all is cooked out - and in practice, if the recipe calls for cooking, maybe half of the alcohol will evaporate, and a very young child will probably not eat the whole serving. I don't think that such miniscule amounts are problematic for children.

Of course, you are free to combine these solutions in any way you see fit, depending on which effect(s) of alcohol you are trying to imitate. For example, if a baking recipe calls for 50 ml of calvados, use 15 ml of calvados, 35 ml of apple juice, and a breath of powdered cinnamon. Or baste a roast with a mix of tomato and carrot juice instead of red wine. The possibilities are endless, you just have to be clear on why you are choosing whatever you are choosing.

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What is a substitute for red or white wine in a recipe?

Question

If someone cannot or will not use wine for cooking, what would be a good substitute?

Question applies to both red and white wine.

Answer

For white wine, try:

• chicken broth/stock
• vegetable stock
• white grape juice
• ginger ale
• canned mushroom liquid
• diluted white wine or cider vinegar

For red wine, try:

• beef or chicken broth/stock
• diluted red wine vinegar
• red grape juice
• tomato juice
• canned mushroom liquid

A great list of substitutions for cooking with various alcoholic ingredients may be found here.

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How much alcohol remains in strawberries soaked in alcohol?

Question

I know that the alcohol content of food that is prepared with alcohol is a tricky study, as evidenced by the fact that food left out overnight stored overnight loses, by one study, 30% of its alcohol content. Several weeks ago I had some chocolate dipped strawberries that had been soaked in liquor before being dipped in chocolate. I thought I could taste alcohol, but my dining companion didn't taste it. So it wasn't a strong flavor. Is there any information out there on how much alcohol may have been transferred to the strawberries?

Answer

I don't think this has a single answer: The amount of alcohol would depend on the alcohol content of the soaking liquor or liqueur, soaking time, temperature of chocolate, and how thick the strawberry was.

I suspect uncut strawberries would take at least several days to fully absorb alcohol and reach equilibrium, but the surface should take up alcohol fairly quickly. If they are cut up, exposing the more porous interior, I imagine an overnight soak would be sufficient to reach maximum alcohol content. The enormous, bloated mutant strawberries you sometimes see at stores could take considerably longer than others to absorb their maximum alcohol.

Alcohol is much more volatile than water, so the immersion in warm, melted chocolate would remove some alcohol, but once the chocolate cools, it should trap any remaining content.

The flavor of alcohol is easily masked by other flavors at under 20% content; this could explain why your friend didn't taste it, but you did. It's quite possible the strawberries packed a sobriety-busting punch, but it was disguised by the chocolate and fruit tastes.

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Cumin-flavored vodka

Question

I want to make vodka or liquor which tastes similarly to Brennivin. The taste which dominates Brennivin is cumin so you can say that I can basically want to prepare cumin-flavored vodka or liquor.

The question is how should I process vodka to achieve such taste?

Answer

I would try Dave Arnold's cream whipper infusion method. It is very fast and flexible, which will allow you to experiment to find your ideal flavor. You'll want to play with the ratio of cumin to vodka, whether you toast the cumin first, and and whether you lightly crush it. After you depressurize the vodka, be sure to strain it and let it sit about 10 minutes before judging the flavor, it seems to take a little while to settle. And of course if you overdo it a bit, you can always dilute the output with more unflavored vodka.

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What does adding dark rum give to a fajita stir-fry?

Question

I'm looking at a recipe for a fajita stir-fry that includes an optional 2 tbsp of dark rum. The introduction for the recipe mentions,

Latin spices combined with the optional kick of dark Jamaican rum make an interesting marriage of flavors.

What does the rum offer to the recipe? I ask because I'm not sure I want to buy a whole bottle of dark rum just for one recipe.

Answer

In the Caribbean and other Rum producing areas, you find Rum in all sorts of recipes

It is sometimes an unusual flavour pairing, but not necessarily bad. In savoury cooking it adds a semi-burnt sweetness, more like toffee or butterscotch than straight Rum

Caribbean and Mexican cooking is well blended and harmonious with many common ingredients (chilli, coriander, avocado etc.)

Considering the popularity of spicy jerk meat and Rum, the Rum Fajitas would be an interesting experiment

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Cooking away alcohol

Question

When you cook with wine or spirits, when does the alcohol cook away? Obviously high temperatures will do it, but how low of temperatures will work? Also, does it vary by the type of alcohol?

Answer

You will never fully cook away alcohol, only reduce the amount. See Alcohol retention in food preparation, or for the quick table, see wikipedia.

They covered this on an episode of America's Test Kitchen, and concluded that surface area matters -- a wider vessel would cook off more alcohol; it wasn't just a function of time.

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