Author: Camper English
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A Theriac in Digestif Form
If you read my book Doctors and Distillers you know that cure-all theriacs often contained viper flesh. Now one person has recreated a recipe for a branded theriac called L’Orvietan, with everything but the snake. Bernardini had to travel across Europe on the trail of L’Orvietan. He scoured historic archives and antique bookstores. He acquired…
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Doctors and Distillers/The Perfect Tonic a Finalist for the André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards
I was delighted to learn that The Perfect Tonic, the name in the UK for Doctors and Distillers, has made it to the short list for the André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards. The four finalists are: A Sense of Place by Dave BroomDrinking with the Valkyries by Andrew JeffordImperial Wine by Jennifer Regan-LefebvreThe…
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Smoothing Thermos Ice Spheres Using an Ice Sphere Press
I have several ways to make ice spheres at home, but the one that takes up the least amount of space is using a thermos and ice ball mold. This method produces nice large ice spheres but they're not as smooth and perfect as those made in the IceOlogy trays or big cubes pressed into…
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How to Make Clear Ice, for Martha Stewart
I provided lots of quotes for this story on making clear ice on MarthaStewart.com.
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When Mineral Water Was Medicinal Water
I provided some context for a story about carbonated water for Wine Enthusiast. “Naturally carbonated mineral spring water was thought to be extra healthy compared with regular mineral water, and far healthier than surface water from rivers and streams,” English notes. “European and American mineral springs rich in iron or other mineral salts were…
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Designs on Clear Ice Cubes Using Clay Stamps
Lately I've been making designs on ice cubes using the Ice Designer tool or these Cookie Stamps. I even wrote a story about how Patterned Ice Conquered Drinkstagram. Well in my fairly regular perusal of Amazon for new ice stuff I came across these stamps that are used to impress patterns into clay and other…
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Dividers For An Ice Block
As you know, I make ice in an insulated cooler in the process known as directional freezing first demonstrated here on Alcademics in 2009. Lately I've been playing with an ice sphere press to make super nice looking ice balls. But the problem is that the ice spheres are about 2.7 inches in diameter and…
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Make Clear Stars and Hearts Ice with Silicone Cupcake Liners
You can make clear ice cubes in a tray in a cooler by punching holes in the bottom of each cube compartment and setting the tray on a riser. This is described here. Most commercial clear ice cube trays work similarly. But cubes are not the only shape of clear ice you can make in…
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Making Patterned Ice Cubes with Cookie Stamps
As you're probably aware, patterned ice is the new logo ice. You can make patterned ice with an ice designer ($160) or a meat tenderizer ($13), and recently I purchased some cookie stamps ($27) to give those a try. The round shape can be limiting, but they're pretty large and will cover a 2" cube.…
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The Technology Behind Nonalcoholic Vermouth
I spoke with Martini and Rossi’s Master Blender, Giuseppe “Beppe” Musso, and Senior Master Herbalist Ivano Tonutti to learn how they made their new nonalcoholic vermouths. It was fascinating! The story is now live at AlcoholProfessor.com.