Food and Drink

Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail

Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-27 06:54:53
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Dave Arnold
  • ISBN：0393089037
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

A revolutionary approach to making better-looking， better-tasting drinks。

In Dave Arnold’s world， the shape of an ice cube， the sugars and acids in an apple， and the bubbles in a bottle of champagne are all ingredients to be measured， tested， and tweaked。

With Liquid Intelligence， the creative force at work in Booker & Dax， New York City’s high-tech bar， brings readers behind the counter and into the lab。 There， Arnold and his collaborators investigate temperature， carbonation， sugar concentration， and acidity in search of ways to enhance classic cocktails and invent new ones that revolutionize your expectations about what a drink can look and taste like。

Years of rigorous experimentation and study—botched attempts and inspired solutions—have yielded the recipes and techniques found in these pages。 Featuring more than 120 recipes and nearly 450 color photographs， Liquid Intelligence begins with the simple—how ice forms and how to make crystal-clear cubes in your own freezer—and then progresses into advanced techniques like clarifying cloudy lime juice with enzymes， nitro-muddling fresh basil to prevent browning， and infusing vodka with coffee， orange， or peppercorns。

Practical tips for preparing drinks by the pitcher， making homemade sodas， and building a specialized bar in your own home are exactly what drink enthusiasts need to know。 For devotees seeking the cutting edge， chapters on liquid nitrogen， chitosan/gellan washing， and the applications of a centrifuge expand the boundaries of traditional cocktail craft。

Arnold’s book is the beginning of a new method of making drinks， a problem-solving approach grounded in attentive observation and creative techniques。 Readers will learn how to extract the sweet flavor of peppers without the spice， why bottling certain drinks beforehand beats shaking them at the bar， and why quinine powder and succinic acid lead to the perfect gin and tonic。

Liquid Intelligence is about satisfying your curiosity and refining your technique， from red-hot pokers to the elegance of an old-fashioned。 Whether you’re in search of astounding drinks or a one-of-a-kind journey into the next generation of cocktail making， Liquid Intelligence is the ultimate standard—one that no bartender or drink enthusiast should be without。

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Reviews

Michael ，

It describes some very cool techniques， but I don't think I'll use many of them。 There is too much time and equipment required to make marginal improvements in drinks。 He acknowledges that he works in the margins， which is fine， but I guess I just don't。 It describes some very cool techniques， but I don't think I'll use many of them。 There is too much time and equipment required to make marginal improvements in drinks。 He acknowledges that he works in the margins， which is fine， but I guess I just don't。 。。。more

Cassandra ，

To say my mind is blown doesn't do it justice。 It sparked creativity and produced wonder。 It prompted me to reserve a sno cone machine to borrow from a kitchen library to try his margarita recipe！ To say my mind is blown doesn't do it justice。 It sparked creativity and produced wonder。 It prompted me to reserve a sno cone machine to borrow from a kitchen library to try his margarita recipe！ 。。。more

Johan ，

Recommend this for anyone interested in food science or mixology。 I think thirty pages were dedicated to just going through the physical and chemical properties of ice and how they affect the use of ice in cocktails。 If you like that sort of thing， you will love this book。

Clara ，

Excellent cocktail book。 Very useful info！

Leon Markham ，

Good grief this is outstanding。 The second best book on food / drink I have ever read。 Really impressive。This is a proper geek's book， written by a proper geek。 The depth with which he goes into topics such as clarification， ice and carbonation is just outstanding。 I've read several books on the science of food and drink， and this is by far the best on any drinks related topic （against some pretty impressive competition - I'm looking at you Jamie Goode）。 With that said - it manages to avoid bein Good grief this is outstanding。 The second best book on food / drink I have ever read。 Really impressive。This is a proper geek's book， written by a proper geek。 The depth with which he goes into topics such as clarification， ice and carbonation is just outstanding。 I've read several books on the science of food and drink， and this is by far the best on any drinks related topic （against some pretty impressive competition - I'm looking at you Jamie Goode）。 With that said - it manages to avoid being dry or dull - I suspect he manages this at least in part because the topic is somewhat narrow， but also because he is an infectiously enthusiastic experimenter and cares deeply about the topic。Tellingly， the first recommendation on the back of the book was by Harold McGee， the author of On Food and Cooking （which I think is the *best* book food / drink related book ever， and the one which started the whole sciencey foody thing back in the day）。 This book also contains one of the best explanations I have ever read on the second law of thermodynamics。Do not buy this book if you are supposed to be concentrating on something else for the next few days。 You will find it far too distracting。 。。。more

Du ，

Solid solid exercise in science and cocktailsThis book was an interesting mix of assuming you know how a cocktail works at a basic level and that you want more。 Sure there is some explanations to start off， but the science really dominates the read。 I loved some of the riffs， and hope to try some ideas。

Gianluca Fiore ，

Great book overall， but quite for professionals or people who are very serious about making good cocktails at home。 While I enjoyed the book and the amount of scientific knowledge that it diffuses， I can't say that most of it is actually useful for what I want to do。 But that's me not being the right target audience of the book。 If you are， it is excellent。 Great book overall， but quite for professionals or people who are very serious about making good cocktails at home。 While I enjoyed the book and the amount of scientific knowledge that it diffuses， I can't say that most of it is actually useful for what I want to do。 But that's me not being the right target audience of the book。 If you are， it is excellent。 。。。more

Alex Zarabandi ，

Great experimental mixology book， remains a forward thinking relevant to current bar scene book。

Paul ，

A fun book covering one of my hobbies - mixing drinks！ Thought the first third of the book was exceptional but the author is obviously highly knowledgeable and far more experienced than I thus some parts were far beyond my capabilities/interest。 Regardless， it is a great book that provided with numerous ideas in which to enhance my skills - a great addition to my collection of mixology books。

Julian Schrittwieser ，

Awesome book about cocktails with great experimental techniques。 Warning: you may end up purchasing a whole lot of alcohol and equipment。 It's worth it though！ Awesome book about cocktails with great experimental techniques。 Warning: you may end up purchasing a whole lot of alcohol and equipment。 It's worth it though！ 。。。more

Alex Go ，

The first few chapters were great。 I had never before considered all the thought that goes into the chilling of drinks。 I went into this wanting to learn the basics of mixology and to get a better appreciation of mixed drinks。 While I did get a better appreciation， I think that I am either way too inexperienced or the book went into way too much microscopic details that I soon lost interest。 I learned a lot， but I think I would appreciate it more if I went back to this having tasted most of the The first few chapters were great。 I had never before considered all the thought that goes into the chilling of drinks。 I went into this wanting to learn the basics of mixology and to get a better appreciation of mixed drinks。 While I did get a better appreciation， I think that I am either way too inexperienced or the book went into way too much microscopic details that I soon lost interest。 I learned a lot， but I think I would appreciate it more if I went back to this having tasted most of the "classic" cocktails that he refers to。 Will revisit soon。 。。。more

Jesse ，

So I grabbed this because it had amazing reviews。 Please note that this is not really geared towards the layman。 Arnold has lots of tips and tricks to make your home bar more professional， but he goes waaaaaaay off in to some pretty impressive science based stuff that would be totally unsafe to attempt in your home （at one point he states that he will not provide any recipes for the technique he is writing as it is too dangerous to attempt）。It's definitely an interesting， will really inspire you So I grabbed this because it had amazing reviews。 Please note that this is not really geared towards the layman。 Arnold has lots of tips and tricks to make your home bar more professional， but he goes waaaaaaay off in to some pretty impressive science based stuff that would be totally unsafe to attempt in your home （at one point he states that he will not provide any recipes for the technique he is writing as it is too dangerous to attempt）。It's definitely an interesting， will really inspire you to experiment。 I've had some great success with some of the techniques he outlines， however most are impractical for the home bar tender。 。。。more

Göran Sandström ，

A modern classic， Liquid Intelligence brings together the fields of craft cocktails， chemistry and molecular gastronomy。

Cristhian ，

Much science。 Such wow。

Zane Riley ，

（I haven't been logging books for a year， so here it goes）When I read this。。。 last July？ – It was right after reading Death and Co – I thought book was just okay。 It wasn't very useful to me when I began。 Since that July， I have spent a year making cocktails， thrown a couple pop ups， and made pilgrimages to Death and Co， Existing Conditions， Smugglers Cove， PDT， etc。 So， here are some reflections a year out reading this book:– I didn't appreciate the beauty of "rapid infusions" until really spen （I haven't been logging books for a year， so here it goes）When I read this。。。 last July？ – It was right after reading Death and Co – I thought book was just okay。 It wasn't very useful to me when I began。 Since that July， I have spent a year making cocktails， thrown a couple pop ups， and made pilgrimages to Death and Co， Existing Conditions， Smugglers Cove， PDT， etc。 So， here are some reflections a year out reading this book:– I didn't appreciate the beauty of "rapid infusions" until really spending time doing my own infusions and either （a） having to spend tons of time in spreadsheets， planning logistics or （b） not getting flavors from certain infusions （e。g。 tumeric）。 – I wasn't sure why I'd want to clarify juices to be clear （juicing ahead of the night is already my nightmare）。 Then， a few months later， I had a concept using ginger syrup that required the drink to be clear。。。 that's when I knew。– Then on vacation， I had a bubble tea with carbonated melon soda。 I wanted to bring this into a cocktail， couldn't figure it out。 Dave had written all about carbonation， and I had actually read the answer a year ago！ So， if you're just getting into cocktails， you may or may not find the book practical。 But eventually you might ask， "how exactly how does this work？"， and that's about the time someone will mention Liquid Intelligence。 。。。more

Scott ，

I need to revisit this one since it was borrowed and I think I'd add it to my reference library for sure。 It dove deep into the science of cocktails with some great info and recipies。 This will help me make better cocktails AND be able to explain them better。 I need to revisit this one since it was borrowed and I think I'd add it to my reference library for sure。 It dove deep into the science of cocktails with some great info and recipies。 This will help me make better cocktails AND be able to explain them better。 。。。more

Chris Quartly ，

An excellent book for either budding home cocktail makers （e。g。 me） or what amounts to science labs。It's a fairly science-driven book and Arnold has a way of writing that draws you in， if you're just looking for some basic technique upgrades then the chapters on ice and stirring/shaking are worth the cost alone。 May not be of interest to those who don't want a deep dive for things most people will never do （anyone have a spare centrifuge lying around。。。？） but for me it was all fascinating。 An excellent book for either budding home cocktail makers （e。g。 me） or what amounts to science labs。It's a fairly science-driven book and Arnold has a way of writing that draws you in， if you're just looking for some basic technique upgrades then the chapters on ice and stirring/shaking are worth the cost alone。 May not be of interest to those who don't want a deep dive for things most people will never do （anyone have a spare centrifuge lying around。。。？） but for me it was all fascinating。 。。。more

Mike Prince ，

Part bar book， part chemistry book。 Don't know how much I would actually use from this book， but I appreciate the author's devotion to consistency and quality。 Part bar book， part chemistry book。 Don't know how much I would actually use from this book， but I appreciate the author's devotion to consistency and quality。 。。。more

Rase McCray ，

I have a number of “cocktail recipe” books that tell you， say， how much vermouth time put in a martini。 This isn’t that kind of book—because it’s so much more。It’s partly so much more because the author founded one of the most cutting edge bars in Manhattan， and ultimately invented new cocktail techniques that are more mad scientist than friendly neighborhood bartender。 You’ll learn in this book， for example， how to get perfect muddling technique using liquid nitrogen and a number of the drinks I have a number of “cocktail recipe” books that tell you， say， how much vermouth time put in a martini。 This isn’t that kind of book—because it’s so much more。It’s partly so much more because the author founded one of the most cutting edge bars in Manhattan， and ultimately invented new cocktail techniques that are more mad scientist than friendly neighborhood bartender。 You’ll learn in this book， for example， how to get perfect muddling technique using liquid nitrogen and a number of the drinks require a centrifuge to make properly。But the innovative techniques are not the reason to buy this book。 While extremely fun to read about （and possibly pursue if you have money for the equipment and enjoy a challenge）， the real brilliance of this book is to learn the actual chemistry of cocktails。 For example， the author goes into painstaking detail about how a drink’s flavor profile relates to the alcohol-by-volume， sugar content， acidity， carbonation， and most of all， temperature。 In fact， the first 30 or so pages are about ice: how to make clear ice， effects of ice cube size， science of freezing and melting， shaking vs stirring， temperature consistency， etc。 That kind of information isn’t absolutely necessary if you just like to have a drink on a Wednesday night， but it is both crucial and fascinating if you’ve ever wondered why your favorite drink tastes so much better in one bar than in the bar two doors down。Nearly half the book is devoted to this kind of info as it relates to “classic cocktails。” The other half focuses on more nontraditional techniques， some of which require fancy equipment or chemicals and some of which are unexpectedly accessible。 The last chapter then builds on those techniques to trace the author’s history of developing three drinks， showing more generally how his approach results in innovation。 It’s a fitting， philosophical close to the technical wizardry that led us there。In sum， everyone who is serious about their cocktails should own this book and read through it a few times。 Your cocktails will turn out consistently better， and you’ll actually know why you’re doing what you’re doing。 。。。more

Stacy Elenbaas ，

Revolutionary ideas for cocktail mixing。 Introducing some new vernacular like “fat washing” to introduce flavors。 A must read for any mixologist。 Fun ways to improve cheap alcohol。

Jon ，

Fantastic guide to thinking about cocktails， though you'll probably need yourself a separate recipe book as this is not that at all。 Would highly recommend to cocktaileers， probably not of interest to teetotallers。 Fantastic guide to thinking about cocktails， though you'll probably need yourself a separate recipe book as this is not that at all。 Would highly recommend to cocktaileers， probably not of interest to teetotallers。 。。。more

Logan Schofield ，

In Dave Arnold’s “Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail” years of precision research and experimentation combined with comprehensive explanation of basic chemistry and material science topics come together in a book that takes the reader into the complex world of mixology， as well as the search for the perfect mixed drink。 The importance of precision and the emphasis on technique described in this book finds its roots in the world of food science focusing on the three In Dave Arnold’s “Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail” years of precision research and experimentation combined with comprehensive explanation of basic chemistry and material science topics come together in a book that takes the reader into the complex world of mixology， as well as the search for the perfect mixed drink。 The importance of precision and the emphasis on technique described in this book finds its roots in the world of food science focusing on the three main metrics for the quality of a mixed drink: taste， texture， and appearance。tDetails of a mixed drink that the casual or at home bartender might take for granted are explored to the fullest extend using painstaking detail and precision。 The idea that a mixed drink can be completely and utterly ruined at every step of the processes is drilled into the readers head constantly。 The quality of scientific approach that Arnold uses to create his drinks is fascinating for the casual reader or chemistry scholar alike looking into topics such as how the molar ratio of acids in a drink contributes to the taste and how the tongue distinguishes different types of acids like an analytical titration experiment。 Who would have thought that the science behind making the perfect ice cube would be so well thought out？ The differences between starting with warm or cold water， the direction of the cooling applied to said water， and the amount of dissolved gases and impurities are all factors explored in the search for the perfect crystallin structure。t The experimentation with different macronutrient material properties as well is a very well done and well thought out portion of the read。 It had never occurred to me that the appearance of the drink is a direct correlation of the types and concentrations of things such as fats， proteins， and carbohydrates could change the texture of a drink so drastically。 An example being that of proteins in a drink that includes eggs and the how the nature of the proteins gives the drink a foamy look and a more viscus texture。tOverall the methods and equipment Arnold uses to run his experimentation is not far off what would be found in an organic chemistry lab。 He encourages the use of simple scientific tools such as a micropipette or a graduated cylinder all the way up to higher level analytical tools such as a rotovap and pH meters。t Overall the book is a great read for anyone who has a passion for mixology， or simply food science In general as the book is informative and eye opening as well as entertaining and held my attention from cover to cover。 Not to mention that fact that it is filled with great recipes to try out on your own each paired with an experiment you could do to experience the effects precision and attention to detail have on a quality mixed drink。 。。。more

Jordan ，

The Food Lab but for cocktails。 After visiting his bar Existing Conditions in NYC recently I had to pick up his book to learn his secrets。

Michiel ，

An amazing book， loved every part of it！ My new favourite in 'food and drinks'。 An amazing book， loved every part of it！ My new favourite in 'food and drinks'。 。。。more

Kevin ，

Interesting？ Yes。 Informative？ Absolutely。 Is his science sound？ Probably。 Should he have taken such a cavalier attitude when advocating the use of liquid nitrogen and dry ice？ NO！Do yourself a favour。 Read what he has to say and if you want to try a few of his tips and tricks that involve cryogenic materials， look into taking a safety course that will show you the proper way to handle these materials and what to do if you have been accidentally exposed and find yourself in a situation where med Interesting？ Yes。 Informative？ Absolutely。 Is his science sound？ Probably。 Should he have taken such a cavalier attitude when advocating the use of liquid nitrogen and dry ice？ NO！Do yourself a favour。 Read what he has to say and if you want to try a few of his tips and tricks that involve cryogenic materials， look into taking a safety course that will show you the proper way to handle these materials and what to do if you have been accidentally exposed and find yourself in a situation where medical advice is required。The information provided by Arnold is excellent but as someone who is also a Chemist， I cannot promote the use of this book without the issue of safety being addressed in a prominent and clear manner。 。。。more

Thomas Walmsley ，

Very interesting book about the technical details of preparing ingredients for cocktails。

Michelle ，

This is incredibly technical; too much so for the average drink enthusiast。

Erik Waiss ，

The technical aspect of this book pertaining to chemistry and thermodynamics took it to a place I was not expecting and greatly appreciated。 This definitely satisfied my inner alcoholic nerd。

Sarah Kate ，

This book is pure， pharmaceutical-grade geekery; it just happens to be about cocktails。 It's true that there are not a lot of recipes， but I learned a ton about how to develop my own drinks。 I'm not nearly as enamored of carbonation as Dave Arnold is。 However， this book taught me how to make ready-to-use simple syrup without heat， and that's worth the price of admission。 This book is pure， pharmaceutical-grade geekery; it just happens to be about cocktails。 It's true that there are not a lot of recipes， but I learned a ton about how to develop my own drinks。 I'm not nearly as enamored of carbonation as Dave Arnold is。 However， this book taught me how to make ready-to-use simple syrup without heat， and that's worth the price of admission。 。。。more

（a）lyss（a） ，

"Sometimes you can see these bubbles in the form of foam on the top of your drink; sometimes you can only see the bubbles when you look under a microscope。"This is a much more dense book on cocktails than I expected。When there's an entire section on how to properly freeze your ice I realized I was in for a trip。 The strength of this book is that it's so science-based， however the actual writing style didn't resonate with me。 I don't know if it's just the Kindle version and the way the pages end "Sometimes you can see these bubbles in the form of foam on the top of your drink; sometimes you can only see the bubbles when you look under a microscope。"This is a much more dense book on cocktails than I expected。When there's an entire section on how to properly freeze your ice I realized I was in for a trip。 The strength of this book is that it's so science-based， however the actual writing style didn't resonate with me。 I don't know if it's just the Kindle version and the way the pages end but it seemed like the author would start stories and then go on a bit about history and then bout something else before finally getting around to the recipe。 Everything is very exact in this book。 The author goes into a lot of detail about measurements and things but there's a lot of history and other things that felt sort of glossed over。 I can see why people enjoy geeking out over the precision and the science， it just wasn't my thing。 I learned a few things like why egg whites often go in drinks， but I'm not invested enough to check my cocktail for bubbles with a microscope。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0