Densing Without a Vacuum Blender to Make Better Mocktails!

Hi, Friends of Cocktails! After months of experimenting, I found a way to make Densing work with your regular blender. And to really put it to the test, I'll show this works with non-alcoholic cocktails too. But that's not all, as you’ll also be making a cocktail recipe… but I’ll tell you more about that later. 

If you haven't seen my first post covering Densing, this is a technique developed by Iain McPherson where fat is blended into a liquid to create a richer texture and mouthfeel. What’s special about this technique is that the liquids stay combined without the need for emulsifiers or any other specialty ingredients, but to achieve this result you had to use a vacuum blender. The results were great, but many of you asked the same question: can this be done with a regular blender?

So I went back to experimenting, and with the help of Vegg White, I finally found a way to make it work. But I also wanted to see if it could handle an even bigger challenge... non-alcoholic cocktails. Alcohol naturally helps stabilize emulsions, so without it, keeping everything together becomes much more difficult. And anything we can do to give mocktails a richer texture and mouthfeel is always a bonus. That's exactly why today's recipes are alcohol-free.

Let's start by making the first mocktail, and here we’ll need a few unique ingredients. First is Ramazzotti Aperitivo Arancia 0.0, which we’ll dense with cacao butter and Vegg White. It’s Cocktail Time!

Densed Chocolate Aperitivo Base

● 360mL · 12oz Ramazzotti Aperitivo Arancia 0.0

● 12g Cacao Butter

● 22.5mL · 0.75oz Vegg White

I'll first warm the aperitivo slightly, which will make the butter melt faster. Then add everything into a blender and blend for one minute. Here instead of a vacuum, Vegg White helps stabilize the emulsion, making this possible with a regular blender. The result is a chocolaty-infused aperitivo with a rich, creamy mouthfeel - and just like with classic densing, it’s amazing that we can get such a result with so little fat. 

We are now ready to build the cocktail, and to add some depth I’ll also go with Beefeater 0.0.

Chocolate Velvet Sour

● 45mL · 1.5oz Densed Chocolate Aperitivo

● 30mL · 1oz Beefeater Gin 0.0

● 22.5mL · 0.75oz Fresh Lemon Juice

● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution

Now grab a shaker and combine the Densed aperitivo with non-alcoholic gin, fresh lemon juice, and a few drops of saline solution. Shake well with ice, fine strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass and that's it,  The Chocolate Velvet Sour. This mocktail is silky and creamy, all without the need for egg whites, making it a drink that everyone can enjoy - which won’t be hard to do with such a delicious recipe. But I think you can do better. 

Remember when I said you would create a cocktail? I want to challenge all of you to come up with your own Densed cocktail using Vegg White. The challenge is open to everyone in markets where Vegg White is available. It can be alcoholic or non-alcoholic, and the only requirement is that you use the Densing technique with Vegg White. Once you're happy with your recipe, submit it using the application form linked in the description. You have until September 3rd, so start thinking about it now.

If we choose your cocktail as the winner you'll travel to Maribor, Slovenia, join us for a Cocktail Time episode, and present your cocktail on the channel. You'll also be joining me for a guest shift here in Maribor, hosted by the Clash Collective, and spend time with the Cocktail Time Crew, sightseeing this beautiful city. I can't wait to see what you create. You'll find all the details here. Good luck!

Now let me show you one more idea. Let's make the second mocktail, starting by brewing some strong Genmaicha tea.

Genmaicha Tea

● 450mL · 15oz Hot Water (70°C / 158°F)

● 5g Genmaicha Tea

This used to be considered a poor man's tea, but is now enjoyed widely for its unique flavor. Leave it to brew for 2-3 minutes, then strain it out into the blender as we’ll build our dense base in there once the tea has cooled. 

Densed Genmaicha Base

● 400mL · 13.33oz Genmaicha Tea

● 18g Olive Oil

● 30mL · 1oz Vegg White

● 1.2g Lemon Peel

We’ll blend this for one minute, and once again Vegg White is what allows the emulsion to stabilize. It also adds a silky mouthfeel, together with olive oil. And since we're using small amounts of olive oil, it doesn't overpower the unique flavor of the tea. Filter the mixture through a paper filter, then bottle the densed tea and reserve it for the cocktail. Next, we’ll make a tonic cordial, which is a great use for tonic water that has gone flat. 

Tonic Cordial

● 200g Tonic Water, degassed

● 67g Sugar

● 4g Citric Acid

● 1.8g Malic Acid

If you’re starting out with regular tonic, just stir it until flat before combining it with the rest of the ingredients… and that’s it! A cordial with all the flavor of tonic that you can use for your cocktails and mocktails. This time, we’ll use it to make a cocktail with matcha that looks as good as it tastes. 

Densing Matcha

● 60mL · 2oz Densed Genmaicha Base

● 37.5mL · 1.25oz Tonic Cordial

● 2 drops 20% Saline Solution

● Warm Freshly Brewed Matcha 

Glass: Rocks glass with an ice sphere

Into a chilled shaker add the dense tea with tonic cordial and saline solution. We’ll shake this with ice, then strain over an ice sphere in a tumbler glass. The finishing touch is the top layer of fresh matcha. This creates a wonderful warm & cold combination as you sip this Densing Matcha cocktail. And there you have it, two Densed mocktails made with nothing more than a regular blender!

If today's episode proved anything, it's that Densing isn't limited to alcoholic drinks, or specialized equipment. Now it's your turn to experiment. Create your own Densed cocktail using Vegg White, whether it's alcoholic or non-alcoholic, and enter the Vegg White Densing Challenge. All the details and the application form are linked in the description below. I can't wait to try your cocktails and welcome one of you here. Cheers, Friends of Cocktails!

https://youtu.be/DImQrjwvpBQ