LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2023

NEXT-GEN COCKTAILS

Next Up: Nitro For years, nitrogen has added a gorgeous texture to stout beer and cold brew coffee. Now nitro is poised to shake up the cocktail world as bartenders start to find ways to use it in drinks that provide inimitable texture, thanks to the velvety mouthfeel and stunning cascade of miniscule bubbles that this gas infuses into drinks.

TIP

Know your nitro! Until recently, says Mili, only bars could dabble in nitro. Now, though, a few companies are selling Nitro Press coffee makers—which use nitrous oxide cartridges to create an extremely similar effect—that can be used to make show-­ stopping, creamy cocktails. But take care not to mistake a whipped cream siphon for a nitro press. The latter employs more pressure and takes different cartridges. And, neither of these techniques should be con fused with using liquid nitrogen, which can be dangerous and should never be used by a home bartender.

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ASK AN EXPERT Although adding nitro doesn’t manipulate the flavour of the cocktail, it has a huge impact on how we perceive flavour, explains Jess Mili, director of operations at Civil Liberties, an award-winning cocktail bar in Toronto that’s on the cutting edge of using nitro in drinks. “It’s like the difference between drinking whipping cream and then tasting it once it’s aerated and transformed from rich, heavy fat into a light pillow of bliss,” says Mili. “Nitrogen does the same thing.”

134 FOOD & DRINK AUTUMN 2023