On Creating

Cocktail
Citrates
& Elixirs
presented by

About the Presenters

Seminar Curators
Nick Kosevich

Bittercube
Proprietor
nickkosevich

Ira Koplowitz
Bittercube
Proprietor
iraethan

Guest Presenter
Gary Hayward

House of Bombay
US Brand Ambassador
haywardgary

Table of Contents
Aroma Compounds ................... 3-4
Acids and More ....................... 5
On Carbonation ....................... 6-7
Bottled Cocktails ..................... 8
Lemon-Demerara Elixir ............ 9
Sapphire Elixir ......................... 10
Strawberry-Lime Elixir ............. 11
Tropical Elixir ......................... 12
Lime Oleo Citrate .................... 13
Rosemary Oleo Citrate ............. 13
Addendum .............................. 14

Aroma Compounds
Overview
An Aroma Compound is any chemical compound that has an
odor. Certain compounds in herbs, spices, etc. are volatile i.e. small and light enough to evaporate from their source into
the air. This allows them to rise with our breath into the nose,
where we can detect them. High temperatures increase
volatility, so heating herbs and spices liberates more of their
aroma molecules and fills the air with their odor.
The flavorful material in an herb or spice is traditionally called
its essential oil. Flavor is a composite quality. A ripe fruit may
contain hundreds of different aromatic compounds; the same
goes for a roast. Though we tend to think of a particular herb
or spice as having its own distinctive flavor, they are always
composites of several different aroma compounds.

Examples of Compounds In Botanicals

Lemon Limonene, Beta-pinene, gamma-terpinene, garanial,
neral, neryl acetate, geranyl, acetate, citronellal, linalool

Lime

Limonene, gamma-terpinene, alpha-terpineol,

terpinolene, para-cymene, 1,4-cineole, 1,8-cineole, beta-pinene

For a more information on primary compounds in some
popular ingredients, check out: http://bit.ly/aromacomps

Major Aroma Compound Types

There are many types of aroma compounds, each with typical
characteristics that we recognize as belonging to certain
natural ingredients.

Esters

Fruity, Sweet: Banana, Pear, Apple,

Pineapple

Linear Terpenes Herbal, Flowery, Citrus: Bay Leaf, Neroli,

Lemongrass, Rose

Cyclic Terpenes Fresh, Citrus: Orange, Lemon, Menthol, Dill,

Violet

Aromatic

Nutty, Warm: Almond, Clove, Cinnamon,

Vanilla, Anise

Amines

Unpleasant: Fishy, Rotting, Fecal

Extraction
With softer botanicals, applying heat degrades
the integrity of the molecular structure, making

Linalool
(Terpene)

tea-style extraction of flavors ineffective. Sugar is a hydrophilic

molecule and draws moisture - i.e. oil & water - to itself. By
curing an ingredient with sugar, brighter polyphenols and
terpenes from botanical ingredients are pulled out through
osmosis, making it a desireable extraction method.

Acids and More

We all know citrus fruit contains Citric Acid, but a number of
other acids can be found in varying quantities in different
fruit. Malic acid, lactic acid, and others each lend their own
unique flavors to the taste of the natural fruits and their
juices, and the interplay of these acids can actaully amplify
the fruity flavors we taste. Therefore, when creating an oleo
saccharum to mimic citrus flavors (or even to create citrates
not based on a citrus fruit), citric acid and the fruits oils may
not be enough.
Small amounts of these other acids can be used in a recipe to
great effect, and related compounds such as sodium citrate
may also be used depending on the desired flavor profile of
the oleo saccharum. For instance, a recommended starting
ratio is 95% citric acid, 4% malic acid and 1% sodium citrate.

Think Composition
When planning a citrate or elixir, consider the style and
flavors you want and utilize aroma compounds in the oleo
extraction that complement or contrast the spirit present in
the cocktail. For example, rosemary has the ester alpha
pinene, which is also present in juniper making it a solid
choice when working with gin.

On Carbonation
Overview
Carbonation is the process of dissolving carbon dioxide
(CO2) in a liquid. For our purposes, this is accomplished by
pumping CO2 into the drink at high pressure and low
temperature, then sealing off the container. Because CO2 is
not highly soluble in water, the gas gradually precipitates
from the liquid as bubbles and escapes when pressure is
removed.
The effects of carbonation
Fact: carbon dioxide is
are fizziness, a slight citrusy
transported in the human
zing from carbonic acid
body as carbonic acid; the lungs
convert the acid back to CO2 gas,
formed when CO2 combines
which is expelled when exhaling.
with water, and hightened
drink aroma the bubbles
carry aromatic compounds to the surface of the drink.
Carbonating your own libations gives you greater flexibility
than when adding seltzer water or something similar water
content is separate from carbonation, and the amount of
carbonation can be tailored to the drink you wish to create.
Good resources are available online, such as a carbonation
calculator: http://bit.ly/carbocalc
And a guide to figuring out hose diameter, line length, and so
forth: http://bit.ly/carboguide

On Carbonation
How Much Carbonation?
To decipher how many volumes of carbonation a cocktail has,
add the total ounces of ingredients including water content
from shaking, including the quantity of carbonated beverage.
Divide that figure by the amount of carbonated liquid volume.
Then multiply that amount by the given volume of
carbonation found. This can be seen using the Tom Collins
formula below. Add up the following:
2 oz. Bombay Dry
.75 oz. Lemon
1 oz. Simple Syrup

2 oz.

Seltzer (volume
of carbonation of 4)
.75 oz. Water Content

This gives 6.25 total ounces. Divide the ounces of the

carbonated element (2) by the total ounces (6.5) and then
multiply by the volume of carbonation for that carbonated
element (in this case 4 for seltzer). That shows the Tom
Collins has a volume of carbonation of 1.23. You can easily
plug in numbers of other cocktails to decipher volumes of
carbonation.
2.0

Examples of carbonation levels:

Seltzer and Sodas = Between
3 and 5 volumes
Champagne and other
sparkling wines = Between 5
and 7 volumes
Bittercube Tom Collins recipe
= Around 1.23 volumes
Bittercube French 75 recipe
= Around 3.13 volumes

1.5

CO2 % in H2O
by volume

1.0
0.5
0.0

0 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 45 60

Keep it cold! As seen above, the

temperature of the liquid being
carbonated has a significant effect on
how much CO2 it can hold. The warmer
it gets, the less CO2 will dissolve.

Bottled Cocktails
Overview
Batching and bottling a cocktail provides benefits in speed, consistency,
and portability. There are numerous options for carbonating and bottling
cocktails, including soda stream and various house-made carbonators.

Walkthrough

When batching, strain to the best of

your abilities and use clarified citrus if
possible. This creates a superior product
due to elimination of pectin that
otherwise creates nucleation points for
CO2 to express itself.

1. Pre-Batch the cocktail in totality:

water, modifiers, bitters, and acid
2. Bring the libation down to temp
right before freezing. The colder it
is, the more Co2 & Nitrous will saturate into the liquid
3. Pour the cocktail into a chilled Cornelius keg. A soda keg is our
preferred carbonation vessel due to it's volume and level of control
4. Attach your gas and set to 48 psi. Keep refrigerated or on ice for 12
hours
5. Once the time allotted has passed, disconnect gas and shake the
keg vigorously. This displaces the Co2 or Nitrous and creates a
more tangible mouth feel, as well as creating a consistent pour.
(Ingredients with different density levels may have settled within
the keg)
6. Bleed keg of pressure
7. Attach dual regulator to your gas of choice and then to the
Cornelius Keg
8. Attach beer gun to second fitting on the regulator and on the "Out"
on the soda keg
9. Set regulator for the psi "in" on the Cornelious keg to 5psi
10.Set regulator for psi on the beer gun to 10psi
11. Insert beer gun to the base of a 187ml Champagne Bottle. Pour
until the liquid reaches the mouth of the bottle. This should provid
you with exactly 6oz of cocktail
12. Remove gun from bottle, and cap. Chill before serving

Lemon-Demerara Elixir
Ingredients
20 g
225 g
200 g
8g

Lemon Peels
Demerara Sugar
Granulated Sugar
Ceylon Cinnamon

6g
Cocoa Nib
19 g
Citric Acid
3g
Sodium Citrate
1200 g Water

Instructions
Day One: Oleo Saccharum
1. Add demerara sugar to food processor and buzz until it resembles
granulated sugar
2. Add granulated sugar and lemon peels to the demerara sugar and
buzz until peels are incorporated
3. Vacuum seal or place in covered container, rest in fridge for 24 hours

Day Two: Elixir

1. Remove oleo saccharum from refrigerator, allow to warm to room
temperature
2. Create spice tea
a. Boil 25% of the water in covered kettle, remove from heat
b. Add cinnamon and cocoa, cover and steep for 10 minutes, strain
3. Boil remaining 75% of water in covered kettle, remove from heat
4. Whisk in oleo saccharum and add spice tea, strain
5. Whisk in acids
6. Measure total yield. Combine with water in a ratio of 2.75 parts citrate
to 1.25 parts water

Bombay Sour Kegged Cocktail

175oz Bombay Dry Gin
400oz Lemon-Demerara Elixir

3oz

Bittercube Trinity Bitters

1. Build ingredients in keg, be sure to filter

2. Cap, charge with low psi (4-8psi), stir/roll keg
3. Pull exhaust tab to expel remaining oxygen, then charge once more

Sapphire Elixir
Ingredients
20 g
80 g
420 g
12 g
2g
2g
2g

Lemon Peels
Frozen Cherries
Granulated Sugar
Citric Acid
Sodium Citrate
Cubeb Berries
Coriander

4g
Almonds
1g
Cassia
.25 g Liquorice Root
.25 g Angelica Root
.25 g Orris Root
2g
Grains of Paradise
1005 g Water

Instructions
Day One: Oleo Saccharum
1. Combine cherries, orange peels, almonds and sugar in food processor
2. Place in sealed container and rest in refrigerator for 24 hours

Day Two: Elixir

1. Remove oleo saccharum from refrigerator, allow to warm to room
temperature
2. Create spice tea
a. Boil 25% of the water in covered kettle, remove from heat
b. Add remaining botanicals, cover & steep for 10 minutes, strain
3. Boil remaining 75% of water in covered kettle, remove from heat
4. Whisk in oleo saccharum and add spice tea, strain
5. Whisk in acids
6. Measure total yield. Combine with water in a ratio of 2.75 parts citrate
to 1.25 parts water

Sapphire Botanical Pour-Over Cocktail

1.75 oz
Bombay Sapphire Gin
1 Dropper Bittercube Cherry Bark Vanilla

4 oz

Sapphire Elixir

1. Keep both the Bombay Sapphire and the Elixir ice cold before service
2. Pour ingredients over ice, stir
3. Garnish with a lemon peel

10

Strawberry-Lime Elixir
Ingredients
100 g
16 g
560 g
20 g

Frozen Strawberries
Lime Peels
Granulated Sugar
Citric Acid

2g
Malic Acid
1.5 g Sodium Citrate
1000 g Water

Instructions
Day One: Oleo Saccharum
1. Combine strawberries, lime peel and sugar in food processor
2. Place in sealed container and rest in refrigerator for 24 hours

Day Two: Elixir

1. Remove oleo saccharum from refrigerator, allow to warm to room
temperature
2. Bring water to a boil in covered kettle, remove from heat
3. Whisk in oleo saccharum, strain
4. Whisk in acids
5. Measure total yield. Combine with water in a ratio of 2.75 parts
citrate to 1.25 parts water

Tip
If shaking elixir with ice, leave out the 1.25 parts water to create a
compound citrate

11

Tropical Elixir
Ingredients
300 g
50 g
20 g
8g
400 g

Fresh Pineapple
Frozen Tart Cherries
Lemon Peel
Vanilla Bean
Granulated Sugar

10 g
2g
1.5 g
700 g

Citric Acid
Malic Acid
Sodium Citrate
Water

Instructions
Day One: Oleo Saccharum
1. Skin and cut pineapple into chunks, cut vanilla beans into inch-long
pieces
2. Combine cherries, pineapple, vanilla bean, lemon peel, and sugar in
food processor
3. Place in sealed container and rest in refrigerator for 24 hours

Day Two: Elixir

1. Remove oleo saccharum from refrigerator, allow to warm to room
temperature
2. Bring water to a boil in covered kettle, remove from heat
3. Whisk in oleo saccharum, strain
4. Whisk in acids
5. Measure total yield. Combine with water in ratio of 2.75 parts citrate
to 1.25 parts water

Tip
If shaking elixir with ice, leave out the 1.25 parts water to create a
compound citrate

12

Oleo Citrates
Tools Needed
Covered kettle, sealable container, whisk, scale, cheesecloth, chinoise

Lime Oleo Citrate

160 g
850 g
90 g

Lime Peels
Granulated Sugar
Citric Acid

5g
Malic Acid
6g
Sodium Citrate
3000 g Water

Instructions

Day One: Oleo Saccharum

1. Combine lime peels with sugar in a food processor
2. Place in sealed container and rest in refrigerator for 12 hours

Day Two: Elixir

1. Remove from refrigerator and allow to warm to room temperature
2. Bring water to a boil in covered kettle, remove from heat
3. Whisk in oleo saccharum, strain
4. Whisk in acids

Rosemary Oleo Citrate

200 g Rosemary
1000 g Granulated Sugar
1000 g Water

4g
0.5 g
1g

Citric Acid
Malic Acid
Sodium Citrate

Instructions
Day One: Oleo Saccharum
1. Remove leaves from stalks and combine with sugar
2. Place in sealed container and rest in refrigerator for 12 hours

Day Two: Elixir

1. Bring water to a boil in covered kettle, remove from heat
2. Whisk in oleo saccharum, strain
3. Whisk in acids

13

Addendum
Bittercube

bittercube

bittercube.com

Bittercube creates bitters by hand, peeling hundreds of pounds of

citrus, weighing dozens of spices, and many other time consuming
tasks! We do not use any premade extracts or oils in the creation of our
bitters, only raw ingredients.
When we arent making bitters, we are training bartenders, creating
award-winning cocktail programs, teaching seminars, and doing
research and development into the wee hours of the morning.

Bombay Sapphire

sapphireginusa

bombaysapphire.com

Bombay Sapphire is as unique today as the 1761 recipe it is based on;

using only the best botanicals, from the best locations, hand picked at
the best time of year.
The 10 precious botanicals used in our gin are held separate from the
spirit in perforated copper baskets, and when the heated vapours rise,
the distinctive flavour of the botanicals are released. The result? A
complex aromatic liquid that delivers a broader, more balanced flavour.

Terra Spice
terraspice.com

Terras primary business is spices, including original and custom blends.

We stock and sell only the cleanest, most natural products available.
Products are packaged to order and are available in restaurant / foodservice containers, bulk, case sizes, and retail packaging. Product
packaging can be custom labeled. Terra Spice Company is located in
Walkerton, Indiana. Our complete product line can be shipped to customers anywhere in the world.

14

Slow-Crafted Midwest Bitters

BITTERCUBE BITTERS are slow-crafted in Milwaukee, WI. We create our bitters by

hand, without any extracts or oils using only real, natural ingredients. Our
products are flavorful and potent. For more information, visit: WWW.BITTERCUBE.COM

Blackstrap

Bolivar

Cassia, Chamomile,
Dried Fruits

Wild Cherry Bark,

Madagascar Vanilla, Cocoa

Jamaican #1

Jamaican #2

Orange

Molasses, Sarsaparilla,
Ceylon Cinnamon
Allspice, Ginger,
Black Pepper

Cherry Bark Vanilla

Grapefruit, Hibiscus,
Island Spices

Carmelized Orange,
Coriander, Cardamom

Trinity

Corazon

A barrel-rested amalgamation of
Orange, Bolivar, & Cherry Bark Vanilla.

Five types of Chile Pepper, Cocoa,

Coffee, Cubeb

Bittercube - P.O. Box 510042 - Milwaukee, WI 53203 - info@bittercube.com

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