Stress Reliever

Also called akvavit this 'water of life; is a flavored spirit that is mostly produced in Scandinavia, since the 15th century. It is a grain or potato spirit base, and can be flavored with many herbs and spices. EU laws dictate it must be mostly flavored by caraway or dill. A common brand of caraway aquavit is Linie. You can actually make this yourself (or something very similar) here is a recipe from the book 'Akvavit' by Rasmus Risum-Urth: Toast in a pan: 2g cardamom, 8g pine nuts, 10g caraway, 1.5g cinnamon bark, 0.5g star anise, 2g pink peppercorns. Add spices to 500ml of vodka and sous vide for 2 hours at 60C (or just let steep for a week). Strain off solids and add 1.5L gin.

The general term for the Carribean-based nonalcoholic syrup. Falernum is a sweet syrup commonly used in tropical drinks and usually flavored with almond, ginger, cloves, vanilla, allspice and lime. You can make it yourself, it takes a few days. Combine 1/3 cup toasted almonds with 1/2 cup for light rum. Seal and let sit for 2 days. Add the zest of 8 limes (no pith) and 30 whole cloves, stir and let sit for another day. Juice 4 limes and strain the juice into a sauce pot. Add 2/3 cups water and 1/2 cup sugar and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Let the syrup cool then combine it with the almond/rum infusion. Stir to combine then strain all through a cheesecloth or coffee filter. Add alcohol as a preservative and turn it into Velvet Falernum.

A colorless eau de vie made from apricot flesh and/or kernels.

Gum syrup, is a 2:1 sugar:water (by mass) syrup with added gum arabic, commonly used in cocktails. The gum arabic prevents the high sugar syrup from crystallizing and also gives a silky mouthfeel to the cocktail.

A yellow citrus fruit. The peel is often used as a garnish while the juice incorporated into the drink for a tart flavor profile (citric acid).

You know what eggs are. In cocktails, eggs are used for their foaming properties, giving the drink a rich and creamy texture. The eggs proteins form a 'net' that traps air and liquid extremely well; for this reason, drinks that contain eggs are shaken. They are also used for egg washing, a type of booze washing. Some cocktails use only the egg white (fizzes) and some use the whole egg or only the yolk (flips). There are common non-egg substitutes out there, check out insta-foam

A refreshing tasting watery vegetable used in some cocktails like the Gin and Tonic. Some people say cucumbers taste better pickled.

A 'catch-all' ingredient used in certain cocktails that call for in-depth, specific, or otherwise uncommon spices that aren't available to add to Mixel. The user should specify whats in this mix in the cocktail recipe.