Posted by Mindy Lvoff
Remember that butter syrup that we mentioned in our Red Hot Poker post? You know, the one where we emulsified butter and water together with the help of a handy little blend of gum arabic and xanthan gum from TIC Gums (TIC Pretested Ticaloid 310 S). Well, we found that just because the weather’s too warm for hot and delicious cocktails doesn’t mean that we’re ready to put away the butter syrup just yet.
To satisfy our thirst for cold and delicious cocktails, we’re now using the butter syrup to create a new drink being served at L’Ecole’s bar: Cold Buttered Rum. We shake (dry—no ice) our allspice-infused butter syrup with Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, lime juice, and a tiny pinch of salt just until combined. We then fill the shaker with ice and re-shake to chill the cocktail. It’s poured into a chilled martini glass and garnished with pineapple that’s been vacuum-infused with spiced rum and simple syrup. It sounds decadent (and it is), but it’s not overly buttery. The lime juice and the chill from the ice shake perfectly balance out the butter syrup, creating something smooth, tangy, and truly refreshing. Don’t believe us? Try out our recipe on your own at home. Or sample one at L’Ecole and let us know what you think.
Butter Syrup
200 grams water
3 grams TIC Pretested Ticaloid 210S
(Gum Arabic and xanthan gum mix)
130 grams melted butter
200 grams sugar
10 allspice berries, crushed
1) Heat water and infuse allspice berries for 5 minutes at simmer. Strain out the allspice.
2) Hydrate the Ticaloid 210S in the allspice-infused water with a hand blender.
3) Add melted butter and blend till smooth.
4) Add sugar and blend till smooth. This syrup can be stored at the bar until needed. It will separate over time, but can be stirred back together by hand.
Vacuum-Infused Pineapple (garnish)
Ice cold Myers Rum
Ice cold simple syrup, to taste
Cold pineapple spears
1) Combine rum and simple syrup.
2) Submerge pineapple spears in rum-syrup mix in a 6-pan.
3) Place in chamber vacuum machine and suck a full vacuum plus 30 seconds. Turn off machine, allowing it to remain under vacuum for 10 minutes. Allow air back into machine.
4) Drain and dry pineapples.
Cold Buttered Rum Cocktail
2.75 parts Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum
2 parts butter syrup
0.5 parts strained fresh lime juice
pinch salt
ice
vacuum-infused pineapple spears
1) Mix rum, butter syrup, lime juice, and salt in a shaker and dry shake for a few seconds to combine.
2) Add copious amounts of ice and shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with pineapple.
Delicious, plain and simple. I can’t think of a better way to describe it.
How does one obtain the TIC gum? direct from the company?
Hi Vidiot,
Yes you can obtain the stuff directly from them. You can usually get a free sample.
Is there an equivalent proportion to substitute the Ticaloid with gum arabic and gum xanthan by themselves?
You know, I’m not sure what the proportions are. TIC gums makes their business with proprietary blends. They never say what’s in their blends. They have to say what gums they are using because of labeling issues, but they don’t have to tell you how much, or if they’ve done something special to those gums.
Will other emulsifiers would work as well? Expensive but “Texturas – Sucro” from the el bulli collection? All one need is something that works with cold water and fat correct?
Neither one of the ingredients he used to do this are emulsifiers, but are stabilizers. I guess one could find a substitute stabilizer for the fun of it, but them added use of emulsifiers seem to be pointless, since the butter and water provide the emulsion, then it is stabilized with gum arabic and xanthan gum, or Ticaloid 210S.
Sucro would be an expensive addition especially when this super-emulsifier is not needed. I only use Sucro when the chances of breaking an emulsion are very high, sugar and fat for example.
With this if you honestly wanted to try, I would use Liquid Soy Lecithin. Again, not needed or necessary, but if you wanted to try it to hold the butter and water together for a longer period of time without the addition of ticaloid this could be fun. But Dave’s recipe clearly shows no need, so just adapt this recipe to that of your own and save money!
Hi Guys,
Even though gum arabic (aka gum acacia) is a hydrocolloid it has a protein “impurity” component that allows it to act as an emulsifier. Studies show that if you remove the protein fraction from gum arabic it loses its emulsifying power. What’s nice about gum arabic is that emulsions made with it can be quickly and greatly diluted without breaking. Another hydrocolloid that has some emulsifying power is PGA, propylene glycol alginate. Some people don’t want to use this, however, because it is not a naturally occuring compound.
Learn something new from you everyday Dave. Do most market “stabilizers” have this “impurity” which allow emulsification? I have seen PGA come up in some recipes. I am curious as to the purpose for using it? How would it benefit from any other compound?
I read a few articles, so due to the added esterfication to some carboxyl groups of alginic acids, which naturally derived from kelp, this process is what makes it a un-natural compound?
Because propylene glycol is an organic compound, I am curious if the process of adding esters with this product is the catalyst to push these natural products into the “additives” category.
Yeah, that’s what makes it non-natural. I don’t use it much just cause I never got in the habit. I think PGA is expensive now (that’s what the tech guy at TIC gums told me) so some industrial types are shying away as well. I don’t know why PGA acts like an emulsifier. I also know some Methocels have some emulsifying ability but don’t know why. For me the difference between additive and ingredient is comes from why you use it. Methocel F-50 is not a naturally occuring compound, but we use it to achieve culinary effects we otherwise couldn’t, so I don’t consider it an additive. What do you think?
With the Methocel products acting as an emulsifier I have noticed something as well. I used the Methocel to make sheeted Sauce Rémoulade for a contest, when I made the mayonnaise base, then added the Methocel, I noticed that the emulsion sauce would not break for days, but I concluded this was cause by the full hydration of the Methocel binding to the added water in the recipe. I viewed it similar to the way gelatin forms helical junctions when the mixture cools. So, the meshwork of Methocel created a strong net the would capture the fat molecules and keep the sauce from breaking away from the added water. What do you think?
We have discussed the use of the word “additive” when it comes food. I used it because I thought the context called for it. The fact that through esterfication the once natural compounds are made un-natural. Clearly this is not a good word, because I did not know that about Methocel products, and I stand by them. I renounce my previous statement using that word and shall never use again!
As Nils explained in the “molecular gastronomy” post, and our discussion at the FCI, you cannot use “additive” in low quality food, and then say it is an ingredient in haute cuisine. So the process of making these amazing products will take what was once natural about them out of the picture. The fact is that these ingredients are crucial to making new culinary ideas come to life, and the fact that we eat many of these ingredients in everyday life proves there is no harm in them. What would you say if there was a problem with someone due to the consumption of one of these altered ingredients? Would you say this would be the point of calling it an “additive” because there was a negative effect from the ingredient?
Got the TIC sample, tried it. Butter taste wasn’t spot on. I used Danish Lurpark, expensive, since I had that in my fridge.
Which do you use?
Is it 310 S or 210 S you all are using? It says both in your blog (typo maybe?) Is there a difference in the two? I got the 310 S, will that work? 310 is a blend of Gum Acacia and Xanthan Gum as well
They are very similar. Both will work.
Would straight xanthan have a chance of working in the same manner?
Hi Kane,
I’d think you’d need to use so much xanthan to do it that the drink texture would be compromised. Xanthan/Gum Arabic is a stabilizer/emulsifier combo. If you used only xanthan you’d be doing it with a stabilizer only. Gum arabic can be bought at pastry supply shops or online (unless you don’t want to use it for ethical reasons).
I thought as much. My supplier no longer has any gum arabic. I really want to try this out, looks like I’ll just have to keep on searching.
Hi Dave
I’ve always wanted to try and make your butter syrup but could not find Gum Arabic. However i’ve got some Xanthan gum and now am thinking of replacing the sugar in your recipe with Gome Syrup made by Giffard. i am not really sure how to work out the measurements but what worries me more is will the butter syrup precipitate when shaken with lime juice?
Hi Galin,
I haven’t had any problems. Both xanthan and gum arabic are fairly pH tolerant. I had a friend of mine have trouble with fresh pineapple juice once, but I couldn’t replicate the problem. The great thing about Gum Arabic (and why it is good for this application) is that it can be massivly diluted without breaking. I just looked up the Giffard. It has gum arabic but also orange flower water. Where do you live? Maybe I know a supplier of straight gum arabic.