Do you like making Cordials? To me this is the best and easiest way to make great cocktails. Check out our CURIADA collection of bottles: bit.ly/cocktailtimebottles If you like what we do, you can also support the channel here: 👕 Merch: my-store-11171765.creator-spring.com 🎩 Patreon: www.patreon.com/cocktailtime 🛒 My Store: kit.co/KevinKos 🌍 Web Page: www.kevinkos.com/
Agreed that cordials are awesome. I got a lot of mileage out of your clarified lime + mint cordial last year. It made mojito season a lot easier. Looking forward to trying this one as well. Can you use lemon super juice in place of fresh here?
Fuckin hell mate, how are you managing this otherworldly video quality with only 63k subs, I don't even drink alcohol, but this is just good stuff to watch, bruh!
Hey Kevin - love it! Thanks for the Shout out and love the "Gut gemacht" ... Mixing a few hundred of it per week at Le Lion I highly recommend, when you stay with the fresh version, to use a Julep Strainer + Double strainer do make sure your Hawthorne ist not full of basil pieces ;) Best Joerg Meyer
As an F&B professional and a cocktail enthusiast I don't think I have come across a better channel when it comes to these bartending videos. Kevin always brings an informative and fun way of presenting a drink, instructions and insight on how to make these cool homemade ingredients that might come in handy at any point. Hope this turns into a massive following and great success. Cheers.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Recently discovered this channel/Kevin and the team and have been binge watching for the past few days. My wife is preparing herself for a lot of cocktails to come. 😂🎉🍸
One thing I've started doing when clarifying with agar is putting the mixture into a ziploc bag and then putting that in the ice bath, which makes it very quick to cool down. You can just wash the bag out and reuse
Kevin I adore the Gin Basil Smash and your Elevated Gin Basil Smash and lovely snack - terrific pairing with your gorgeous elevated cocktail - look fabulously yummy together!! I really do enjoy the beautiful green colour and the herbacious flavours!! I love the flavours I pick up in basil so much - so delicious - and a cordial will be spectacular for your clarified Agar Agar Gin Basil Smash!! So interesting to blanch the basil. It's excellent to use up all the ingredients with the snack you chose. Limiting waste is so important. Cheers!! 🙂
I just changed the cocktail a bit. I found it very light and refreshing. I was out of lemons but had lime. Used it instead. I muddled the basil, a sugar cube, dash of salt, and 3/4 oz of soda. I was surprised that my variation tasted as well as it did.
This channel is amazing! I love the energy you and the team have! Over the last few weeks I’ve gone back and done my best to rewatch almost all of your episodes! Thank you for the delicious content!
You have to try the Celery Basil Smash! A twist that is also made in the Le Lion Bar. They use the Rutte Celery Gin and Celery Bitters. This extra kick of umami gives the drink an amazing spin!
Τhere's something I never thought I'd see... τζατζίκι (tzatziki) accompanying a delicious cocktail... or should I say... Κοs-tail (terrible dad joke, Ι'll see myself out...). Awesome!
Ho Kevin! I wonder: what if you put a little bit of MSG toghether with salt in the Salin solution, as it Is shown to improve the taste of all the foods. It might also work with drinks
Hi Kevin! Thanks for great video! Quick question, not sure if you said during the video or someone already asked, how many days/weeks last the cordial in the fridge? Cheers, Leandro
Gentleman, i laughed so hard by releaving the cucumba dude. Thank you so much for all of your videos fulfilled with amount of information presented by your own style. Best regards from germany. Prost!
I absolutely love that perfectly clear look, nothing beats a tasty drink hidden behind the look of a glass of water. By the way, you always clarify with agar.. I've never tried any clarification besides using milk. What are the pro's and con's of the two methods?
I've heard from some other creators on RUclips that milk clarification rounds out some of the sharper flavors and mellows/smooths the drink out a bit. I tend to like since intensity so I prefer agar, but I've also never tried milk clarification because I'm lactose intolerant :(
Love your videos! This is true passion and craftmensship what you're doing. If you could show us how to do a proper "bombay crushed" one day, I'd appreciate this by a lot. Thanks for your insights :)
@@KevinKos I went yesterday. Had a gin basil smash and it was incredible, lovely decor (they are refurbishing the downstairs currently) and great service from the bartenders. Sadly didn't see Jorg but will hopefully go again soon!
Hi Kevin thanks for all your great videos love it so much. Always great stuff and so much to lear with you. One question how do you find out your ratio for malic acid and citric acid for cordials? thanks
Wow very well done Kevin! Normally when I watch your videos, I always enjoy you do extra stuff that I won’t do myself cause it’s to much time. But this time I saved the video to my list cause I really wanna try your version step by step.
Hey Kevin I have already made this cordial many times and it was a great succes. But the last few times I made it I faced a problem. When I mix the cordial with gin, it eventually gets cloudy ( not instantly). Why do you think is it happening? Thank you for everything!😊
It's great vedio! I really like this episode. Excuse me, could you help me with two questions? Thanks a lot !! 1. For classic gin basil smash cocktail, how many leaves do you approximately add? 2. For classic gin basil smash cocktail, can i use 22.5ml lemon juice to instead 22.5ml lemon super juice ?
It depends on the size of the leaves and preference - Joerg Meyer usually just says "a handful". And yes, you can of course use fresh juice in place of super juice. Cheers!
Kevin how do you know how much agar agar to use? For example if you were making more would you double the agar for a double batch? Is there a ratio you always go with?
Thank you for such an another epic video. I am having hard time to find green chartreuse in my living town. Can you suggest any other alternative? Or maybe just skip it?
I think the key is to really muddle the heck out of basil - unlike mint it won't turn bitter. Joerg even muddles it dry in the shaker, without any liquids. Let me know if it works! Cheers.
Hey kevin , once again great content and full of informations! I wonder if i could use the boiling water of the first step with the basil to put it in the blender instead of clear water. Is it possible?
This water is full of chlorophyll which we take out from basil with the process. Leave it to sit for a while, and you'll see and smell what I mean by this. Great thinking though!
I wonder how this drink would taste with Gin Mare from Italy. Gin Mare became one of my favorite gins to drink straight, but I can never figure out a cocktail to make with it due to it's interesting flavour. This recipe might work.
I believe gin Mare comes from Spain but it's Mediterranean gin so it will work nicely with some bay leaf, rosemary, sage, and even with this basil cordial.
Hi Kevin ran into a great cocktail with, GRAHAM’S PORT Nº5, COINTREAU, LEMON, ORANGE, ELDERFLOWER, MINT. But have no idea what the amount of each would be. Can you help me out?
Heya Kevin, apologies if I missed em on your channel, but do you have any recommendations for more..."diet" friendly drinks? Or perhaps alternatives for cordials which are high in sugars and the like? I understand sugar is usually quite prevalent, so this is likely difficult, but I was wondering if you had any insights/ideas around this.
Stevia drops. You can buy them on Amazon. But, remember that the sugar goes someway to preserving cordials. So without it, you will lose shelf life. Stevia gives you sweetness with zero calories, and comes in granulated form too. Unfortunately, the two things that capture flavour molecules best are fat and alcohol, but they are calorie dense. You could try fruit, herb and spice infused tinctures. Which are fruits, herbs, or spices steeped in alcohol. Something like Everclear strength. The trick is to pack in as much flavour into the tincture, so you will only have to use a little to flavour drink. This will reduce the calorific load from the alcohol in the drink. The beauty of high strength alcohol tinctures is that they are good at preserving flavours if kept in the dark, in a cool place. Here's a page that describes the process quite well. Do use a scale to measure your ingredients as Kevin does for consistency, weighing your liquids as Wells as your solids: foodprint.org/blog/make-your-own-infusions-tinctures-extracts/. Have fun.
@@KevinKos Thank you. It comes from the time I was interested in becoming a medical herbalist. Your work comes very much from the same place in my mind. And your passion for your craft shines through. I think your channel will grow because you've got both the technical and the aesthetic dimensions nailed down, in your cocktails and in your video presentation. Bravo!
@@BigHenFor Ah, very interesting that. I do wonder however if stevia suffers from similar problems as normal sugar does with our systems. A processed food replacing another processed food as it were. It does make some sense that the cordials loose shelf life as a result of loosing the pure sugar however. Im wondering if it would be possible to swap processed ingredients for more whole ones, such as honey or maple syrup, which the body processes more easily than standard refined sugars, but as you mentioned it likely would have a fair amount of issues preserving the items, but also would likely contaminate the flavor profile as both are very potent flavor wise. Regardless thank you very kindly for the ideas, always interested in things such as this.
To Kevin or anyone else here, some advice would be welcomed! Have tried, blanching as instructed, but am left with more muddy dark flavors, not bright crisp ones I was hoping for. Have a failed to properly kill the enzymes in the basil? Any other recommendations? Cheers!
Hey Kevin! Thank you for this inspiring video. I have been following you for a year now, and I have learned so much! I have one question regarding the cordial, which I would be happy if you could answer: in the case that it is a bit complicated to get my hands on Malic Acid, what can I use as an alternative and what would be the specs?
Do you like making Cordials? To me this is the best and easiest way to make great cocktails.
Check out our CURIADA collection of bottles: bit.ly/cocktailtimebottles
If you like what we do, you can also support the channel here:
👕 Merch: my-store-11171765.creator-spring.com
🎩 Patreon: www.patreon.com/cocktailtime
🛒 My Store: kit.co/KevinKos
🌍 Web Page: www.kevinkos.com/
Agreed that cordials are awesome. I got a lot of mileage out of your clarified lime + mint cordial last year. It made mojito season a lot easier. Looking forward to trying this one as well. Can you use lemon super juice in place of fresh here?
Fuckin hell mate, how are you managing this otherworldly video quality with only 63k subs, I don't even drink alcohol, but this is just good stuff to watch, bruh!
Hey Kevin - love it! Thanks for the Shout out and love the "Gut gemacht" ...
Mixing a few hundred of it per week at Le Lion I highly recommend, when you stay with the fresh version, to use a Julep Strainer + Double strainer do make sure your Hawthorne ist not full of basil pieces ;)
Best Joerg Meyer
Jörg, the Julep Strainer is a great idea! Thank You! You are such an amazing bartender and I am so happy you left a comment here. Prost!
As an F&B professional and a cocktail enthusiast I don't think I have come across a better channel when it comes to these bartending videos. Kevin always brings an informative and fun way of presenting a drink, instructions and insight on how to make these cool homemade ingredients that might come in handy at any point. Hope this turns into a massive following and great success. Cheers.
Thank you so much for these kind words! I appreciate it a lot! Cheers!
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Recently discovered this channel/Kevin and the team and have been binge watching for the past few days. My wife is preparing herself for a lot of cocktails to come. 😂🎉🍸
One thing I've started doing when clarifying with agar is putting the mixture into a ziploc bag and then putting that in the ice bath, which makes it very quick to cool down. You can just wash the bag out and reuse
This idea is amazing! Thank you!
I use a silicone bag. Game changer
JUST when I was thinking I should do a clarified Basil Smash, my man Kevin provides a great video! Thank you!
Happy to help! Cheers!
You are underrated, Kevin! You deserve 100 times more subscribers! Keep up the great work your fans love you!
Best channel. I have been a "neat spirits only" guy for years but this amazing channel has made me fall in love with cocktails.
That glassware is nuts and that ice is nuts!
Clearly, a faster and much cleaner method.
"Blanching basil assures...nutritional qualities". 👀
This stuff is good for me!?! I'm in.
Kevin I adore the Gin Basil Smash and your Elevated Gin Basil Smash and lovely snack - terrific pairing with your gorgeous elevated cocktail - look fabulously yummy together!! I really do enjoy the beautiful green colour and the herbacious flavours!! I love the flavours I pick up in basil so much - so delicious - and a cordial will be spectacular for your clarified Agar Agar Gin Basil Smash!! So interesting to blanch the basil. It's excellent to use up all the ingredients with the snack you chose. Limiting waste is so important. Cheers!! 🙂
I am so glad you like it! Cheers, Christine!
@@KevinKos Cheers!! 🙂
Everytime it is more sophisticated, I don't know where does he gonna stop 😂
Beautiful cocktail by the way.
I just changed the cocktail a bit. I found it very light and refreshing. I was out of lemons but had lime. Used it instead. I muddled the basil, a sugar cube, dash of salt, and 3/4 oz of soda. I was surprised that my variation tasted as well as it did.
Nice! Glad you like it!
I just love your nowaste way. Just brilliant. Everything is used like we do it here home like parents thought me. AWESOME!
Commendable use of the cucumber pulp!
Love this cordial and will make some Basil smash for friends❤️
Thank you for the Macka B reference, cannot forget about the Cucumba
Cucumba is great for everything! 🥒
Kevin te admiro! para mi, eres el mejor!
Bartender specialist!!!!!! Graet knowledge and mixing...
Learning that Kevin Kos is youtube historian was the best gift in awhile. CUCUMBA
Kevin, you are just awesome, time for the book!
Thank you!
Another incredible creation. I must be honest all those numbers give me flashbacks of high school.
Haha, it's a lot of math to get those numbers correctly 😅
I'm going to make that cordial tomorrow. Looks fantastic!
Basil is one of my favorite herbs! 🌿 My food pairing here would be Basil Pesto on a pizza and this Elevated Basil Smash!
Totally agree😊😊😊
I would suggest a nice fresh strawberry salad 😉
great shout out to Macka B much respec
Stay until the final product of the video, a true master-stroke.
The basil smash is one of my favorite cocktails. Can't wait to try the cordial as well
Thanks for all these hints! One can learn so much from our videos! Even if I can't be bothered with making a cordial. there's a lot to take away.
With pleasure! Cheers!
This channel is amazing! I love the energy you and the team have!
Over the last few weeks I’ve gone back and done my best to rewatch almost all of your episodes!
Thank you for the delicious content!
You have to try the Celery Basil Smash! A twist that is also made in the Le Lion Bar. They use the Rutte Celery Gin and Celery Bitters. This extra kick of umami gives the drink an amazing spin!
Celery would work here so nicely. Thank you!
Never in my life did I expect Akis to be name dropped here, damn.
He is amazing. Cheers!
So relaxing. So satisfying. So entertaining. So perfect. I don’t even drink and this is one of my favorite channels!
Your words put smiles on my face. Thank you!
Love the Macka B framed photo xD
perfect explanation, well organization with a base element
Kevin, I really like the Gin Basil Smash and your Elevated version is gorgeous and some great techniques including the throwing :)
Thank you so much David! I love to throw clear cordial cocktails and of course I love Basil Smash 😍
Τhere's something I never thought I'd see... τζατζίκι (tzatziki) accompanying a delicious cocktail... or should I say... Κοs-tail (terrible dad joke, Ι'll see myself out...).
Awesome!
Great twist on a super cocktail. Thanks
This channel is wildly watchable. I'm gonna try making this soon!
Cocktail time....great mix drink...great sharing
Estas en otro nivel Kevin ! Gracias
I was stunned how you mixed a beautiful cocktail with TZATZIKI omg hahahah I played back to be sure
Ho Kevin! I wonder: what if you put a little bit of MSG toghether with salt in the Salin solution, as it Is shown to improve the taste of all the foods. It might also work with drinks
Even better is to make an MSG solution so you can add it to the cocktails separately. I love to use it for some Martinis for example 🍸
I love this guy! Glad I found the channel.
Thank you! Cheers!
So sophisticated. Looking forward to making this tonight
I see Macka B, i subscribe. Simple as that!
Hi Kevin! Thanks for great video! Quick question, not sure if you said during the video or someone already asked, how many days/weeks last the cordial in the fridge? Cheers, Leandro
Hello,
Same question here... how many days can you keep this cordial??
Man.. gin basil smash is my new favourite cocktail!
Jörg would be so happy with your choice of cocktail 😉🥂🌿
I have always wondered about the shelf life of the cordials. Can someone help me with this please?
Really well thought out perfectly executed concept.
Thank you!
I like adding 10 ml Manzanilla Sherry to my Basil Smash. It makes a huge difference.
I love this idea! Cheers!
Or use White Sweet Vermouth instead of Gin so you have a low abv Basil Smash
When you see its an Akis recipe for Tatziki you know it will be good :D
Great video! Such consistent high quality! Thank you!
Gentleman, i laughed so hard by releaving the cucumba dude. Thank you so much for all of your videos fulfilled with amount of information presented by your own style.
Best regards from germany.
Prost!
Haha, Macka B is wonderful. Post!
I absolutely love that perfectly clear look, nothing beats a tasty drink hidden behind the look of a glass of water. By the way, you always clarify with agar.. I've never tried any clarification besides using milk. What are the pro's and con's of the two methods?
Well for one, Agar is totally Vegan- which is important for some guests.
I've heard from some other creators on RUclips that milk clarification rounds out some of the sharper flavors and mellows/smooths the drink out a bit. I tend to like since intensity so I prefer agar, but I've also never tried milk clarification because I'm lactose intolerant :(
You can use some other milk alternatives too. Almond milk for example.
Love the support to other channels and the great recipe!
Fantastic
fantastic. just a new level.
Thank you!
this is art!
Excellent showcase!!
Love your videos! This is true passion and craftmensship what you're doing. If you could show us how to do a proper "bombay crushed" one day, I'd appreciate this by a lot. Thanks for your insights :)
If you want to be humbled,take Kevin's technique and do it on a big scale, you will learn things and become more powerful then Kevin himself
quality content.
I am going to Hamburg in August, I will definitely be going to that bar
Say hi to Jörg Meyer! Cheers!
@@KevinKos I went yesterday. Had a gin basil smash and it was incredible, lovely decor (they are refurbishing the downstairs currently) and great service from the bartenders. Sadly didn't see Jorg but will hopefully go again soon!
Hi Kevin thanks for all your great videos love it so much. Always great stuff and so much to lear with you. One question how do you find out your ratio for malic acid and citric acid for cordials?
thanks
Gotta try this one!
Wow very well done Kevin!
Normally when I watch your videos, I always enjoy you do extra stuff that I won’t do myself cause it’s to much time.
But this time I saved the video to my list cause I really wanna try your version step by step.
Awesome! Let me know how you like it 😉
@@KevinKos Will do!
Just found this channel. Absolutely awesome. Subscribed 👌🏼
Thank you!
This is great content. Cheers to you!!!
thanks! Cheers!
Hey Kevin
I have already made this cordial many times and it was a great succes. But the last few times I made it I faced a problem. When I mix the cordial with gin, it eventually gets cloudy ( not instantly).
Why do you think is it happening?
Thank you for everything!😊
could you tell me what glass you were using in the beginning? nice video!
It's great vedio! I really like this episode. Excuse me, could you help me with two questions? Thanks a lot !!
1. For classic gin basil smash cocktail, how many leaves do you approximately add?
2. For classic gin basil smash cocktail, can i use 22.5ml lemon juice to instead 22.5ml lemon super juice ?
It depends on the size of the leaves and preference - Joerg Meyer usually just says "a handful". And yes, you can of course use fresh juice in place of super juice. Cheers!
Hey Kevin, this cordial is super! What is the yield of cordial with those quantities?
Hello this recipe look fantastic, what kind of white wine do you use ?
It look like a sweet one … ?
Great Video, as expected
Wow.
Hey Kevin, Can you show us the recipe using Gelatine? Since I can't find Agar Agar where I live.
How much cordial does this recipe make? Not including the wine.?
Kevin how do you know how much agar agar to use? For example if you were making more would you double the agar for a double batch? Is there a ratio you always go with?
Okay dude. But have you tried thai basil smash with sweetened coconut cream on top? The drink is trending in sweden lol
Thank you for such an another epic video. I am having hard time to find green chartreuse in my living town. Can you suggest any other alternative? Or maybe just skip it?
Glad you like it! You can try it with absinthe or pernod.
Loved the video, but I was really curious about the ice stamp, what is it made of?
It's made out of brass, I think.
How long can you keep the cordial? Is it shelfstable because of the clarification?
Great video! How did you make it so green though?! I can’t seem to get that bright eye-catching color!
I think the key is to really muddle the heck out of basil - unlike mint it won't turn bitter. Joerg even muddles it dry in the shaker, without any liquids. Let me know if it works! Cheers.
Mmh Yummy
Hey kevin , once again great content and full of informations! I wonder if i could use the boiling water of the first step with the basil to put it in the blender instead of clear water. Is it possible?
This water is full of chlorophyll which we take out from basil with the process. Leave it to sit for a while, and you'll see and smell what I mean by this. Great thinking though!
Looks amazing! How would you make the cordial without citric or malic acid? Could I just add more lemon juice?
Yes, add more lemon juice and less water.
Amazing video as always
Awesome! It's a great gin!
I wonder how this drink would taste with Gin Mare from Italy. Gin Mare became one of my favorite gins to drink straight, but I can never figure out a cocktail to make with it due to it's interesting flavour. This recipe might work.
I believe gin Mare comes from Spain but it's Mediterranean gin so it will work nicely with some bay leaf, rosemary, sage, and even with this basil cordial.
@@KevinKos I appreciate the correction and the tips for cocktails.
Hi friend I have a question. If we made a homemade liqueur it will last forever like spirit or just a few week like syrup
Non cocktail related question. But this machine that you use to make those tags. Whats the name of it ?! I think I need one of those in my life.
Hi Kevin ran into a great cocktail with, GRAHAM’S PORT Nº5, COINTREAU, LEMON, ORANGE, ELDERFLOWER, MINT. But have no idea what the amount of each would be. Can you help me out?
I'd like to see a clear look cocktail turned editable Raindrop cake style.
amazing 😍❤️
Heya Kevin, apologies if I missed em on your channel, but do you have any recommendations for more..."diet" friendly drinks? Or perhaps alternatives for cordials which are high in sugars and the like? I understand sugar is usually quite prevalent, so this is likely difficult, but I was wondering if you had any insights/ideas around this.
Stevia drops. You can buy them on Amazon. But, remember that the sugar goes someway to preserving cordials. So without it, you will lose shelf life. Stevia gives you sweetness with zero calories, and comes in granulated form too. Unfortunately, the two things that capture flavour molecules best are fat and alcohol, but they are calorie dense. You could try fruit, herb and spice infused tinctures. Which are fruits, herbs, or spices steeped in alcohol. Something like Everclear strength. The trick is to pack in as much flavour into the tincture, so you will only have to use a little to flavour drink. This will reduce the calorific load from the alcohol in the drink. The beauty of high strength alcohol tinctures is that they are good at preserving flavours if kept in the dark, in a cool place. Here's a page that describes the process quite well. Do use a scale to measure your ingredients as Kevin does for consistency, weighing your liquids as Wells as your solids: foodprint.org/blog/make-your-own-infusions-tinctures-extracts/. Have fun.
Thank you for that! A lot of great pieces of information! Cheers!
@@KevinKos Thank you. It comes from the time I was interested in becoming a medical herbalist. Your work comes very much from the same place in my mind. And your passion for your craft shines through. I think your channel will grow because you've got both the technical and the aesthetic dimensions nailed down, in your cocktails and in your video presentation. Bravo!
@@BigHenFor Ah, very interesting that. I do wonder however if stevia suffers from similar problems as normal sugar does with our systems. A processed food replacing another processed food as it were. It does make some sense that the cordials loose shelf life as a result of loosing the pure sugar however.
Im wondering if it would be possible to swap processed ingredients for more whole ones, such as honey or maple syrup, which the body processes more easily than standard refined sugars, but as you mentioned it likely would have a fair amount of issues preserving the items, but also would likely contaminate the flavor profile as both are very potent flavor wise.
Regardless thank you very kindly for the ideas, always interested in things such as this.
Need help with the salt liquid? Thanks
Amazing video! Where did you find the glass for the clarified version? Been searching for that one and the tall version of it as well.
It's a Libbey levitas. Thanks!
If I want to skip the cucumber, do I sub with water?
To Kevin or anyone else here, some advice would be welcomed! Have tried, blanching as instructed, but am left with more muddy dark flavors, not bright crisp ones I was hoping for. Have a failed to properly kill the enzymes in the basil? Any other recommendations? Cheers!
Hey Kevin! Thank you for this inspiring video. I have been following you for a year now, and I have learned so much! I have one question regarding the cordial, which I would be happy if you could answer: in the case that it is a bit complicated to get my hands on Malic Acid, what can I use as an alternative and what would be the specs?
I assume You could use citric acid but it would lack a lot of the complexity that it could’ve had
Hi, what type of label maker is this you have? Thank you!