Other Souring Ingredients

Verjus:

One of my favorites, but sometimes hard to find – Verjus can be a great complement to other grape-based ingredients.

Finding it:

Verjus is not typically available from your liquor rep – generally they’re only found at specialty food suppliers.

For personal use, I’ve scoured local specialty grocery stores only to be disappointed. Imagine my amazement when I found it on Amazon.com! I’m not sure if it’ll be available there forever, but it’s worth a look.

Soda Fountain Souring Ingredients:

Thanks to Darcy O’Neil over at the Art of Drink, there has been a small renaissance of old ingredients that have nearly faded into history – ingredients that were once staples of soda fountains the world over.

Acid Phosphate	Lactart	Citric Acid
pH of 2.0 – 2.2 (Similar to Lime) Clean, neutral and very dry Acidity(There is no sugar to counterbalance the acid) Adds tingling mouth feeling	pH of 3.9 The Acid of milk without any milk taste Adds more savory quality	pH of 2.2 Acid from citrus without any sugar or sweetness Powdered – can be added to kick up acid without adding volume or sweetness

Shrubs

Shrubs are also called “Drinking Vinegars” and can be made in-house or purchased pre-made.

Personally, I like to use shrubs when I’m looking for a more savory cocktail, as the vinegar adds its own savory tartness that’s both unusual and very satisfying.  We won’t discuss how to make shrubs in this course, but just know they are another great way to add acidity and flavor to a drink.