Bruno Vanzan gives a new interpretation to international mixology classics in a masterclass within his Academy. Key elements are cresses, small vegetable masterpieces embedded in drinks as real ingredients, not just for haute cuisine.
*Content with promotional purposes.
The best way to talk about flavor, sustainability and ingredients is only one: to taste. However, even before allowing room for the sense of taste, it is knowledge that does half the job. This is confirmed to us, for example, by the close link between gastronomy and horticulture, which, through study and research, makes it possible to use small vegetable wonders such as to intensify the flavor, fragrance and beauty of the dishes of numerous chefs. It is at this very point that I am compelled to point out a small inaccuracy. Indeed, since the green element increasingly complements the work of mixologists as well. But let me tell you step by step.
Vegetable from plate to drink: the “flavor power” of cress
Koppert Cress, a company that produces what I myself have mistakenly called, for years, sprouts - as they are, in fact, cresses, freshly sprouted seedlings of 100 percent natural aromatic plants, is a case in point. These products, which, truth be told, I sometimes even discarded and left on my plate, are for all intents and purposes an ingredient. And that's where the knowledge comes in: underlying it is a constant search for small, natural, innovative elements that chefs (but not only, and we shall see) use to intensify flavor, aroma, and plating.
Working alongside those who serve the flavors is certainly the strength of this large vegetable-focused lab, which also has a kitchen inside, whose primary goal is to host industry professionals from around the world to work together on building new flavor enhancers. Hundreds of cresses are thus studied and, starting from their origin, the right conditions for their growth are sought.
Another interesting piece of information is transportation, which is also sustainable because individual restaurants and bars are not supplied, but rather the latter can purchase only through their fruit and vegetable suppliers. A way, then, to reduce the number of transports thus creating a positive cycle, peculiar to those who do things right. After discovering the potential of cresses in mixology as well (through a masterclass I will tell you about in a moment), and before I set out to write, I took a tour of the site and discovered that even just choosing these products is a “travel” experience.
Cresses, in fact, are distinguished by taste (bitter, sour, sweet, salty and umami), by type of cuisine (Alpine, Peruvian, French, Baltic, to name a few), but also by the ingredients with which they are to be paired - and this seemed to me an enlightening, as well as formative, criterion. But let's get to mixology, an increasingly complex world - which, mind you, does not mean complicated.
I'm talking about flavors, aromas, textures and pairings, which if before they weren't parameters that used to be valued in a cocktail, today they certainly are. And we owe this, too, to knowledge, which is always able to turn things around in favor of evolution. This was shown to us by an interesting masterclass on aromatic architecture within the world of fine drinking, for which Koppert Cress chose one of the most important names in Italian and international mixology: Bruno Vanzan.
Inside the Bruno Vanzan Academy, in the heart of this space that tells and teaches about the bar universe, I had the great opportunity to understand that cresses are not simply garnishes, but real ingredients that enhance, following or contrasting it, the taste of a cocktail.
Bruno Vanzan's 4 cocktails
There are four drinks that Vanzan has presented, starting with great mixology classics. Four also were the moments of consumption, ranging from aperitifs to accompaniment to the meal, to the more classic after dinner. Very different drinks, both in flavor and appearance, but which had cress among their ingredients in common. The first is the Dushi Negroni, which recounts the iconic Italian aperitif in a whole new way through the hints of coffee. The ever-present Bitter Rosso is joined by Black Sinner Coffee Liqueur and Brugal Visionaria. Intensifying the drink is Dushi® Buttons, a cress in the flowers category, very sweet and with hints of mint and thyme. Its intense sweetness calibrates the bitterness of the coffee and adds complexity and roundness to this very elegant drink.
The second drink offered is another twist on one of the most beloved Italian aperitifs of all time, which with Vanzan's touch takes on the name Purple Americano. White Bitter, IOVEM nectar and shiso soda create an aperitif drink characterized by sinuous colors and Asian flavors. Purple Shiso Leaves are tempura-fried and placed on the ice just before serving. This crunchy leaf, somewhat reminiscent of cumin, adds pleasantly bitter hints and an umami note to the drink that can take us back to Asia with every sip and every bite.
The third drink of the masterclass takes us to Mexico with the Blossom Paloma. Vanzan serves an exceptional drink, at once fresh and intense, in which he blends 100% agave Tequila, acidified apple, pink grapefruit, syrup and garnishes Apple Blossom, a coral-red colored cress with pinkish hues, with a fresh, tart flavor reminiscent of green apple.
Vanzan closes the round with the Tommy's Grass, made with 100% Agave Tequila, Wheat Grass extract with an intense sweet flavor with a strong and lingering aroma, agave syrup, lemon juice and a gourmet garnish prepared with a square of carasau bread, clumps of purple mayonnaise and Sansho Leaves. This drink is the evidence that cresses can be used both as preparations at the base of drinks and as a final garnish.
The appearance of Sansho Leaves is that of tiny, bright green leaves whose fleshy texture resembles that of certain succulents. The flavor is reminiscent of citrus, yuzu and kaffir lime, they taste fresh with spicy and peppery notes, but there's more: these little leaves create a slight tingling sensation on the palate that makes the drink even more interesting and fun.
