Cocktail Confidential Vol 3: Toasted White Sesame Orgeat + The Influencer Problem
A creamy, rich and nut free alternative to the classic
“What does a sesame seed grow into? I don't know, we never gave them a chance! What the fuck is a sesame? It's a street... It's a way to open shit!” -Mitch Hedberg
Orgeat is an ingredient that may seem a bit foreign or even unknown to some, but it is actually quite simple - it is a bar syrup traditionally made from almonds that is integral in a wide range of tiki cocktails, both old and new. While store-bought orgeat will almost certainly be made from almonds, some prefer to make theirs with hazelnuts or even nut alternatives such as coconut or in our instance, sesame seeds.
Toasted white sesame seeds have a delicate, nutty flavor and an aroma similar to most tree nuts. This makes it the perfect alternative to avoid allergens. To me, this sesame orgeat is much more delicious than most almond based alternatives, and might even be a touch more decadent while maintaining its earthy bitterness.
Below I ask the question “are food influencers the worst?” and answer with “yes”. I’m kidding. But not far off.
Let’s get it.
What you’ll need:
Ingredients:
1 cup toasted white sesame seeds (these can be purchased at most Asian specialty grocery stores)
3 cups water, heated up to just below a simmer
2.5 cups Demerara sugar (you can also use Turbinado sugar or “Sugar In The Raw”)
Tools:
Measuring cups
Blender, Magic Bullet or Vitamix if you’re fancy
Fine mesh strainer (or just a regular mesh strainer and some patience)
Spoon, spatula or something else to push a clumpy sesame seed mixture through a strainer
A couple of quart containers or some Tupperware
Making the orgeat:
Active time: 30 minutes // Start to finish: 30 minutes +
Add the sesame seeds and water to the blender and let it rip for about a minute or so until the mixture is smooth and the seeds are clearly emulsified. Let that mixture sit for a bit on the counter, about 30 minutes, so the hot water can pull out even more sesame flavor. You can let this sit for a few hours if you prefer - the longer the better.
Next, slowly pour the mixture into the fine mesh strainer over a quart container (this might be best done in a few rounds depending on the size of your strainer) and use the spatula to scrape the mixture off the sides of the strainer, allowing the liquid to pass through. When moving the mixture is no longer letting liquid through, use the spatula to press the mixture against the strainer to get any remaining juice out of it. Throw that mushy seedy lump from your strainer right in the compost!
Last but not least, rinse out your blender and put the sesame liquid back into it along with the sugar, and give it a good mix to prevent it from clumping up in the blender top. Blend again for about a minute or two until the orgeat is creamy and smooth. It should appear a deep, rich brown color. It might even appear a little fluffy - this will go away once it settles. Pour it into quart containers or Tupperware and keep it around for a couple weeks.
That’s it! You have made toasted white sesame orgeat!
Now, let’s drink.
The Drinks
This is cool and all, but I’ve only ever made drinks a couple times: Cameron’s Kick
A forgotten whiskey sour riff from the 1920s, this drink will really showcase your freshly made orgeat. It was originally published in Harry’s ANC of Mixing Cocktails.
2 oz whiskey (preferably 1 oz of Irish whisky and 1 oz of Scotch whisky, but bourbon will work just fine!)
.5 oz toasted white orgeat
.5 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake hard for 15 seconds and strain over fresh ice in a double old fashioned glass.
Sipping Soundtrack: Fontaines D.C. - A Hero’s Death
I have a setup at home. Give me something I can impress with: Trinidad Sour
An unparalleled modern classic that is spiced, rich and vibrant. Originally created in the early days of Clover Club in New York City, it is perfect for the cold weather sipping.
1.5 oz Angostura bitters
1 oz toasted white sesame orgeat.
75 oz lemon juice
.5 oz rye whiskey (preferably 100 proof)
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with ice, shake hard for 15 seconds and strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Sipping Soundtrack: Johnny Flynn - A Larum
Sound the cool guy alarm, because I have a full home bar: Mai Tai
The refreshing and delicious Trader Vic’s original. No pineapple or grenadine float included, sorry! This is how I like them.
1 oz aged Jamaican rum
1 oz aged Barbados rum
.75 oz freshly squeezed lime juice
.5 oz toasted white sesame orgeat
.5 oz dry orange curacao
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker with crushed ice if you have it, shake for 5 seconds and dump everything into a double old fashioned glass. If you have regular ice, don’t sweat, just shake it for a bit longer to dilute it a bit more! You can add a fancy garnish like a mint sprig, a big ol’ orange twist, or a cocktail cherry, or just drink it.
Sipping Soundtrack: Marcia Griffiths - Play Me Sweet and Nice
I don’t feel like drinking today: Sparkling Orgeat Lemonade
Refreshing, rich and nutty. A fine non-alcoholic sipper.
1.5 oz toasted white sesame orgeat
1.5 oz fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 oz sparkling water
In a highball or rocks glass, add all ingredients and gently stir to combine. Add ice and garnish with a mint sprig or nothing or whatever you want.
You can make this into a nice pitcher size drink if you multiple everything by 4!
Sipping Soundtrack: Cobra Man - Toxic Planet
The Influencer Problem
Stop Listening To ~*iNfLuEnCeRs*~ And Ask A Restaurant Worker Instead
We’ve all seen it while doomscrolling Instagram. Middle school picture day lighting. “This restaurant is one of our favorites.” Quick cheers of the drinks, and someone takes a sip. “The cocktails cant be missed.” A slow pan across a table full of food. “Everything is shareable, and we love that.” Unrealistic cheese pulls. “We started with mozzarella sticks and they were absolutely amazing.” More food appears on the table. “Each dish was perfectly seasoned and we especially loved the white truffle arancini.” A stare straight into the camera as our main character bites into dessert. “Save room for dessert - it’s delicious!” Did I mention everything being said is completely monotone? Just a drone talking.
It’s even better to observe in person. One person holding their phone in their right hand, beaming abrasive LED light over the food in a dimly lit dining room, ruining the atmosphere for everyone at the tables around them, with another iPhone recording the eating process in their left. The on-camera person slowly eats the food while the small, shared plates in front of them get cold. They take a bite. Unrealistic reactions of amazement radiate across their face. Their eyes roll back. Wow, that food must be delicious, right? Hard, hard maybe.
Food influencers have seen a huge emergence on social media apps like TikTok and Instagram and have arguably become more significant and impactful on young folks and where they choose to get dinner than revered food critics for nationally renowned publications. Unfortunately there are quite a few details that those who trust influencers may not be aware of, including that many have never worked in a restaurant, they operate a pay to play system and they are overwhelmingly positive.
Truthfully, I actually can’t say this will full confidence, but for the most part, I don’t believe most of the food influencers I see on Instagram have ever worked in restaurants of any quality. The ones I’ve corresponded with certainly haven’t, and this shows in the way they discuss, describe and recommend food. They never cite any specific flavors, and they usually spew general phrases such as “this was so hyped up”, “we really enjoyed the taste” and “this is hands down the best [insert dish name here] we have ever had”. Even if they don’t like something, have you ever heard an influencer say anything other than “this kinda didn’t do it for us”?
Being able to identify flavors in food and drink is a really important aspect of comprehensively understanding different cuisines and being able to talk about them with intention. This is one thing I have never, ever been convinced influencers are able to do. It’s simply “does this taste good?” or “does this live up to the hype?” They don’t ask if the salt, acidity and fat are well balanced. If one ingredient dominates, they don’t name it. Are the specific ingredients being used authentic to the cuisine being represented? To be incapable of providing any real feedback on food other than slapping it on an okay to really good scale, and affecting the traffic driven to restaurants filled with passionate, knowledgable and capable workers, in my opinion, lacks integrity.
Working at a restaurant, I get to see firsthand the way Instagram influencers approach making content. They reach out via DM asking to “collaborate” and highlighting their large following, generally noting it is all organic growth, reach, other restaurants they have worked with and approachable video editing style. What is really being said is “I’ll make a video with a great review of your restaurant in exchange for fulled comped food and drinks.”
Yep, before the video is even made and the meal is had, the review is going to be positive and the restaurant will be highly recommended. A must try!
Criticize restaurant reviewers all you want, but at least they typically have a scale of “never go here” to “kill your neighbor and steal their reservation” and are supposed to work without bias. It is fair reporting, even if you don’t agree with them. Pete Wells may be brutally honest sometimes to the point that makes readers feel uncomfortable, but at least - and this is a major point here - he’s honest. And that’s the main difference between critics and influencers. I’m not gonna sit here and defend food critics, either, but I do think they operate on a fairer scale and provide critical feedback.
If you’re still with me through all my bashing of young people making TikToks about restaurants they’re paid to eat at, thank you. Here is my advice to finding really, really good restaurants: ask your favorite bartender.
We eat out way too much. We don’t know as much as chefs but we have to learn their food menu and have a deep understanding of the ingredients. We have more time away from work plus an we like to use our wages to reinvest toward our friends in the service industry. Eating food for us has a creative aspect to it where we can draw inspiration from flavors that we can in turn experiment with on our own. It opens up our minds.
Next time you’re out at a restaurant, sit at the bar and ask the bartender where they eat on their day off. Tell them what you typically enjoy and say you’re looking to try somewhere new and exciting. You’ll likely get an enthused response with a detailed list of local spots and even some menu recommendations. It will turn into a vibrant conversation. Service industry workers are stubbornly proud and passionate of the work we do, and are more than happy to give well thought out answers, as we deeply care about hospitality and helping restaurants, especially our favorite ones, thrive. We’ll be brutally honest with those answers, too. We are the real foodies.
Whenever I travel - alone, with friends or with my partner - I do my best to get recommendations on that city’s food scene from my co-workers in the kitchen, and once I enjoy a meal, I will ask the bartenders where they go after work and let them know I am visiting and looking for some spots to try. The conversation evolves from there to a list of local recommendations from someone who is knowledgable, impassioned and respectful of food and the service industry and supportive of their local food scene.
That’s my advice. Get recommendations from people who actually know what they’re talking about, aren’t being paid to speak positively about other restaurants and are truly driven by all the intensive work that goes into running a successful dining establishment. Bartenders and chefs care deeply not only about creating tasty cocktails and serving delicious food, but for the long term well-being and success of those who chose such a relentless and unforgiving but, ultimately, highly rewarding industry.
I know Advil helps get rid of headaches. I don’t know how. If you want to come to me for medical advice, go to an influencer for dining advice.
FAQs
You’re talking a lot about cocktail tins and .75 oz and other stuff I’m unfamiliar with. Can you elaborate?
So in order to make these cocktails, you’ll need some basic bar tools. You can usually purchase these in a set with a cocktail shaker, a jigger (measuring tool), a barspoon for mixing, a Hawthorne strainer and a mixing glass. Jiggers typically have a 2 oz side with a 1.5 oz line, and a 1 oz side with a .5 and .75 line.
I don’t have a bunch of these cocktail tools, but this seems interesting. Where can I get all this stuff you’re talking about?
I personally would recommend checking out Cocktail Kingdom’s complete sets. They’re very high quality and beautifully crafted.
You’re talking a lot about glassware. What’s the difference between all of them and what would typically be served in them?
There are three primary cocktail glasses that every home bar should have - highball, double old fashioned and coupe.
Highball - Ever order a vodka soda close it? Jamo ginger? That is a highball glass! Tall and thin, usually 12 - 16 oz in volume.
Double Old Fashioned - The style is in the name! Old Fashioned! Other names include ‘rocks glass’, ‘tumbler’ or ‘low ball’. They’re short and sturdy and usually 10 - 12 oz in volume.
Coupe - This is a stemmed glass that has a broad, shallow bowl to sip your concoctions out of. Think martini glass but you don’t have to be scared of the physics behind drinking out of it. 6 - 8 oz in volume is the typical size.
My cocktail doesn’t seem ‘balanced’. What should I do?
Bartenders love getting into discussions about the ideal build for a classic gin gimlet or whiskey sour. Some prefer a 2:1:1 build which would mean 1.5 oz base spirit, .75 oz citrus juice and .75 oz bar syrup, while others prefer a 2:.5:.5, which would mean 2 oz base spirit, .5 oz citrus juice and .5 bar syrup. Some might even go 2:.75:.5. But the point is, people have different preferences and you can feel free to adjust. If you want more of an acidic pop, add more lemon or lime juice. If you want it a touch sweeter, add more bar syrup.
Why is there a ‘Tip Your Bartender’ button on here? Can’t you just make it a paid subscription?
Yes, technically I could. But unfortunately the minimum charge is $5 a month, and quite frankly I find that too steep. I’d like this to be accessible to everyone who wants to mix drinks at home, so I thought a ‘pay what you’d like’ system makes the most sense for this newsletter. Tips are absolutely not necessary but always appreciated!
What’re you concocting and talking about next week?
I dunno, that’s for next week. Stay tuned!