Comments on: Bottled Carbonated Cocktails

By: Benjamin

Benjamin — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:37:26 +0000

Hey Jeff,

Love this idea, but i can’t seem to get people excited about Campari (I don’t know why, cause i love it). I manage the bar for a small bistro/ coffee house in central Kansas and we’ve been wanting to sell more cocktails. Gin and Tonics are a huge hit in this town, but it is super annoying to store tonic in bottles as we don’t have the capability of putting it on a bev gun. Do you think we could premake Gin and Tonics using this method? would it work with your tonic recipe?

By: Rob Copher

Rob Copher — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 15:27:28 +0000

Daniele, I was wondering how that worked out for you? I have been playing with the idea of a carbonated Paloma for a couple of months. The best version so far is with a grapefruit foam made with a iSi soda siphon. The only issue is the shelf life is only three days because of the fresh citrus juice. Right now I’m playing with the idea of infusing reposado tequila, Maestro Dobel, with fresh pink grapfruit. Please let me know how your version turned out.

By: valerie chisholm

valerie chisholm — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 15:34:52 +0000

Do the diy capped bottles hold their carbonation very well? What kind of a shelf life are we talking about on these?

By: daniele pirotta

daniele pirotta — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 04:13:50 +0000

working on a project for a venue.
idea basically is a pre-carbonated and bottled paloma.
obviously instead of fresh pink grapefruit juice i was thinking of a rhubarb and pink grapefruit SHRUB – all that sugar and vinegar will keep it from going bad …? or maybe not? what do you guys think?

By: daniele pirotta

daniele pirotta — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 04:10:54 +0000

anybody had any luck with the perlini?
i guess this could work as long as the mixture is left to chill in the fridge or freezer for a while?
carbonate it without involving the use of ice.
it still looses a lot of fizz when opening it and releasing the seal.

is that fizz giz any good?

By: Bill Norris

Bill Norris — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:00:01 +0000

You can use a soda stream, but two caveats.

1) it voids your warranty as soon as you do.

2) If you decide to use the SodaStream, you need to wait a few minutes after charging before removing the bottle.
If you don’t, the results are dramatic and deeply unpleasant.

Trust me.

By: stephen

stephen — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 18:04:27 +0000

if anybody needs some more advanced carbonating equipment i just started producing a champagne bottle manifold.

http://bostonapothecary.com/?p=460

if you think of carbonation in terms of grams per liter you can measure your carbonation with a kitchen scale.

you can carbonation in 750’s or magnums to a level higher than you want and then decant them into 187’s. if you keep track of all your weights with a scale you can see how much gas you lose when you transfer to small bottles.

By: morgan

morgan — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 22:13:10 +0000

A soda stream machine like I’ve linked below would work for this wouldn’t it?

http://www.sodastream.com.au/auretail/Default.aspx

By: Brian Mølgaard

Brian Mølgaard — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:22:20 +0000

hey

just for safety sake the Twist n sparkle has been recalled due to exploding plastic bottles

http://twistnsparkle.com/index.html

but very good tip!

By: G Ra

G Ra — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 05:44:01 +0000

Thanks for the tips. I plan on using this the next time we have an event!

Cheers!

By: Wilhelm

Wilhelm — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 07:19:05 +0000

I can only recommend trying Scott Diaz (commenting above)’s grown up Italian soda.

It’s really good!

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 21:03:49 +0000

Well, bottlers and canneries bottle. Restaurants do not – at least not in the technical sense. Mass production of bottled and canned goods are sold wholesale to distributors and retailers for resale. Bottlers/canners do not know who is consuming their products. Fact is, neither do the retailers. Restaurants are afforded certain liberties because both the parties know the other. They meet, in fact, face to face. Restaurateurs are not burdened with nutritional labeling requirements and identifying information. Patrons of a restaurant have no trouble knowing who to complain to (or sue) if something they consume there makes them sick. The plates, dishes, cups and glasses at a fine italian restaurant would not look good with nutritional labels stuck on the side of them. There are no UPC bar codes on a plate of beans at a little meat ‘n 3 veggies joint. These are not products meant for transportation, warehouse storage, mass distribution or resale. They are not often consumed 100-miles away. Matter of fact, the Dominoes delivery guys in my neck of the woods won’t drive more than 3-4 miles one way to bring me a pizza.

By: Jesse Ratliff

Jesse Ratliff — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:34:26 +0000

Apparently their is a distinction between capping and sealing individual bottles as opposed to a large container of a pre-mixed cocktail that is then poured to order. I have contacted the TTB(the federal agency that oversees alcohol and bottling permits)and shared your video of the process and described in great detail how the cocktail is served and consumed on premises. The TTB states that this activity is considered “processing” and therefore requires a federal basic bottling permit. I’m in the process of responding and will keep you posted. Hopefully this is just a matter of confusion.

By: Donnie

Donnie — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 19:12:11 +0000

Jesse – I was previously one of the bartenders at the Magnetic Field and currently am at the Aloft hotel. I feel like the ABC is mistaken about the bottling license. I’ve not asked, but I feel like Hops and Vines doesn’t have a bottling license for their homebrew classes, but that might be a step in getting a real answer. I know hard alcohol is a different set if rules, but like Jeff said, if the bottles aren’t leaving the building, it shouldn’t matter.

By: Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Jeffrey Morgenthaler — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 17:39:46 +0000

Jesse – As long as you’re not serving them to-go out the door, I honestly don’t see the difference in serving a drink in a glass shaped like a little bottle versus serving a drink in a glass shaped like a cup. I’d recommend having another conversation with your ABC.

By: Jesse Ratliff

Jesse Ratliff — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:44:07 +0000

I was bottling cocktails at my bar/restaurant for several months until the state ABC board said I needed a federal basic bottling permit. I contacted the TTB and they replied that this is in fact true. I’m wondering why the Feds haven’t actually enforced this rule? Or do you know if they have?

Best,
Jesse
bar manager
table
asheville, nc

By: Konrad

Konrad — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 20:06:17 +0000

I found the Fizz Gizz to work great. Just got it a month ago. Having soda water every day. Can not say much about cocktails but it is easily strong enough to get the water so fizzy I find it uncomfortable (always put in CO2, then shake 5 seconds). 2 hits = good. 3 =strong, 4=awfully strong.

I love that it is so small… its in there with my cutlery and not wasting space.

By: gluttonforlife

gluttonforlife — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 13:39:42 +0000

I don’t work for Fizz Giz but just used it to carbonate a big batch of Americanos for a party and can highly recommend it. Fast, easy and efficient!

By: Stephen

Stephen — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 01:42:13 +0000

As someone mentioned, the Twist ‘n’ Sparkle has been recalled. Any recommended alternatives?

(Mike, I get that you work for Fizz Giz and love it. A third party opinion would be appreciated.)

By: Matthew

Matthew — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:26:13 +0000

So has anyone given this a go with fruit juice? I’m thinking about trying a basil gimlet but I am wondering about shelf life in the fridge.

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 25 May 2012 00:35:36 +0000

I’ve tried this twice and the results are delicious, but I’m not getting the proper quantity. I should be getting (4) bottles worth, instead I’m getting (3). Any idea what the problem is?

I’m using the Twist n’ Sparkle. The mix is nice and cold. When I carbonate it REALLY fizzes up. It created so much foam that it started leaking out (even though the lid was still on). I had to wait a long while for some of that carbonation to go down before I could even release the lid (or risk an explosion).

Is 1/4 of my mix evaporating? If so, what can I do? I’d like to get a full (4) bottles out the recipe.

By: Mike Spike

Mike Spike — Thu, 24 May 2012 05:59:06 +0000

Actually, Twist ‘n Sparkle removed the Twist ‘n Shrapnel because they were blowing up in customers’ faces. They sold about a million for fifty-bucks each. Now they’re recalling them all – every last one.

Get a Fizz Giz with a built-in pressure regulator. It really is a modern day marvel of value engineering. It costs less and doesn’t come with the fireworks show.

By: Andreas

Andreas — Wed, 23 May 2012 08:21:56 +0000

It seems like amazon has removed the twist n sparkle?

any idea where I get one? looks like it is not available for European (Swedish) consumers

By: Kabouter

Kabouter — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:58:07 +0000

Mike-
The solubility of C)2 in water is dependant on the pressure and the temperature. In this case, the pressure is constant so the temperature is the driving factor int he amount of carbonation absorbed by the liquid. For example, assuming 30psi (I don’t know the actual output of the chargers that iSi uses), at 75º one (1) liter of water will absorb about 4.4 grams of CO2, that same liter of water chilled to 34º will absorb about 9.2 grams of CO2. So simply by chilling, your beverage will have over twice the carbonation level. Once that carbonation is dissolved in the liquid, it will remain in solution at higher temps because it is sealed int he bottle. Once opened, the carbonation will begin to equalize with the atmosphere. This is why you see bubbles floating through your drink. A liquid will equalize faster at a warmer temp because the CO2 is less soluble at higher temps. I hope that clears it up.

-Justin

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:51:07 +0000

Fizz Giz is an interesting name. Giz? Jizz?

There was a recall with the Twist ‘n Sparkle, as some have been blowing up (and with that said, Brandon, I would probably advise against doing a double charge). I’ve seen some people using the Perlini, which costs $150 more. Not sure if I should switch, or take my chances.