Quinine syrup (from the NYTimes article)

M

marilynfl

Moderator
Finished my syrup. It's quite nice...bitey from all the citrus peels and lemongrass, but sweet from the syrup. Reminds me of Angostura Bitters, but that's made from water, 45% alcohol, gentian root, and vegetable flavoring extracts.

So...not even in the same ballpark.

I haven't tried it yet in a cocktail...that's happening tonight.

Here is the key ingredient: Cinchona bark, also known as Peruvian Bark Powder. According to one of the article comments, quinine is suspected of causing tinnitus (ringing of the ears).

Peruvian Bark Powder is not to be confused with Harry Potter’s Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder. All I managed to do there was make my eyebrows disappear.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Marilyn_CakeBalls/007.jpg

Another key ingredient is citric acid.

I have no clue what a normal person uses citric acid for, but I happen to have bought THIS

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Marilyn_CakeBalls/004-1.jpg

in Jerusalem (in 2006!) for no other reason than it was the largest package in the spice aisle. How fortuitous! I figured it must be used frequently, although I've never figured out what for. But, hey! I had it when I needed it!

Everyone in the hot tub for the 30-minute simmer. I lost a high percentage of liquid because my crappy pot doesn’t seal well and the steam was bubbling and escaping around the lid like one of Hugo’s steam engines.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Marilyn_CakeBalls/003-2.jpg

Strained and mixed with super-sugar mixture. I had to add more filtered water to keep the ratio consistent.

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Marilyn_CakeBalls/008.jpg

Bottled 1,500 ml

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g166/Finer_Kitchens/Marilyn_CakeBalls/009.jpg

I used a Ruby grapefruit peel in place of the bitter Seville orange peel and used up ALL of my precious lemongrass stalks. I think it will be worth the sacrifice.

Quinine Syrup

4 cups water

1/4 cup (1 ounce/20 grams) cinchona bark, powdered

1/4 cup citric acid, also known as lemon salt

3 limes, only the peeled zests

3 lemons, only the peeled zests

2 sour or Sevilla oranges, only the peeled zests (or peel of 1 grapefruit or pomelo)

1 cup chopped lemongrass (3-4 stalks)

9 whole allspice berries

6 whole cardamom pods

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon lavender (I skipped this because lavender always smells too floral to me.)

3-4 cups rich simple syrup (I used 4 cups of sugar to 2 cups of filtered water)

In a covered saucepan, bring all ingredients except the simple syrup to a boil and reduce heat immediately; simmer on low for a half hour, then remove from heat and allow to cool fully. Transfer to a carafe and chill for two days.

Strain through a superfine chinois or cheesecloth, or by using a plunger press coffee maker. Return to carafe and refrigerate for a day or two, allowing sediment to accumulate on bottom. When layer seems stable, gently decant off the clearer liquid without disturbing the sediment “mud.”

It should be about 3 cups at this point; add to this liquid an equal measure of rich simple syrup, mixing well. Funnel into a clean, cap-able bottle and refrigerate. Makes roughly 6 cups or 1.5 liters.

From the NYTimes article, here's how I'll be using the syrup:

I love the tonic syrup in soda water by itself, where the botanicals play much more freely. But my favorite so far might be just an ounce of it with a slug of gin and the juice from half a lemon, over cracked ice, topped with a long horse’s neck twist of lemon peel and a dash of water. It’s a more concentrated, lowball version of an English-style G&T, the first sip of which makes your eyeballs feel slightly magnetically charged. Isn’t that worth a bit of effort?

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/case-study-quinine-syrup/?src=tmcolum

 
I'll mail out five "one-ounce" packages of the powder to the first 5 folks who ask.

That's enough to make the batch I'm showing above.

 
Could I have some? I want my eyeballs to feel slightly magnetically charged and. . .

I could take a little syrup in soda to help with occasional night leg cramps, I think.

 
Has anyone ever simmered in a pressure cooker with the rocker OFF?

I was complaining (the polite word for what I actually was doing) about how much liquid I lost with my crappy covered pot and realized my pressure cooker has a seal. And if I leave the rocker off, excess steam could still escape out the hole in the lid, but not escape from 360 degrees around my pot lid.

Will this work?

Or will it explode? 'Cause in my world, that's the more likely scenario.

 
I would love one - G&T here I come. I do have a US address- shall

I post it. My sister is coming at the end of the month.

 
this sounds like a test. I'll measure the water, simmer for 30 minutes then re-measure.

Hopefully I won't blow me or anything else up.

 
Strange results from the test! The pressure cooker lost MORE liquid.

I put 1000 ml of water in a large dutch oven pot and a pressure cooker, both the same diameter. Put the wishy-washy lid on the pot and turned to seal the pressure cooker lid but left off the rocker.

Put them on matching burners. Waited until the pot started showing bubbles and set the timer for 30 minutes. Pulled both off the heat and went back to the movie ("Case Histories" with Jason Isaacs, otherwise known as Lucius Malfoy (Draco's father) in Harry Potter).

I just measured the liquids and the lidded pot had 900 ml of water remaining.

The pressure cooker pot had 800 ml!

Go figure.

 
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