Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail

In Dave Arnold’s world, the shape of an ice cube, the sugars and acids in an apple, and the bubbles in a bottle of champagne are all ingredients to be measured, tested, and tweaked. With Liquid Intelligence, the creative force at work in Booker & Dax, New York City’s high-tech bar, brings readers behind the counter and into the lab. There, Arnold and his collaborators investigate temperature, carbonation, sugar concentration, and acidity in search of ways to enhance classic cocktails and invent new ones that revolutionize your expectations about what a drink can look and taste like.

Years of rigorous experimentation and study - botched attempts and inspired solutions - have yielded the recipes and techniques found in these pages. Featuring more than 120 recipes and nearly 450 colour photographs, Liquid Intelligence begins with the simple - how ice forms and how to make crystal-clear cubes in your own freezer - and then progresses into advanced techniques like clarifying cloudy lime juice with enzymes, Practical tips for preparing drinks by the pitcher, making homemade sodas, and building a specialized bar in your own home are exactly what drink enthusiasts need to know. For devotees seeking the cutting edge, chapters on liquid nitrogen, chitosan/gellan washing, and the applications of a centrifuge expand the boundaries of traditional cocktail craft.

Whether you’re in search of astounding drinks or a one-of-a-kind journey into the next generation of cocktail making, Liquid Intelligence is the ultimate standard.  A revolutionary approach to making better-looking, better-tasting drinks.

Winner of the 2015 James Beard Award for Best Beverage Book and the 2015 IACP Jane Grigson Award.