Liquid

Ladybug Marmalade

Drinking the meat of the matter

If you're squeamish, stop reading right now. I mean it. Turn the page, look at the hot bodies, go read about Facebook or rum or whatever the other columnists are writing about this issue. Because you’re going to be seriously squicked by what follows.

In my wine classes and over e-mail, I’m occasionally asked if there are vegetarian or vegan wines. The safe answer is “no.” But in reality, it’s more complicated than that.

For most of its pre-bottling life, wine isn’t the transparent beverage we’re used to. It’s clouded with all manner of particles, and most wineries (though not all) remove them before they put their wine on the market. There are a number of ways to accomplish this, and one of the easiest is called fining, whereby a substance is added that gathers floating particles, after which it and the attached particles are removed.

The Infusionist

Behind the scenes with Robert Fathman

Liquor infusions are running amok all over town. Fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, pork products — it seems no ingredient is too bizarre to steep in a vodka, rum, or bourbon bath to create a new liquid treat. The concept behind infusions is simple: coax the flavor characteristics out of your chosen ingredients by soaking them in booze for days, sometimes weeks, and giving the container a good shake every once in awhile. It’s not rocket science, nor is it a newfangled notion. Yet over the past few years, Bostonians have gone nuts over infusions. House-made infusions dominate every decent cocktail menu in the area, with bartenders and beverage directors reveling in the role of artisanal mad scientist.