It's no surprise that when award-winning modernist cooking maestro Grant Achatz opened a bar, The Aviary in Chicago, its menu was devoid of appletinis and vodka tonics. The chef decided to rethink everything about the cocktail, as he had done with food at his celebrated restaurant Alinea.
The result is gin flavored with herbs in a vacuum coffee brewer, whiskey served at sub-zero temperature inside a hollow globe of ice. His most interesting creation is the Blueberry, made by sealing ingredients inside an elegant carafe dubbed the "Porthole."
We sat down with the chef to talk about food and drink for our new Future of Technology video series, and he explained that there was a method — a philosophy, even — to his mixological madness.
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