Easy Whey Syrup Will Change How You Make Cocktails

Unlikely ingredients to upgrade cocktails are almost as varied as cocktails themselves, with everything from pickle brine to bacon fat making an appearance in delectable concoctions. While you may enjoy the occasional pickleback with bourbon, most home setups require more versatile bar fixtures that can be used with multiple drink formats and flavors. Simple sugar syrup is a mainstay but merely adds sweetness and slightly improves the mouthfeel. While there are several ways to upgrade simple syrup, the more experimental you make it, the narrower its range of use becomes. Whey, the watery byproduct that milk separates into when a small amount of acidity is introduced, is a rare cocktail add-in that is easy to handle, versatile, and still has dramatic effects on a drink. The faint tangy flavor can be used to complement sweet, fruity concoctions or easily masked. Best of all, it adds a rich, silky texture similar to what egg whites or their vegan substitute, aquafaba, achieve, but with much less effort.

Making whey simply involves adding an acid like lemon juice or a lightly flavored vinegar to heated milk (make sure it is off the stove first). The curds and whey start to separate immediately, but let the mixture sit till it's cool before straining, which helps get clearer whey. Add about one ounce to your shaken cocktails and watch the drink get a rich consistency and foamy texture. You can also simmer whey and mix in some sugar and a pinch of salt to make a nice flavored syrup that's so versatile, you can then use it to upgrade some of the world's most popular cocktails. Keep in mind, though, that unlike aquafaba, whey is not vegan.

Whey's lightly sour, yogurt-like flavor doesn't linger; it won't coat your mouth since most of the fat and cream is removed as curds. It simply adds complexity and creaminess to the cocktail's flavor. A whey punch, made with scotch, tea, and sweetened whey syrup, is the perfect example of a sophisticated whey cocktail. Another is the whey martini, in which the delicate milk byproduct works to dilute and soften the alcohol-forward drink while also adding a luxurious texture.

Flavoring whey syrup is also easy. Simply infuse the milk with the flavoring ingredient before splitting. Blend a batch of strawberries or cranberries with milk, and then lightly heat the mixture and introduce acid to it to split. Strain and you have berry-flavored whey. You can do the same with cookies, cocoa, herbs, and more. Even a simple whey syrup can be elevated by employing maple syrup instead of sugar. Try using it to make light, summery versions of cocktails that would otherwise use cream or simply combine maple-flavored whey and bourbon for a deliciously simple drink. Just remember that some of the flavor gets removed with the curds, so over-infuse the milk before separating so that the whey packs enough flavor.

While it may sometimes depend on what you flavor it with, regular whey has a shelf life of about six months. You can even use the water that mozzarella or burrata comes in, or the liquid released from yogurt when it is strained and thickened. Each type of whey will have a slightly different flavor and may react differently to alcohol, but they all add an interesting dimension to your cocktails.