At The Chandelier bar at The Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas, chief mixologist Mariena Mercer Boarini has been experimenting with Szechuan buttons for years, and this cocktail has become one of the bar’s most popular signature drinks. While the yellow flower bud—also referred to as the “buzz button”—is small and might seem relatively unassuming, it certainly does not lack flavor, and the mouthfeel it brings to drinks and dishes is different from anything your palate has experienced before. According to Boarini, there’s no other ingredient that acts quite like the Szechuan button, which releases a naturally occurring alkaloid that delivers an intense numbing or tingling sensation in the mouth. In response, the salivary glands temporarily go into overdrive, making your mouth water, which is quickly followed by a cooling sensation in the throat and back palate.
Needless to say, cocktails that incorporate this wonder ingredient or garnish make the drinking experience somewhat of a roller coaster. Boarini has found that the Szechuan button works extremely well with citrus, ginger and vegetal flavors, all of which the Verbena has in spades—try it at home with the full recipe below.
- from Liqour.com
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