Make Bitter Liquors Sweeter By Frothing Them At Home
Did you know frothing applies to more than your latte or the pumpkin cream cold foam that tops off your Starbucks cold brew? A milk frother is an essential tool for at-home coffee fanatics, but it can actually be used in ways you might not expect and that might make you want to leave one on your bar cart. Instead of using it to froth your milk, TikTok is convinced that you should also be frothing your cheap liquors to make them taste better.
There is no shortage of strange and creative ways people try to alter and improve their alcohol consumption, but frothing is definitely not the first thing that comes to mind. In a video posted to his TikTok account, spirits specialist Martigan tries out the hack and explains why frothing your liquor is the best way to improve its taste. According to him, frothing your liquor can make it sweeter and cut down on bitterness.
How (and why) does frothing liquor work?
Using a frother to make your liquor sweet instead of bitter is all about putting oxygen into it through aeration. If you've had any of the cold foam drinks from Starbucks, you know what aeration can do to the cream, making it more deliciously smooth and frothy. Martigan demonstrates his frother on liquor — he uses tequila — and explains that the frothing process is actually able to separate molecules within it. This molecular separation through aeration allows us to better distinguish the flavors of the liquor and makes it taste better.
@martigan_drinks Frothing works! Its loke a cheat code for liquor tasting! ....kinda. 😂🤦🏻♂️🤷♂️thanks @timthetankofficial !!! #froth #frothing #loquor #tequila #mixology #aeration #spiritseducation #drinktok #bartok #bartendersoftiktok #unavidatequila
With two glasses of tequila, one frothed and one not, Martigan puts the theory to a taste test. To his surprise, the hack works and he seems to enjoy the frothed tequila a lot more than the un-frothed version. So is this hack backed up by science? The answer is yes, liquors and wines have been aerated in some way or another for centuries, and there are numerous devices on the market that are meant to add air to alcohol in the same way frothing does. Sure, you could spend the money on a specially-designed spirit aerator or you could whip out your trusty frother. It could be over the top if you just want to make a margarita, but if you're looking to really taste your liquor and pull out individual flavors, frothing may be the perfect way to do so, especially with cheap liquor at home.