Post #792740 by PalmtreePat on Mon, Jan 28, 2019 10:10 AM

I've made many attempts at the Pearl Diver family of drinks and never been pleased with the results. It's the honey-butter mix that has me stymied; I can't get it to work right no matter what method I use. Whether I beat everything together cold or warm everything separately and then mix them, regardless of how smooth and creamy it looks when it goes into the blender, the finished drink sucks. I either end up with a straw clogged with clots of solidified butterfat or with everything stuck to the edges of the glass. Desperate for a smooth Pearl Diver-type drink, I was forced to turn to the dark art of......SCIENCE!

Rather than trying to cream butter and honey together, I used an emulsifier to create a stable butter syrup that won't separate in a cold or hot drink and can be made well in advance and held. The method is basically identical to the syrup made here:

https://www.cocktailchemistrylab.com/home/emulsions

But with the addition of cinnamon and vanilla to bring it in line with the taste of spices #2 and #4.

Here's the recipe:

200 grams water
200 grams sugar
150 grams melted butter
3 grams Ticaloid 210 S
15 allspice berries
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Crush allspice berries and cinnamon stick and add to dry saucepan. Toast spices over low heat until fragrant, then add water and simmer, covered, to infuse water with spices, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Strain spiced water into mixing container and add Ticaloid. Blend thoroughly with immersion blender to hydrate. Slowly drizzle in melted butter while pulsing blender to emulsify. Add sugar and vanilla and blend until smooth. Transfer to a clean bottle with a slug of everclear for preservation. Do not refrigerate, it will get so thick as to be unpourable.

New-Fangled Pearl Diver:

1 1/2 oz Jamaican rum (Xaymaca)
3/4 oz Demerara rum (Skipper)
3/4 oz Gold Puerto Rican rum (Bacardi 8 Year)
3/4 oz orange juice
3/4 oz lime juice
3/4 oz butter syrup
1/2 oz honey mix
1 barspoon falernum
1 hearty dash Angostura bitters
1 hearty dash orange bitters

Pulse blend with 3/4 cup crushed ice and pour into appropriate glass. Garnish with something tropical.

I've made this a few times now, and it's very forgiving. Hasn't come out gritty once yet. I may finally have to buy some of those new Pearl Diver glasses now that this is on the menu.