What’s the deal with DJ’s Cold Infusions?
So D1 London Spirits got in touch with me because of the mocktail posts I have been writing recently. They have been developing a cool little add on that you can use at home to spruce up your cocktails or mocktails, so of course I was down with trying it out!
DJ’s Cold Infusions
These are cold infusion pockets, filled with 100% natural botanicals that you add to your drinks to impart a hit of extra complexity without having to mess around. They come in a range of flavours, so you can really go to town with experimenting, even if you only have a limited number of mixers at home.
Essentially they are little biddy cocktail teabags, filled with delicious herbs, spices, dried flowers and dessicated fruits. You can even get a bespoke DJ’s spoon which makes it even easier to stir your cold infusion pocket in your drink. I’ll be honest though, we have taken to calling it my camel toe soon. I will leave that one with you.
The Gin Cocktail Version
At first I was a bit concerned that the actual mesh of the pockets was synthetic, but on further inspection of the packaging I discovered they are fully biodegradable, so these puppies are being tossed in the compost when I’m done with them. I don’t know about the individual wrapper that each pocket comes in though, but I put them in the recycling.
When you open those individual packages up, you get a real burst of scent from the pockets. I started with the the original – No. 1 Stirring Botanicals. These are a mix of gin and vermouth botanicals, with leading flavours of elderberry, burdock and juniper. These fruity elements come out immediately in the mix – which I tested with Brooklyn gin and slimline tonic. The delicate pink colour arose almost immediately and the flavours were discernible within just a few seconds. The flavours continued to develop as I decided to leave the pocket in as I drank, and I noticed that towards the end the woody spice flavours had the time to come through and predominate over the fruit and blossom flavours. It was nice to get the liquorice, allspice and cardamom more towards the end.
G & T-bags
I also gave the same flavour pocket a go with elderflower presse. If you’re not drinking, for whatever reason, this is a good way of getting the impression of a gin drink because the botanical profile is so similar. The presse gave the drink a nice bubbly lift and gave a pleasing sweetness.
The Delicate Blossom Mocktail
For my main mocktail experiment, I stuck with the elderflower presse. To complement this flavour I selected the most floral of the Cold Infusion Pockets. The No.3 Blooming Blossoms is green tea based and cut through with osmanthus and jasmine blossom. This created a beautiful, delicate flavour combination, again with the light effervensence of the presse. I think that this pocket would work well just with a simple tonic as well as the flavours are so light and delicious, it’s a really summer flavour profile just on its own.
The Verdict
I liked these because they address exactly the point I was trying to make about mocktails in the beginning, that simply mixing a couple of fruit juices together does not make an interesting drink! However infusing a carefully balanced range of botanicals really does. Allowing those flavours to develop as you drink gives a more interesting experience. And if you want to throw a slug of gin in there, I’m not going to tell anyone.
