We Ask Bar Director Evan Williams about Herb Washing for Cocktails

Bar Director Evan Williams of Dalida in San Francisco, CA came across the technique of herb washing cocktails from a Copenhagen-based bartender named Peter Altyenberg, who utilizes the technique in a riff on a Mojito.

Herb washing is the working terminology for a technique being developed to achieve a full spectrum extraction of flavor from an herb. In a nutshell, it combines vacuum oleo-saccharum, “oil sugar,” to pull the aromatic oils from an herb via osmotic dehydration, and a good old fashioned liquor infusion. Bringing these two techniques together allows for a depth and nuance of flavor that is much closer to what you get with a fresh muddle, but with the added benefit of it being shelf stable and clarifiable.

We spoke with Evan to delve deeper into his use of herb-washing and to gather tips for those interested in trying it themselves.

Tell us a bit about your background in the industry.

Having grown up in a small town, I was eager to experience new places, so I ended up moving to Moscow when I was 18. I eventually became a coat check attendant at a spot called Propaganda, which was one of the first bars to open following the collapse of the Soviet Union. At one point, they were short-staffed, and I needed to fill in as a bartender, and despite my lack of experience at that point, I had a ton of fun mixing drinks.

After that, I was ready to live somewhere warm, so I soon moved to Berkeley, and in the years following, I worked at several bars in the Bay Area, including Hard Water, the Beehive, and Bar Agricole. I would say that my approach combines “using what you’ve got” and “creating what you’re looking for.” Whenever I am after a specific flavor, I build upon tradition and the techniques I have learned to bring it to life.

Talk to us about the menu at Dalida, what inspires the cocktails?

Dalida is a concept built upon the hospitality, culture, and flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean, as reflected through the lens of Northern California. When selecting the fresh ingredients that we want to spotlight in our cocktails, we make sure that they are found in one or both regions. We are also able to grow many ingredients in our community garden, rooting this beverage program in the flora of the Presidio.

When developing new cocktails, we lean into the idea of “East-meets-West.” We take familiar flavors, from cultured dairy to preserved fruit to warm spices – and figure out how to present them in new ways. Since opening, we’ve created kompot lactic cordials, hawaij-spiced yogurt liqueurs, foraged rose geranium tinctures, and many other dynamic ingredients that we’ve built into our cocktail menu.

Any tips/tricks bartenders should keep in mind while trying herb washing?

1. Try all parts of the herb, does the stem have an interesting flavor? Can it be used as a single infusion to highlight that flavor? (The answer is yes, and it’s delicious – looking at you, cilantro stems.)
2. Oxygen is the enemy here. When bruised herbs are exposed to oxygen they begin to break down and turn black. Not only is it unsightly, but it is not tasty.
3. Combine herbs with citrus peels for additional depth of flavor.
4. Acid-adjust with fruit acids to bring your herb washed spirits into balance.

What are some of the best ingredients to use with this technique and why?

Leafy herbs and citrus are best suited to this method. They are oily and the surface area allows the sugar to really do its thing. As we are only starting to explore this technique, this is just the starting point. I am excited to see people apply this in ways that never would have occurred to me.

What are some of your popular herb-washed cocktails?

Our Mojito Criollo Number 3 uses this technique with lime and apple mint. We wash Dudognon Cognac, combine it with lime and mint oleo, fresh lime, a few mint leaves, and quince bitters. We top that with a bit of sparkling wine on a tall cube. It is a simple drink that is all about the depth of flavor that we can achieve through applied techniques. We are also developing a cocktail right now that uses this technique with dill, aquavit, aloe and sweet pea that we will be launching in June.