Mixologists are introducing rice to your favorite classic drinks, but not as a tasting ingredient. Rather, rice-washed cocktails are mixed with dry, raw rice, which is later strained out, to smoothen and purify blended flavors. The starch mellows the methanol and propanol in the booze, exposing liquors’ more complex flavors.
Rice-washing works best with brash-tasting drinks like a Negroni, softening the bitter aftertaste and adding a cool opaque appearance to the concoction. The much more palatable rice-washed version I made of the drink even had me—a tried-and-true fruity, sweet drink lover who once found sipping Negronis a most onerous task—saying, “Mmmm .… that’s not so bad.”
Try it yourself:
Rice-Washed Negroni
1 ounce gin
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce Campari
2 tablespoons uncooked rice
Add components to a mixing glass and stir. Strain and pour the mixture over ice in your favorite serving glass.
Photo by Fred + Elliott
This article originally appeared in the December 2024 issue.
