307 | Kevin Peterson on the Theory of Cocktails
Sean Carroll's Mindscape | Wondery+
03 Mar 2025
1:16:36
A lot of science goes into crafting the perfect cocktail. Balancing sweet and bitter notes, providing the right amount of aeration and dilution, getting it to just the right temperature and keeping it that way. And even if you have no interest in cocktails as such, the general principles extend to other activities in art and in life. I talk to scientist-turned-mixologist Kevin Peterson about how to think about the simple magic of a perfect drink.
Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/03/03/307-kevin-peterson-on-the-theory-of-cocktails/
Support Mindscape onPatreon.
Kevin Peterson received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He is currently co-owner of bothCastalia(an experimental craft cocktail bar) andSfumato Fragrancesin Detroit, Michigan. He is the author ofCocktail Theory: A Sensory Approach to Transcendent Cocktails.
Mindscape Petrichor Negroni(from the episode)
- 1 part gin distilled fromvetiver
- (alternative: herbaceous gin such asMoletto)
- 1 partSt. George Bruto Americano
- 1 partAntica Formulavermouth
Stir over an ice cube, express with orange peel (not shown).
A lot of science goes into crafting the perfect cocktail. Balancing sweet and bitter notes, providing the right amount of aeration and dilution, getting it to just the right temperature and keeping it that way. And even if you have no interest in cocktails as such, the general principles extend to other activities in art and in life. I talk to scientist-turned-mixologist Kevin Peterson about how to think about the simple magic of a perfect drink.
Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/03/03/307-kevin-peterson-on-the-theory-of-cocktails/
Support Mindscape onPatreon.
Kevin Peterson received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He is currently co-owner of bothCastalia(an experimental craft cocktail bar) andSfumato Fragrancesin Detroit, Michigan. He is the author ofCocktail Theory: A Sensory Approach to Transcendent Cocktails.
Mindscape Petrichor Negroni(from the episode)
- 1 part gin distilled fromvetiver
- (alternative: herbaceous gin such asMoletto)
- 1 partSt. George Bruto Americano
- 1 partAntica Formulavermouth
Stir over an ice cube, express with orange peel (not shown).