For two hours Dave took us on a journey of discovery – through the world of acids, brix, polydextrose, glacid, hard water, nitro muddling, clarification (Spinzall 2.0 currently available), carbonation, and the story behind ‘Justino’ (turns out there’s a lot in a name).

Campari Academy are incredibly grateful to those of you who came to join us, and for those who we couldn’t fit in the room (believe us, we tried!!), we’ve included all Dave’s notes and anecdotes below.

Stay curious!

DEMO 1 – AVERNA & LOW ABV

When creating low-abv serves, one of the biggest issues we face is a loss of texture (body and structure) which we usually rely on alcohol and sugar to provide in our cocktails. To combat this let’s introduce you to our first two secret weapons – “Glacid” and “Poly-D”.

“Glacid” is a relatively new approach to adding body and structure to carbonated, low alcohol drinks. “Glacid” is a mix of champagne acid, water and vegetable glycerine (full recipe below). “Poly-D” aka Polydextrose is a complex carbohydrate made from glucose. When added to liquid it adds a similar texture and weight to sugar, but without the sweetness (don’t sleep on Poly-D, this ingredient is huge in the U.S.A bar scene).

For this demo Dave created a highball with Averna as the base, supported by Glacid, Poly-D, and a Celery Seed Syrup, this was then force carbonated. It comes in at 4.53% abv and 37gm/L sugar.

Usually, not adding enough soda to this kind of cocktail will create a drink that is too bitter. Too much soda and the drop in sugar/ABV will render the drink weak and watery. Glycerine is the best solution to these problems. Glacid fixes both issues simultaneously, is easy to jigger, and is shelf stable. A half-ounce (15ml) of glacid lets you make a robust eight-ounce (240 ml) drink with less than two ounces (60ml) of amaro. The large amount of seltzer added to these drinks (165-172 ml) also means they have good carbonation even if you don’t force carbonate them.

37.5mL Averna
15mL Celery Seed Syrup
15mL “Glacid”
80mL “Poly-D Hard Water”
92.5mL Filtered Water

Batch, force carbonate at 45psi, garnish with lemon twist.

500ml Glacid:
298 grams water
15 grams tartaric acid powder
17 grams 88% lactic acid solution
252 grams food-grade vegetable glycerin
Combine, dissolve.

400ml Celery Seed Syrup:
250 grams granulated sugar
275 grams water
12.5 grams celery seeds
Simmer for two minutes. Cool. Strain.

1000mL Poly-D Hard Water:
110 grams polydextrose
890 grams room temp water
Blend

DEMO 2 – WILD TURKEY 101 JUSTINO

The “Justino” (pronounced whoo-stee-no) method creates a clear spirit by blending liquor with fruit, vegetables, or spices, adding the enzyme Pectinex Ultra SP-L (our third secret weapon), and spinning the mix in a centrifuge. Pectinex breaks down fruit structure, allowing for clarification in alcohol, which many enzymes can’t do. Clarified fruit juice adds sugar, acidity, and bitterness, familiar cocktail elements. We’re using Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon with Northern Territory KP Mangos (for acidity) and dried mango (for sweetness).

The Justino was born when Dave wanted a banana cocktail without the thickness of a smoothie. Blending bananas with booze and centrifuging them yielded a clear rum with pure banana flavor. The name stuck after a reporter asked him what to call it, and make sure you ask him about it next time you see him.

750mL Wild Turkey 101
220gm Fresh KP Mango
107gm Dried Mango
3mL Pectinex SP-L

Blend for 20 minutes. Centrifuge in Spinzall 2.0

Once you’ve spun your Justino it’s time to check your sugar and acid, and it often benefits from a dash or two of 20% saline solution. Most Justino’s need a twist (lemon, orange, grapefruit) to seal the deal.

DEMO 3 – ESPOLON BLANCO NITRO MUDDLING

Traditional muddling crushes ingredients to release fresh flavors but also activates polyphenol oxidases (PPOs), enzymes that cause herbs like mint to turn brown and taste muddy.

PPOs have two enemies: alcohol and vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid). Liquor (40% alcohol) disables PPOs, while citrus juice slows them down. However, regular muddling isn’t enough—PPOs act before alcohol reaches the leaves.

Our fourth secret weapon is liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen freezes herbs super quick, stopping PPOs and making our herbs brittle, allowing us to powderise them by muddling. After nitro-muddling, we thaw them in liquor to keep the herbs green. We then finish with citrus juice to neutralize PPOs completely.

60mL Espolon Blanco
22.5mL Fresh Lime
18mL Orange Syrup
7gm Parsley
2gm Lemon Myrtle

Add herbs to toby tin with enough liquid nitrogen to freeze. Thoroughly muddle so herbs are fully pulverised. Add tequila first, then remaining ingredients. Shake with one large block, and three small cubes, then fine strain into a chilled coupe.

Orange Syrup:
100gm Navel Orange Juice
78gm Sugar (Assuming OJ is 11 Brix)
Stir

Dave’s nitro-charged pointers:

• Don’t hold the bottom of the tin while muddling
• Herbs must be frozen – use the right amount of liquid nitrogen
• Thoroughly pulverize the herbs
• Add booze first to begin thawing
• Shake on a large cube
• Don’t forget to fine strain out all the fine herbs (and wash your tins really well!!)
• Don’t put nitro in a tin and seal it (you’ll end up with a bomb iykyk)

A huge thankyou to our helpers on the day, who had no idea what they were signing up for. We couldn’t have done it without you:

• Joey Tai
• Kelvin Low
• Elisabetta Luppi
• Kayla Saito
• Jack Somers
• Omar Alvarez
• Seb Borja
• Eoin Kenney

See you at the next Campari Academy!!

The discussion revolved around setting up the food pairing occasion and heroing food and dining personalities to help bartenders better understand the role that bitter plays in the before and after dinner occasion.

The event was staged in three courses of discussion and degustation, with snacks and drinks curated by our chef talent and Campari Academy team.

The event was held at Shell House, running from 4pm until 6pm, the perfect Monday Aperitivo.

Trisha Greentree (Fratelli Paradiso) and Aaron Ward (Shellhouse) were joined by Jordan Kretchmer (Gourmet Traveller) and Alex Boon (Pearl Diver).

WHAT YOU DRANK

THE MEZZANINE
40mL Del Professore Rosso
20mL 1757 Vermouth di Torino Extra Dry
10mL Campari
Dash Grappa

Add all ingredients to mixing glass
Stir over good quality ice until chilled and diluted
Strain into chilled coupette
Garnish with two fizzy grapes*

*Fizzy Grapes
20 grapes
1 isi soda siphon
3 Co2 cartridges

Fill soda siphon with chilled grapes and seal
Charge with 1 x Co2, discharge, then charge with remaining 2, and leave in chilled for at least 4 hours
Slowly release gas when ready

THE VELVET REVOLVER – ALEX BOON
40mL Amaro Averna
20mL Oloroso Sherry
10mL Wild Turkey Rye
10mL Banana & Shio Koji Caramel*

Add all ingredients to mixing glass
Stir over good quality ice until chilled and diluted
Strain into chilled coupette
Garnish with layer of coffee & bay leaf cream**

*Banana & Shio Koji Caramel
1kg over ripe banana
1kg under ripe banana
.1gm pectin x ultra
500gm caster sugar
100mL shio koji
1gm banana oil

Blend banana and add pectin and sous vide at 40 degrees for an hour then strain off juice.
Skins of banana are chopped and placed in sugar overnight.
Juice and sugar and then mixed with shio koji and banana oil over low heat then finely strained.

**Coffee & Bay Leaf Cream
3l full cream
1l full cream milk
500g fresh coffee beans
500g fresh bay leaves/chopped/shredded

Sous vide at 45 degrees for 1 hour
Strain off then whip it, whip it good!

How do you celebrate the amazing people and local legends who bring red passion and creativity to your neighborhood? The organisations who help shape and support your community? The local grocer or café whose passion or craft make your work trip that much more enjoyable?

This Negroni Week, we want to hear these stories.

We are taking it back to grass roots – a Cocktail for a Community, a Cocktail for a Cause.

How do you celebrate the amazing people and local legends who bring red passion and creativity to your neighborhood? The organisations who help shape and support your community? The local grocer or café whose passion or craft make your work trip that much more enjoyable?

This Negroni Week, we want to hear these stories.

We are taking it back to grass roots – a Cocktail for a Community, a Cocktail for a Cause.

Ciccio’s Negroni

30ml Salted Banana Infused Gin 
20ml Coffee 
20ml Campari
20ml Ciccio Coffee
15ml Sweet Vermouth / PX Sherry house blend 

Stir all ingredients over cubed ice
Strain into rocks glass over large cube
Garnish with orange wedge

How do you celebrate the amazing people and local legends who bring red passion and creativity to your neighborhood? The organisations who help shape and support your community? The local grocer or café whose passion or craft make your work trip that much more enjoyable?

This Negroni Week, we want to hear these stories.

We are taking it back to grass roots – a Cocktail for a Community, a Cocktail for a Cause.

Le Sbaliato (Campari, Vermouth, Grapefruit Sparkling Rhubarb Wine):

• 35ml Campari 
• 17.5ml Cinzano 1757 Rosso 
• 17.5ml Oscar Bianco 697
• 60ml Rhubarb wine 
• 5ml Grapefruit cordial 
• 35ml Water 

Everything carbonated and served on tap

How do you celebrate the amazing people and local legends who bring red passion and creativity to your neighborhood? The organisations who help shape and support your community? The local grocer or café whose passion or craft make your work trip that much more enjoyable?

This Negroni Week, we want to hear these stories.

We are taking it back to grass roots – a Cocktail for a Community, a Cocktail for a Cause.

How do you celebrate the amazing people and local legends who bring red passion and creativity to your neighborhood? The organisations who help shape and support your community? The local grocer or café whose passion or craft make your work trip that much more enjoyable?

This Negroni Week, we want to hear these stories.

We are taking it back to grass roots – a Cocktail for a Community, a Cocktail for a Cause.

Salted Cherry Negroni
30ml Salted-Cherry Campari
30ml Bulldog Gin
30ml Cinzano Rosso

Stir over ice in mixing glass- Pour over block ice in chilled rocks glass. Garnish with fresh cherry & orange twist.

Salted cherry Campari Recipe
Remove pits and stems from 30-40 cherries depending on size & ripeness. 
Throw the prepared cherries into a pot and muddle.
Add a few generous pinches of salt, a measure of sugar & 30mls of Heering Cherry Liqueur. 
Remove from heat once the mixture reaches boiling point.
Add a bottle of Campari and stir well.
Bottle everything together and refrigerate overnight.
Fine strain before use.