Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology working in collaboration with chefs at ThinkFoodGroup in Washington D.C. have developed innovative floating cocktail drink garnishes that rely on the principle of surface tension to move across the top of your drink.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology working in collaboration with chefs at ThinkFoodGroup in Washington D.C. have developed innovative floating cocktail drink garnishes that rely on the principle of surface tension to move across the top of your drink.
There are two edible drink accessories including a boat that skims the surface of a drink, and a flower shaped pipette that collects a sip sized amount of the drink from the top while it floats.
Propelled by the surface tension from high proof alcohol leaking out of the side, the boat garnish design was inspired by a species of insect that can walk on water.
The flower is a capillary origami design based on the shape of floating flowers in nature.
It picks up the liquid one drop at a time and uses surface tension so that the petals don’t leak.
Rubén García, the research and development director for ThinkFoodGroup is quoted as saying: “They’re not perfect yet. R&D is a big team, and we don’t put anything on the menu until everyone is pleased.”
Prototypes of the cocktail garnishes were debuted at the ThinkFoodGroup headquarters using raspberry gelatin for a mold, but they won’t be released or distributed to bars yet.