Bingsu science
publish First seriously considered this 2023-12-22. Belongs in Project ideas.
Basic premise: I love the texture of bingsu. Why not make bingsu out of any freezable liquid?
Furthermore: what about alcohol in bingsu form? What if you opened a bar that sold it?
2023-12-22: Inception of this idea. Asked UDS staff what bingsu machine they use. They mentioned the mixture of sugar and milk has to be very precise in order for the texture to come out well. The guy pointed to a $1600 machine while scrolling through Amazon to see what he meant.
2023-12-23: Tried a few mixtures and packed em in the fridge:
Fingers crossed for something edible!
2023-12-26: Taste test with Cher! We tested:
| Num | Drink | W’s rating1 | C’s rating | W’s comments | C’s comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Milk, sugar | 8 | 9 | - Texture is great - Very melty though. Might not last long. - Not too sweet. | - Fluffy texture comparable (almost) to that at the cafe - Slightly too sweet - Melts very quickly |
| 1.2 | ” w/ more sugar | 6.5 | 4 | - A little too sweet - Ditto to the above | - Way too sweet - Texture same as above |
| 2.1 | Negroni | 1 | 1 | - Did not freeze | - Not frozen |
| 2.2 | ” w/ more sugar | 1 | 1 | - Ditto, except slight flakes of ice on the surface | - Not frozen |
| 3.12 | White Russian w/ more sugar | 4 | 6 | - Taste is great - Too melty. I liked the chunks I was able to eat though. If more frozen, I would buy. - Vodka seems to have not melted and pooled in a puddle… - … rating 6 for the puddle lol (I think the lack of texture made it better) | - Texture is gross but the taste is really good - Kind of like an ice latte but melted + very vodka-y |
| 3.2 | White Russian (normal) | 3 | 1 | - Not frozen. - Kinda ok though. Strong. | - Not frozen. |
| 4 | Gin and tonic | 2 | 2 | - No pls. - Gin did freeze - Texture is like that of shaved ice which is ok - But the taste is too strong | - Frozen but texture and taste are both gross - Pungent |
| 5 | Truly Lemon Tea | 6 | 5 | - Good! For taste. Not too sweet. But also not very flavorful - Texture is like the White Russian. Not great but not bad. Wish it were more frozen though | - Tastes like flakes of small, sweet ice cubes |
| 6 | Choya Umeshu plum liqueur | 5 | 4.5 | - Taste is surprisingly ok. Sweet. - Texture is bad. Big pts off for this. - Maybe needs more sugar/water/mixer (plum juice?) | - Texture is flaky and not fully frozen - Taste is decent — sweet but not overly so. |
| 7 | Orange juice | 7 | 7.5 | - OJ quality is discernably supermarket OJ - Taste is good-to-ok. Just like cheapish OJ. - Texture is snowy, not flaky. It is mediocre | - Texture is not of bingsu but small ice cubes. But it is fully frozen and internally consistent - Taste is sweet, like orange juice bursting in your mouth. Dessert-y. |
Left→Right→rowwise: 1.1 (milk), 3.1 (WR), 4 (gin tonic), 6 (Choya), 5 (Truly), 7 (OJ)
Conclusions:
- Many drinks have unpleasant, icelike textures.
- Dessert-y drinks translate well.
- Soju may be worth trying.
- These mixtures could be good garnishes.
- Probably worth iterating on mixtures with higher proportions of non-alcoholic ingredients.
- Milk tastes the best and has the best texture. It’s no wonder bingsu is made with it.
Results