Chapter 98

Chapter 98

Durand Cocktail

Alcohol, alcohol.

In fact spicy broth dishes and alcohol were a relationship hard to separate.

Koreans looking for alcohol at restaurants isn't because everyone is a heavy drinker, but I thought several times from before that perhaps good memories instinctively make one look for alcohol.

Just with spicy taste alone one can't enjoy dishes for long.

But in the spiciness complexly sublimated accompanying fat and sweetness, bitterness here rather the spicy taste is neutralized and stimulates appetite and the tongue doesn't tire easily.

Dopamine and endorphin continuously pour due to capsaicin stimulation, but substantial pain isn't felt so the hand keeps going!

While doing so blood circulation becomes active with warm broth, and continuous pleasure felt while the whole body relaxes!

Spicy broth and alcohol both raise body temperature, here alcohol had the effect of temporarily relaxing and expanding blood vessels.

So, if accompanying alcohol with spicy broth dishes blood circulation is promoted more greatly and emotional stability and comfort come, and due to this virtuous cycle of pleasure broth and alcohol become more craving... such principle that talk!

This isn't simply a socially learned preference!

It was science! A structure where broth and alcohol cause synergistic action and maximize enjoyment!

The reason one naturally can't help but like accompanying alcohol with spicy dishes.

Just in time now is late October, no matter how clear the weather in London a time when morning fog from sea wind pushed from the North Sea gradually feels cold.

Cold? If drinking spicy dishes body temperature rises and mood becomes good? Adding alcohol there more?

Just imagining the spine tingled!

Hiya, this is dangerous?

While living a new life I've stayed away from alcohol as much as possible, because I might unconsciously become unconscious and blab the secret of the previous life.

But seeing this pot full of soft tripe in broth extracted with a lot of peanut powder in fish broth, various vegetables, self-control gradually started becoming precarious.

If slightly wrong all three here might become dead drunk and be carried out?

But confronting this excellent tripe hot pot without one glass of accompaniment somehow felt like an insult.

"Then just one glass. There's one combination I just thought of, but I don't know if this will also suit the taste..."

"As expected Sir Durand! That's exactly London's elegance, right? Excellent dishes as expected need drinks!"

I stood up from the seat and opened the cupboard and took out the cocktail maker.

The conditions were obvious. Something to softly wrap the spicy taste, complexity to reinforce umami, and temperature and aroma that harmonize with hot broth.

Such alcohol is needed...

Britain's national liquor gin?

Similar to soju because distilled liquor but a bit stronger and powerful aroma liquor.

Originally Britain's national liquor was rum sailors drank, but at the end of the 17th century Dutch origin William III cheaply released a lot of Dutch distilled liquor gin and pushed out rum and even now the firm 1st in London consumption liquor.

But gin alcohol content isn't easy. Originally liquor drunk to get drunk so around 40 degrees, and because of this gin laborers who became alcoholics also became a social problem.

So to lower the alcohol content gin tonic mixing tonic water with quinine used by the British army for malaria prevention during the Boer War and sugar appeared and now a big trend at British pubs.

I also learned the gin tonic manufacturing method from the pub master.

But gin wasn't particularly my preference. Grain base so bitter and strong and herb aroma too excessive that talk?

So I decided to change the recipe a bit, in my way. Completely relying on past memories and current excitement, the sense of the tip of my tongue.

I took out something else instead of gin. Henry Westons, this level would be appropriate, right?

"Henry Westons? That's... cider, right?"

"Yes, fermented apple cider. Among Somerset origin there was an acquaintance so I obtained one glass and drank and it was okay."

"Good. I also like cider. Then quickly..."

"Wait a moment, this is better as cocktail. I'll make right away."

In southwest Britain Herefordshire or Somerset apple farming was prevalent, naturally they also brewed alcohol with that and sold a lot.

And alcohol content low around 8 degrees and soft so it fit my taste perfectly.

But thinking cider would be sweet is forbidden. In the fermentation process sugar is completely blown away by yeast.

What I want now isn't taste but aroma.

The tannin aroma unique to cider, and that freshness only fruit wine can give.

Here mixing tonic water full of carbonation, and slightly adding lemon juice and lime juice to bring out sour taste...

"Oh! This taste!"

"How is it?"

"Very... refreshing!! This is really a new drink! Not strong either, and thanks to carbonation the throat passage is also good! That there would be such a tremendous combination! Although a simple idea it's tremendous! People who enjoyed gin tonic if drinking this cider tonic might cry!"

"What, only the two of you enjoying? Sir Durand, can you pour me one glass too?!"

A feeling of modern lemon lime soda taste with just a bit of alcohol added?

I just thought but succeeded in one shot? Quite okay?!

In fact I knew. The word cider originally points to apple fermented liquor.

Calling lemon lime flavored refreshing drink 'cider' in Korea or Japan is just Konglish, in the West originally called such drinks lemon lime soda.

But I used apple fermented liquor, and created a low alcohol refreshing drink with taste and aroma similar to modern according to the original meaning!

Why not use white wine? That side acidity is strong so collides with spicy taste! Apple fermented liquor is neutral so doesn't collide!

Gulp, gulp.

And without time to stop the Countess of Albemarle, one-shot the cider cocktail I poured as is!

"C-Countess?!"

"Kkeu! Haa, that simple cider can change so refreshing and elegant with only lime and lemon! Sir Durand, can I take this recipe to the social party tomorrow? No, rather how about making a product hand in hand with me? I'll invest as much as one wants! To the point one can make right at this place, in a week commercialization would be possible!"

"Countess! That's cutting in line! The one who first tasted this drink is me!"

"Since I prepared this place, yield this much to me!"

No, why suddenly the two fighting?! Don't know peace and harmony?!

I caught both hands at the same time.

Sir Samuel's financial power, the Countess of Albemarle's power, and my fame.

Why not thinking of combining these three at the same time?

These greedy people!

"Just do together? I have no relation at all. If only giving shares well!"

"Is it okay?!"

"Of course. I have no particular interest in management rights. If you investigated me you'd know. I don't even operate the peanut butter company?"

"Ah... Really no greed as heard! I don't care!"

"I also don't care. If only Sir Durand officially recognizes..."

The moment, a board started being drawn vigorously in my head.

Big trend of gochujang in London! And spreading the British style tripe hot pot recipe utilizing gochujang as snack recipe to all front alley and back alley pubs utilizing my connections and Mr. Salvatore's mafia route, and strongly recommending this modified cider as accompaniment alcohol...

Although an idea just thought of, sufficiently likely to work!

Following peanut butter can become another back pocket of mine?

And receiving shares without investing even one penny of money, there was no more exciting matter than that!

"Give one more glass! This is too tantalizing amount!"

"Shall I? Then I'll manufacture one more glass. To sell one has to properly feel the taste."

"I'm always fine!"

Accompanying the tripe hot pot with steam rising and cider cocktail, we put our heads together and plotted for a long time.

Like that stomach full, around the time half the broth in the pot disappeared, with mood fully up thanks to alcohol a rough plan was completed.

"Then, Sir Samuel please acquire a food factory as quickly as possible and mass produce this gochujang (Red pepper hot sauce). I'll spread the recipe to pubs matching that."

"Good! Isn't this exactly the policy the Department of Food Innovation should push? If only lending the fame, I'll take responsibility and show making this cider cocktail a big trend! Probably permission will easily fall from above too. Gin tonic addicts are still a troublesome matter, I'll decorate as a good method to reduce that."

This person, how much money is he planning to pour that he keeps big talking saying he'll take responsibility, make trend?! Well a tycoon so he'll somehow do. Now I had no choice but to believe.

The Countess of Albemarle already face reddened and fully intoxicated with excitement. Actually saying she'd drink only one glass somehow became the fifth glass.

"Sir Durand, don't do that and let's pop one new business card right today! Later run to Smythson right away!"

The company name was also decided.

Royal Spicy Crown Company.

Why royal? That is well because the Countess of Albemarle declared she'd bring back some of His Majesty Edward VII's secret funds!

With only this one word operation permission and all legal procedures were scheduled to be processed in the blink of an eye.

And me? This time also don't touch management. Quietly exit and leave these two people to do on their own. Comfortably turn auto-hunt, no need to walk a thorny path.

Moreover planning to directly turn the Nutella business too, I didn't want to get involved in more bothersome matters.

Taking honor with knighthood, and if peanut butter and gochujang and Nutella factory only properly turn... wealth also ends up in my hand that calculation!

Then suddenly, the fact that the original purpose of this gathering wasn't new company founding came to mind.

"Oops, Countess, sorry, about my investiture matter..."

"Yes?"

I explained. And the countess simply gave the answer.

As soon as hearing those words I was astonished.

The talk we exchanged was up to here. End of recollection!

###

"Up to here was my explanation. Now the newspaper contents are acceptable, right?"

Hearing my explanation about the matter that occurred yesterday Mr. Henry and Mr. Doyle couldn't close their widely opened mouths.

"...Tremendous. A feeling of reading one detective novel. As expected tremendous. That there would be such behind story."

"Then you, this 'Durand Cider' that came out in the newspaper here by any chance..."

I covered my face with both hands.

Sir Samuel exactly kept the words he said. What method he used he disappeared like the wind, and corrected all newspapers in one day.

Exactly the plan to supply 'Durand Cider' added to the future business lineup of the Department of Food Innovation!

This is clearly what I said yesterday but rises in the newspaper in just one day? A speed impossible without discarding all already printed newspapers!

The reason was also plausible. A plan to drive out gin from pubs all over London, and eradicate all alcoholics with this drink.

If there was no decision from the upper line that one has to announce that tremendous plan when people's interest concentrates most, such correction would have been absolutely impossible.

In fact the British government intervening in alcohol production or paying subsidies or reducing liquor tax has occurred several times historically. William III also made gin a big trend like that in the past.

Of course with such grand slogans one couldn't eradicate alcoholism.

Just a harm reduction strategy of reducing drinking intensity with low alcohol drinks and alleviating harm.

But selling my name like this! From next week the letter bombs pouring on me would be five times for sure!

This was also the cause of my resignation. Did excitement rise unconsciously because of alcohol? When coming to my senses everything was all ended.

I have to quickly obtain a secretary, this.

"Anyway congratulations, special advisor. Special spicy stew and Durand Cider? Really looking forward. When are you thinking of entertaining that dish to us?"

"This evening, no, today would be a bit busy due to prior appointment. If coming tomorrow evening I'll entertain."

"Good, you promised! I have to definitely confirm once the taste of the offal dish that captivated that famous tycoon Sir Samuel!"

I also received one official position.

Temporary special advisor right below vice minister of the Department of Food Innovation and policy consultant.

This was the result of Sir Samuel gently coaxing saying if just putting the name up he'll give salary by deducting taxes even without any activity.

No commuting and no government activity. So I received. It's free money, right?

"Wait a moment, with only that Teacher Durand's such broken reaction isn't understood. Clearly there's a puzzle piece that escaped now."

"Puzzle piece?"

"Why didn't you talk about the dance partner? Didn't you intentionally let all flow now?"

"Aha! You, thinking about it originally calling the Countess of Albemarle was because of the partner matter didn't you say? How did that turn out? Why did you stop explaining midway?"

"That is..."

The Countess of Albemarle as befitting a social circles wide foot gave an excellent answer.

She said there's exactly one woman matching the conditions in current social circles and scared me a lot!

Even, although I didn't request she even arranged the promise herself. I was intoxicated by the atmosphere and nodded to the persuasion...

Ah so one shouldn't drink alcohol! But the various sweet words the Countess of Albemarle mobilized to persuade also had some reason, so I just closed my eyes and received.

And today's evening prior appointment was exactly that promise.

An invitation was slightly inserted and arrived among the large amount of letter piles.

"Mr. Doyle, is Colonel Ludwig well?"

"Colonel Ludwig? I haven't met recently. Ah, surely that recommended partner?"

"Yes, well it became so."

Colonel Ludwig and the Countess of Albemarle.

The Countess of Albemarle was the mistress of His Majesty Edward VII, Colonel Ludwig was the nephew-in-law of Edward VII.

And that Colonel Ludwig's daughter...

"Princess Alice! Teacher Durand, now became social partner with Princess Alice you met at Windsor Castle?! The Earl of Derby will scream!"

Actually it was so.