Alice's Winter Latte
A local collaboration brings you the Winter Latte you didn’t even know you needed! Whether it is the traditional version or the more spirited one, this latte is sure to give you a buzz! Featuring our ...
WHAT‘S COOKING
Crafty Cocktails
English Cucumber Mist filling the headspace of a drink
Years of perfecting their craft, a dash of ingenuity, and creativity are some key ingredients to the success of these Vermont-based businesses. Gather your family and friends and head to Après Cocktails + Wine in Stowe for a refreshing handcrafted cocktail in a unique setting. Explore the library of rare and exotic mists and elixirs at Alice & the Magician that promises to create better drinks, water, cocktails, and mocktails.
ALICE & THE MAGICIAN
FILLING THE HEAD SPACE
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY ALICE & THE MAGICIAN
Aaron Wisniewski has the aroma market humming. “The soul of flavor lives in aroma and is directly linked to the memory and emotions of our brain.” “How do I capture and bottle this moment?”
If Aaron’s musings don’t inspire you to learn more, add a few sprays of Sicilian Lemon mist in your water or drops of Ginger Elixir in your tea; your world of flavor will be transformed as ordinary drinks become extraordinary.
ARCHITECTURE OF A BEVERAGE
BY
Alice & the Magician®
Headspace is the area between the top of your drink and your nose. It is normally occupied by a small amount of aroma that escapes from the liquid. Since aroma accounts for 90% of flavor, filling the empty headspace with Alice & the Magicianʼs Beverage Aromatics will amplify the flavor of the drink like nothing you have ever experienced.
Infographic depicting how a beverage is structured and where aroma lives. © ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ALICE & THE MAGICIAN 2018
At Aaron Wisniewski’s company, Alice & the Magician, a creative and talented team of five capture and bottle the essence of fruit, herb, spices, and botanicals so you can create better drinks, water, cocktails, and mocktails. Spray Gin Botanical on tonic water and this concoction of juniper, pine, and bergamot will taste like a gin and tonic—sans the gin.
Aaron’s extensive background as a chef in fine dining restaurants that focused on new American fare with international influences began his journey to the world of aroma. His New England Culinary Institute training, and the flavors he created working in restaurants in New York City, Hawaii, and Savannah, Georgia, inform the lens he looks through with just about everything.
With an adventurous spirit, he traveled the world searching for unique, rare, and exotic flavors and techniques. In Majorca, he lived on an olive farm. In rural Vietnam he drank snake blood. And, in the mountains of Thailand, he discovered the fascinating “Green Markets” filled with aromas and botanical smells. His training in mixology and as a sommelier furthered his knowledge base and inspired him to start his business in 2013.
Fortunately for Vermont, Aaron had returned to his roots and to a community of like-minded adventurous souls. Amidst the majestic Green Mountains and with access to Lake Champlain, Aaron launched Alice & the Magician with his brother Sam, co-owner and chief financial person.
Rooted in science, food, wine, and spirits, Aaron and his capable crew are inspired by people, stories, and ingredients. They are obsessed with developing flavors that bring functionality, pleasure, authenticity, innovation, and sustainability to their creations. Bonfire Smoke mist is sweet, rich, smoky, and authentic like a burning campfire. Other flavors evoke unique experiences as well, including Rosemary Honey, Spicy Ginger, Citrus Sage, and Pine Forest mist.
You will not find Alice or a magician on the premises here. Rather, its clever name was inspired by the well-known classic, Alice in Wonderland, in which Alice discovers a bottle that says “Drink Me.” She shrinks then plummets down a hole to find her world transformed. Here, the “Alice” is the sensory experience of being transported through a moment in time or to a place. The “Magician” is the chemist behind the curtain who designs the experience for you. Operations manager Lindsey Carter shares this origin story with a playful spirit. She brings myriad talents to run a seamless operation with her coworkers that is fun and creative.
Exciting news on the horizon is the launching of a new line of beverages, Caribbean Mineral Water, made from the fruit of a guinep, also known as a Spanish lime. In addition to their own products, the team consults with a multitude of companies including Upstate Elevator to design flavors for their beverages.
Pick up some of their products and explore new places, people, and stories through a journey of science, travel, food, drink, and adventure. Visit their enticing website. This talented team behind Alice & the Magician offers us the experience of making ordinary drinks extraordinary.
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