Gin and Tonic a la Achatz

The plans for Next and the Aviary, Grant Achatz's new projects, are moving along. Alinea Chef de Cuisine Dave Beran has been tapped to handle the duties at Next, with Chef de Tournant Craig Schoettler handling the goings-on at the Aviary.

Achatz tweeted over the weekend that he and Schoettler were "playing with sensation and texture in a gin and tonic," with a link to the above video (h/t Grub Street Chicago). "Playing with sensation and texture" seems to be an understatement. The gin and tonic Achatz is sampling in the video contains Anchor Junipero gin, yellow chartreuse and "cucumber alginate encapsulation." Think of it as a cross between a gin and tonic and a bubble tea.