Cocktails on draft

[BoozeMedic]

Anyone have experience kegging cocktails? I want to put a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned (or maybe a Vieux Carre) in a 2.5 gallon corny keg and serve it from my kegerator. My question: what gas do I use to push it but not carbonate it?
CO2 will only carbonate it. Can I use nitrogen? Or will that cause it to be velvety and cascade like a nitro beer?

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Anyone have experience kegging cocktails? I want to put a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned (or maybe a Vieux Carre) in a 2.5 gallon corny keg and serve it from my kegerator. My question: what gas do I use to push it but not carbonate it?
CO2 will only carbonate it. Can I use nitrogen? Or will that cause it to be velvety and cascade like a nitro beer?

Wine on draft uses nitrogen or argon.

 

[gromitdj]

I believe nitrogen is what they use to push wine in a draft system so that it doesn't carbonate. Beers that are served on Nitrogen are typically carbonated with CO2 beforehand.

 

[day_trippr]

Most folks dispense stouts using a nitrogen/CO2 gas mix (aka "beer gas", with the CO2 component comprising 25 or 30%) at high pressure (typically 30-40 psi) through a stout faucet with a restrictor plate therein.

I would expect dispensing pretty much any non-carbonated beverage using straight nitrogen and a conventional faucet would provide satisfactory results. Sans any CO2 there won't be any head or cascade....

Cheers!

[edit] I believe wine dispensers use argon gas. I presume it's even less soluble than nitrogen.

 

[mongoose33]

Unless you're randomly using it, you could pressurize it enough to serve, then turn of the gas and pull the PRV when done. Not as elegant as some of those other solutions, but it's easy and it's free--at least you have the equipment already.

 

[BoozeMedic]

Thanks for the replies! If I use nitrogen or argon, what pressure do I push at to avoid the 'nitro' effect? Unless that's a non issue because it won't be carbonated?

 

[BBBF]

Just use enough pressure to dispense. You aren't trying to force the cocktail through a stout faucet.