Into the mix: today's juices, mixers, purees and syrups offer a myriad of choices

Cheers, July-August, 2003 by Cheryl Ursin

Mixers, juices, purees, syrups: cocktail ingredients come in an increasing variety of forms and flavors. So, how do you choose which works best for your operation?

"The first question a new bar should ask itself is: What drinks does it want to be famous for?" says Philip Raimondo, director of drink development & training at Patrick Henry Creative Promotions, a food & beverage consulting firm based in Stafford, Texas. "Is it going to be a Martini bar? Feature frozen drinks? Or is it going to be a nightclub kind of place and serve everything?"

Then, Raimondo says, the operator can look for the ingredients -- including the mixers and juices -- needed to make those reputation-building drinks.

There are practical considerations as well, of course. At Foxwoods Resort & Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut, volume is so high and storage so limited that options available to most operations are out of the question. The busiest of the resort's 24-hour casino service bars, which produce complimentary drinks served in plastic cups for patrons on the gaming floor, keeps 14 servers and two bartenders hopping.

"The servers ice their own cups, then hold and turn the tray while calling out the drinks for the bartender, who has a liquor gun in one hand and a soda/juice gun in the other," says Robert Hertlein, Foxwoods's assistant beverage director.

Meanwhile, the resort, with 32 beverage outlets, doesn't have much storage, says Hertlein. This must be kept in mind when choosing a Bloody Mary mix, for example or frozen mixes, both of which require refrigeration during the day. "It's all bag-in-a-box or you keep it in the well and then refrigerate at night," explains Hertlein.

And customer expectations have to be considered too. In an effort to accommodate its customers' varying tastes, Foxwoods switched to Bloody Bold, a Bloody Mary mix known for its middle-of-the-road spiciness. "Our patrons are pretty mainstream and we needed something most of them will like. Some don't like too spicy and you can always spice it up for those who do," explains Hertlein.

On the other end of the spectrum, the considerations are different. Town, often named in NYC press as having the best cocktails in town, prides itself on having a "three-star" bar -- and charges accordingly. "We charge $14 per drink, so you're going to get a $14 drink," says Andrew Goldberg, who manages the restaurant's lounge.

To live up to its reputation, Town must make careful bar-business decisions. So cost considerations, such as the price of the ingredients or the extra labor involved -- Town's bartenders arrive at 2 p.m. to prepare fruit purees for the evening's business -- are different than those of a more standard restaurant. "It's definitely more expensive, but then we're charging $14. And we're doing well with it," explains Goldberg.

Why purees? Why not juices? Why not a flavored liqueur? "The thickness and the quality, there's just such a difference," says Goldberg. "With our Apple Martini (made with Ketel One vodka and apple puree), you feel like you are eating apples. You are not blown away with alcohol."

Kathy Casey, a Seattle-based food-and-beverage consultant, attracted national attention when she appeared on the Food Network program, "Unwrapped," and urged people to become "cocktail snobs."

Is Casey against using prepared mixes? Not necessarily. In fact, she has recently come out with her own line, called Kathy Casey Dish D'lish Cocktailors.

"They are shelf-stable, but we worked very hard to make sure they are super-delicious," she says. There are three versions: Classic Cosmo, Sapphire Mojito and Lemon/Lime Sour.

"Squeezing lemon, lime and orange to order: if you can get that to work, that's great," says Casey, "but if you're doing any volume, it's going to be difficult. Many of our clients do use fresh, but I think many are going to switch over to our new products."

MIX IT UP

When it comes to spirits, the key trends have been an increased consumer interest in quality and brand recognition. Those trends seem to be spilling over to mixers and other non-alcohol ingredients. Mott's, for example, introduced a new version of its Mr & Mrs T Bloody Mary mix Premium Blend, in February. Made with 100% juice and all-natural ingredients, Premium Blend was developed at the Culinary Institute of America.

Mott's has also just introduced Rose's Cocktail Infusions, extensions of the best-known brand of prepared lime juice. Rose's Cocktail Infusions come in three flavors: Cosmo, Sour Apple and Blue Raspberry.

"At high-end restaurants, where they are making premium cocktails, quality is important and, often, these operations try make their cocktail ingredients from scratch," says Tony Jacobs, marketing director for Motts's mixers and foodservice division. "What we're trying to do is offer products that meet that 'from scratch' level of quality."

Other major mix brands sell themselves as quality products. Daily's touts that its products are made with real fruit puree and juice. So does the fast growing Island Oasis, whose frozen products contain no preservatives, artificial colors or flavorings.