Over the past couple years,I've given you the recipes for making exotic cocktails. In this post,I'll be reviewing some of the ingredients used to make them. After all,a cocktail is only as good as what you put in it.
Orgeat is a sweet almond syrup that's common in Tiki drinks,but kinda rare in traditional bar cocktails. That's why it can be hard to get a decent Mai Tai at a foo-foo bar despite them having top shelf liquors.
Fee Brothers - my go to. Nice flavor,decently priced,not too hard to find.
1883 - my other choice when I can't find Fees. A little better but pricier,and I've been able to find it regularly at one of my local liquor stores. My favorite so far.
Liquid Alchemist - good,but pricey. It also tends to go bad faster than some of the others. Ok if you're going to be using it quickly,otherwise I'd go with Fees or 1883.
Small Hands Foods - Pricey. Works well in a Mai Tai,but because it has apricot,it tastes different than other orgeats,so no guarantee it'll work in every drink. Given the price,I'd only recommend it if you want to experiment.
Torani - I'm a big fan of Torani syrups…except this one. The Doctor from Tiki Bar TV used it in an interview,so given that plus their other syrups I was excited when I finally found a bottle. But it has a funny aftertaste that I can't get past. After I went through the bottle I stopped using it.
Giffords - another big name,another funny aftertaste. I don't recommend this one either.
Toschi Orzata - more almond forward than the others,but I liked it. It was interesting in that it had a bit of an aftertaste until it had been in the fridge for awhile and thickened up. Works well if it's what your local shops carry,just keep it in the fridge.
BG Reynolds - very almond forward. It also tasted odd in a Mai Tai. While I'm a fan of their other syrups,this one is a pass for me.
Torani - my go to when I can find it. Nice cinnamon burn(think Altoids) and reasonable price.
Monin - not as strong as Torani. If you like cinnamon flavor but not the burn,this is the one you want.
Trader Vic's - good flavor,reasonable price,wait for sales at TV's site and stock up.
Torani - comparable to TV's,a good choice if you can find it locally and don't want to pay/wait for shipping.
BG Reynolds - pricey,but the flavor is more like passionfruit juice than syrup. Good stuff if you're willing to pay.
Grenadine is made with pomegranate,but it's not the same as pomegranate syrup. It's sweeter and more candy flavored. If a recipe calls for grenadine you'll want to use it instead of pomegranate syrup to get the taste right.
Torani - my go to. Pretty much does what you want it to.
Trader Vic's - also good,but has to be ordered online.
Monin - their grenadine is good,but they also make pomegranate syrup which tastes different,so make sure the bottle says grenadine.
Master of Mixes - found at just about every grocery store,it's the cheap stuff. Works,but has lots of sugar. Use if you're on a budget.
Simple syrup is called so because it's just sugar and water. Regular simple is 1:1,rich is 2:1(twice the sugar),and rock candy is 3:1. Demerara syrup is just made with Demerara sugar to give a richer flavor. You can easily make it at home,but store bought will have preservatives so it will last longer. If you're going to burn through a bunch for a party then you can make your own,but if the bottle is going to stay in the fridge for months then buy the store bought so it will last. Since it's just sugar water I'm not going to recommend a specific brand because it's not something you can really mess up.
Created on the island of Curaçao,this is an orange liqueur made with brandy. Valencia oranges were brought to the island by Spanish settlers,but they didn't grow well in the climate and turned out bitter. Some enterprising soul figured out that the dried skins could be used to flavor liqueur and this would later be used to make the Mai Tai. By the way,blue curacao is just orange with blue coloring,the flavor is the same. Triple sec is similar but made with less sugar so it's drier(more bitter/sharper). No-one is really sure where the appellation 'triple' came from,but many erroneously think it means triple distilled. Most Tiki drinks that call for orange liqueur use curacao,using triple sec will change the flavor.
Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao - the default for just about every recipe that calls for curacao. Good stuff and my go to.
Curaçao of Curaçao - one of the original brands from the island of Curaçao,it's also very good,but can be hard to find. Their blue curacao is pretty much the highest quality blue made.
Cointreu - Cointreu is a triple sec,not a curacao,but is specified in some recipes. Cointreu used to have triple sec in their name,but dropped it to distance themselves from the lower quality stuff. If the recipe calls specifically for curacao,use that,but if it calls for triple sec this is the one to use.
Grand Marnier - pronounced "mar-nay",this is curacao made with cognac instead of regular brandy. It tends to come forward in a drink,so use regular curacao unless the recipe specifically calls for this.
Créole Shrubb - an orange liqueur used in Kevin Crossman's Ultimate Mai Tai,this is made with rum instead of brandy. Brighter and sweeter than the other two,it makes a nice Mai Tai. I only use it for Mai Tais as the flavor can change the taste of other drinks too much.
A spiced(think sweet not hot) syrup or liqueur that comes in different flavors. The correct pronunciation is "fay-ler-numb",by the way,but many people will try to correct you with "fah-lair-numb".
John D Taylor's Velvet - my go to,and one of the oldest brands out there. Donn Beach used it,and that's good enough for me. It's sweet and creamy with spice. If a recipe calls for falernum,use this.
The Bitter Truth Golden - I used this at first because I didn't know the difference,now I only use it in one recipe that specifically calls for it. It's got a brighter,more citrus-y flavor. It will really come forward in a drink,so unless you really like it,I'd stick to Taylor.
Maggie's Farm - I like their rum,and decided to try this after folks talked it up online. It's very lime-y with lots of ginger. Very different from Taylor's. I didn't like it at all and wound up giving the bottle away after trying to use it twice. It's also more expensive and harder to find than the others,so unless you really want to experiment I'd skip it and stick to Taylor.
Remember the old computing adage;garbage in,garbage out. Use the good stuff and your drinks will turn out right. And follow my blog and you won't waste your rum. Booyakasha!
