Liquid Libations

Just as any successful dining establishment builds its menu on fresh ingredients, so do their cocktail lounges.

While experts cite fresh ingredients, such as fresh-squeezed lemons, limes and other citrus, as the biggest trend going with cocktails, the fresh trend is really a throw-back to the invention of the cocktail.

Cocktails were invented in America in the early 1800s with the intention of using fresh ingredients, says Ryan Magarian, Master Mixologist and Senior Beverage Associate for Kathy Casey Food Studios, Seattle, Wash. He also operates his own company, Liquid Kitchen. “After the prohibition, (bars) began to take shortcuts, which cut the quality. Now that we’re much more savvy with food and wine and flavor, (consumers) are demanding better cocktails, and fresh ingredients are part of that.”

As a restaurant bar consultant, Magarian’s goal is to create a culture of passion and excellence. He tells the story of the American cocktail and gives deep explanations, offering a “college course” in mixology, which he believes gives better long-term results.

Accent with taste

Lemon and lime balanced with a sweetening agent form the foundation for such classics as the Cosmopolitan, Lemon Drop, Margarita and Mojito. From there, Magarian encourages bar managers to branch out and add another citrus for an accent. “I may use lime as a base citrus but accent with a bit of fresh grapefruit. The same with orange. For the classic “Side Car” with brandy, cointreau and fresh lemon juice, I like to add a fun twist with a fresh squeeze of tangerine or orange,” he says.

Using seasonal citrus, the rich flavor and color of Blood Oranges goes well with Mojitos, Magarian adds.

If you plan to use citrus as a drink garnish, he suggests using a wedge rather than a wheel so the guest can add additional flavor to the drink with a squeeze. “A wheel doesn’t offer any ability to modify the drink.”

For added aroma and flavor, Magarian likes to take a potato peeler to the lemon, orange or grapefruit and disperse the oil over the drink. “Smelling the cocktail is part of tasting it,” he says, adding, “The citrus oil is also flammable, so some like to flame the citrus oil. They light a lighter and disperse the oil through the flame for a beautiful presentation.”

Magarian says he believes that the best equipment to juice the citrus is an electric hand juicer. “An electric juicer grinds into the pith, which adds bitterness to balance the drink.”

Moving into Chains

While high-end, independent operators are championing the “fresh ingredient” cause in mixed drinks, casual dining establishments will move that direction in the next year or two, says David Commer, President of Commer Beverage Consulting, Carrollton, Texas, who helps clients create and implement beverage strategies.

He believes that fresh squeezing juice at the bar is more difficult for chains to pull off. “Experienced bar chefs can squeeze lemons and limes, add in the syrup and get just the right mix, and they have the ability to customize as needed based on the flavor of the fruit that week at that location. When you get to the chain environment, you don’t often have someone with that skill set or that capability in every one of the locations.”

For restaurants that don’t use fresh-squeezed juice for the base, Commer has noticed in the last two years that more of them add a few squeezes from a citrus wedge or two just before serving the drink. “It enhances the aroma that comes when you raise the drink up, to bring that freshness into the experience.”