Better Beverages

Fresh Citrus and the Beverage Industry – An Interview with Tony Abou-Ganim

In the 25 years Las Vegas beverage consultant Tony Abou-Ganim (aka The Modern Mixologist) has worked in the beverage industry, he says this is the most exciting time he’s ever seen behind the bar.

The world of mixology is headed back in the “fresh” direction – the way it used to be before the prohibition, he says.

“This being said, I would say that we are just scratching the surface of those establishments who are truly embracing the ‘fresh’ movement,” he says. As he travels the country giving seminars and training bar tenders, he notes that it’s mainly New York, San Francisco and a little of Chicago that really embrace the idea of fresh. “For the most part, people are thinking this is a whole new way of thinking, which shows me there’s a great opportunity.”

He uses that opportunity to teach bars how to implement a fresh program. Here is his advice for getting started.

1. Get over the idea that fresh-squeezing the fruit is more expensive. He suggests figuring out which of your drinks use citrus juice, such as Sunsplashes, Margaritas, Cosmopolitans, etc. Then, through your front-end POS system, track how many of those drinks you actually sell. “Look at that number. You might be surprised it’s not as much fresh juice as you assumed it would be. But then add 15% onto that. When (guests) taste your new crafted fresh drinks, sales of those will increase. Now you have a working number to go with.”

2. Dedicate someone to oversee the fresh program. That person should understand the program and be responsible to make sure the fruit is fresh, set up the juicer, determine how much juice is appropriate to squeeze each day and make sure it gets done. It may take one hour each morning to juice the fruit, but then it’s done for the day.

If you’re concerned with the labor cost of having someone squeeze the juice, that person will be there anyway. Consider this an apprenticeship to raise the next generation of bartenders who understand the importance of fresh drinks. That’s where Abou-Ganim got his start.

With oranges and lemons, he figures that juice squeezed in the morning can hold through lunch the next day. Limes, on the other hand, are best squeezed per drink.

3. Work with your vendors to make sure you are ordering the right type of citrus for juicing. “You don’t necessarily want the best-looking Navel oranges for juice, but Valencias. Same with lemons. You don’t always want the most attractive fruit for juice. Save those for garnishes. Make sure you are buying the right sizes of limes, 200 to 220 count, with a nice green color and thinner skin, soft and pliable, which yields a lot of juice.”

For lemons, he recommends thin-skinned fruit 160 to 180 count. “I’ll juice lemons differently. Use the hand juicer for limes at the point of making the drink, and with lemons, at the beginning of the shift on a commercial

4. Store the fruit correctly. “Don’t store it in the cooler before you juice it. Cold fruit is stingy with juice. Keep the fruit at room temperature before you juice it. If it’s really cold, put it in warm water for a little while.”

5. Instead of buying sweet and sour bottle mixes, make your own fresh lemon sour. Use two parts of fresh, filtered lemon juice to one part simple syrup. If a drink calls for 3 ounces of sweet and sour mix, you can use 2 ounces of your own mix. “You’re using less quantity for better flavor and it’s fresher,” he says. And if you compare the price with your bottle mix, you might be surprised to find it’s cheaper to make your own.

Tony Abou-Ganim operates his own beverage consulting firm specializing in bar staff training, product education and cocktail development.

He previously was selected to create the cocktail program at Steve Wynn’s $1.7 billion Bellagio Las Vegas Resort where he developed hundreds of original cocktails for the resort’s 22 bars.

His specialty drinks have been featured in many top consumer magazines, and he received the Gold Medal for the United States in the 2003 Bacardi-Martini Grand Prix World Finals held in Turuin, Italy.

His cocktail tips can be seen daily on the Fine Living Network as part of its “Essentials” series. He is working on his first book, “The Modern Mixologist.”

Following are a few of Tony Abou-Ganim’s favorite drink recipes

Hemingway Daiquiri
Created in 1921 by renowned barman Constantino Ribailagua at the El Floridita Bar in Havana, Cuba.
1 ½ ounce 10 Cane Rum
Juice of one small lime (approx. 1 ounce)
1 ounce simple syrup
¼ ounce Maraschino Liqueur
¾ ounce fresh-squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice

In an ice-filled mixing glass, add 10 Cane Rum, lime juice, simple syrup, Maraschino liqueur and grapefruit juice; shake until well blended. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Tangerine Caipirosca
2 ounces Finlandia Mango Vodka
¼ fresh tangerine, quartered
½ fresh lime, quartered
1 ounce simple syrup

In a mixing glass, muddle lime and tangerine with simple syrup, add Finlandia Mango; shake with ice. Dump entire drink into an old-fashioned glass. Add more ice and swizzle stick.