There are two things you never want to compromise behind the bar: quality of ingredients and getting a drink to the customer quickly.
The newest mixers—a move to bottled, premium options versus the soda gun—satisfy both of these mantras. Combining fruit juices, bitters, syrups, and carbonated water—in either bottles or cans—they’re also available in trending flavors. They are sold both with alcohol and without, and today's options are often lower in sugar and calories, making them appealing to patrons.
“The options have gotten better. This hesitancy to use pre-packaged ingredients? I get it. [But] they’re so much better than they were 10 years ago,” says Lauren Paylor O’Brien, a mixologist who has worked at Silver Lyan in Washington, D.C. Through her beverage-consulting company LP Drinks, she now runs bar programs and develops menus for other bars and restaurants. She’s also a past winner of Netflix’s Drink Masters and, through her other company, Focus on Health, advocates for the health and wellness of the food and beverage industry.
Flavor & Variety in Mixers
Today's mixers offer a wide variety of flavors beyond the traditional cocktail blends the industry is used to. “Back in the day, you got your typical piña colada or margarita mix,” says Carlos Ruiz, a mixologist and bar consultant based in New York City who works with bars and restaurants on mixology, cocktail-menu development, training, inventory, and cost management. “Companies are getting more creative with flavors. Now you’re seeing lavender lemonade or cucumber watermelon, with a sprig of thyme.”
Some of the drinks Ruiz has created that rely upon mixers are Forbidden Fruit, Havana Nights, and Passionfruit from Miles Away (see recipes below).
Turning to mixers also means getting by with fewer ingredients on hand—without drastically altering the drink’s taste. In the end, this saves time in terms of research and development, too. “You can add that additional complexity without adding an [extra] ingredient,” says O'Brien.
Ruiz says the current mixers on the market also allow operators to cut down on costs without cutting out flavor. “Fresh ingredients won’t have that weird aftertaste [that mixers traditionally have embodied]," he says.
Mixers Cut Costs
Speaking of costs, mixers offer bar/restaurant owners a number of ways to save. “I do a lot of virtual cocktail events and in-person mixology events for my clients,” says Ruiz. “Sometimes the budget might not be there to buy herbs for infusing. At the end of the day, [mixers are] still fresh, lower in calories and in sugar.”
Another way to save money with mixers is to buy in bulk, says O’Brien, but you must have the extra storage space available.
Ruiz has a few tips. “Make as much space as possible in your fridge,” he says. “Or an ice bucket: fill it with ice and salt to keep everything cool. After you open them, you don’t have to refrigerate them.” One nice thing about having them in an ice bucket is they are easily accessible behind the bar.
Experiment with Mixers
Mixers can also be a holding place while you develop a new drinks menu or hire a mixologist to do so. “You might open up [your bar] and not have the money to pay that creative person,” says Ruiz. “If you don’t have that creative person behind the bar interested in creating new cocktails and innovative drinks, mixers are a good way to achieve that."
If mixers are new to your bar and they’re not moving as fast as you’d like, be creative. “Add it to a special cocktail created on the menu,” says O’Brien.
Ruiz also advises bar/restaurant staff to be creative when using mixers, “Everybody’s palate’s a bit different, so feel free to modify the recipe to, say, add a squeeze of lime to open it up a bit more. I always think of recipes as a guide and go from there. It all comes down to your own personal palate.”
Recipes
Forbidden Fruit by Carlos Ruiz
Ingredients:
2oz Carpano Dry Vermouth
1 oz. Fresh Grapefruit juice
1/2 oz. Lime juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
6-8 mint leaves
2 oz. Club soda
Directions:
In a Collins glass, add all ingredients. Lightly muddle, add club soda and ice, and stir until chilled. Garnish with mint.
Havana Nights by Carlos Ruiz
Ingredients:
2 oz. Club soda
1 lime wedge
8-10 mint leaves
3/4 oz. Homemade Grenadine
3/4 oz. Fresh lime Juice
2 oz. Magdalena Rum
Directions:
To make the grenadine, combine one cup of pomegranate juice and two cups of granulated sugar. Add it to a pot and turn it to medium heat. Keep stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Allow it to cool before bottling and add 2-3 dashes of orange blossom water. For the cocktail, in a Collins glass, add all ingredients, muddle, add crushed ice, stir, and garnish with mint, pomegranate seeds, and dehydrated lime wheel.
Passion Fruit From Miles Away by Carlos Ruiz
Ingredients:
1 oz. Passion Fruit juice
3/4 oz. Simple Syrup
3/4 oz. Fresh lime Juice
2 oz. Ten-to-one white rum
Directions:
In a cocktail shaker, add all ingredients. Shake with ice and strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a dehydrated lime wheel.
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