A few weeks ago I put a new drink on the menu at The Usual called “Sour Grapes”, a mixture of Pisco, French vermouth, Velvet Falernum, lime, pineapple, and Gomme syrup. Of all the drinks I’ve come up with over the years I’m particularly proud of this one. It’s nuanced, balanced, and the flavor profile is very accessible. Almost everyone who has tried it has given really positive feedback about this drink. The problem is I’ve only been able to sell about 50 of them over the last three weeks. That esaily makes it the least selling drink on the menu at The Usual. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s my least selling drink of all time. What went wrong?
From what I can gather after talking to my guests it’s that most people have never heard of the majority of the ingredients in the cocktail. Obviously everyone is familiar with pineapple and lime, but Velvet Falernum and Gomme syrup definitely raise eyebrows. Throw in a little vermouth, an ingredient that has almost reached the status of pariah since its decline in popularity began in the 1950’s, and you’ve got a recipe for an unsuccessful drink.
I will say that I knew from the get go that this drink was going to have its troubles catching on. I’m not wholly unaware that ingredients that are commonplace in my world are going to be a stretch for the average guest. I just put this cocktail out there because I feel part of my role in the drinking world is to create drinks with fresh ingredients that people can just enjoy, but also to expand the palates and horizons of the guests that I serve. As per the latter part of the way I view my role in the grand scheme I would like to go ahead and introduce you to some of the more exotic ingredients you’ll find in cocktail bars that might sound weird but are really enjoyable. Let’s start with the ones I’ve already mentioned.
Pisco: Pisco is an unaged brandy from South America. Just like every other brandy in the world it’s made from grapes, but Pisco is a clear spirit because it’s not aged in barrels like most other brandies. Its flavor profile is citrusy and floral with distinct notes of ripe pear and has a rich mouth feel. If you’re ever feeling adventurous try a Pisco and Coke sometime. It’s a great way to get to know this spirit. Pisco Porton is a great brand that is readily available.
Velvet Falernum: This is a low proof rum-based liqueur that is spiced with lime zest, clove, allspice, and almond, among other things. In small amounts it can be used to give broad spicy notes to an otherwise bland drink. Any time you see this ingredient listed on a drink menu it’s probably going to be one of the more interesting drinks to try.
Gomme syrup: This ingredient is sometimes listed simply as “Gomme”. It’s just a simple syrup (sugar and water) with the addition of acacia bark, a natural and flavorless bark that acts as a thickener. Gomme syrup is used to give a cocktail a richer texture. There’s absolutely no reason fear this ingredient.
On to some other “strange” ingredients that are fairly commonly used:
Orgeat: Orgeat is made by using water to extract the oils from sliced almonds. The resulting mixture is then sweetened with sugar. After this, brandy and orange blossom water are added to complete the flavor profile. Needless to say it’s sweet, nutty, and floral concotion. Orgeat is one of the key ingredients in a Mai Tai which, by the way, is one of my favorite all time drinks.
Shrub: Shrubs are syrups that are made from seasonal fruit, vinegar, sugar, and spices. I know that might sound weird to some folks, but they have a wonderful bright, fruity flavor when made well and are awesome in summer drinks.
Amaro: The term “amaro” is a broad term. There are lots of different kinds on the market and they have a wide variety of flavor profiles, but you can almost always expect that this will be a low-proof liqueur that has a hint of citrus and a mild to exceptionally bitter finish. If you see this term on a menu you should probably find out what specific amaro is being used in your drink. Some brands are very palatable while others can be almost offensively bitter to the uninitiated.
Bitters and Tinctures: Like amari (the plural term for amaro), bitters and tinctures come in a wide variety of flavors. Tinctures are intense infusions of herbs, spices, fruit, fruit peel, and minerals into high-proof alcohol. Bitters are like tinctures, but they tend to be a balance of multiple ingredients infused into high-proof alcohol rather than just one ingredient. Both of these are used like the “salt and pepper” of the bar. All it takes is a few dashes to kick a drink up a notch. Bam!
I hope this little bit of information will leave you with a better understanding of some of the whacky things that we use to create cocktails these days. I know that the last thing anyone wants when ordering a drink is to get stumped by the menu, but I do encourage you to branch out a little. Most of the time these “weird” ingredients can be easily searched for on your phone or a staff member can happily explain what something is. Never feel as though it’s “uncool” to as a question. Us cocktail dorks love to answer questions. There’s a whole world of cool oddball ingredients out there just waiting for you to try and we hope that you’ll enjoy them.
P.S. Vermouth is awesome and Absinthe does not make you see green fairies.
