Bar manager Austin Hennelly from Los Angeles' Kato explores the importance of sugar in cocktails, recommending alternatives to simple syrup for enhanced flavors. They discuss various sweetening techniques, including using different types of sugar and spirits to create optimal flavor profiles. The conversation also covers crafting citrus-infused syrups, experimenting with unique ingredients like whey, and utilizing essential bartending tools for consistency and creativity.
Sugar is crucial in cocktails for balancing flavors and textures.
Using alternative syrups like Martinique cane syrup can elevate cocktail recipes.
Deep dives
Importance of Coffee Liqueur in a Cocktail
Using coffee liqueur in cocktails, like the espresso martini, is emphasized as crucial for flavor. Mr. Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur particularly stands out for using high-quality cold brew coffee, enhancing the cocktail experience.
The Role of Sugar in Cocktails
Sugar is highlighted as an essential element in cocktails for blunting the heat of alcohol, balancing acidity, and providing texture. The importance of incorporating sugar extends beyond sweetness to create a harmonious drink.
Exploring Syrup Versatility in Cocktails
Alternative syrups like Martinique cane syrup are promoted for enhancing cocktail flavor and texture. By utilizing different syrups based on flavor profiles, bartenders can elevate classic cocktail recipes to new levels.
Innovative Syrup Applications in Cocktails
Innovative syrup-making techniques like Oleosaccharum using citrus peels in sugar and unique liquids, such as rice milk, are highlighted for creating distinctive cocktail syrups. These methods open up endless possibilities for flavor experimentation in cocktails.
Austin Hennelly, bar manager at Los Angeles' Kato, joins us today for a masterclass on one of the four fundamental components of cocktails: sugar. If you're stuck in a simple syrup rut, you're absolutely missing out on a massive flavor opportunity, as Austin explains it, taking up valuable real estate with flavorless refined sugar and risking over-dilution with the ingredient's water component. What should you do instead? The answer is also simple: click play and listen to Austin's invaluable advice — and, hey, don't forget to like, review, and subscribe!