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Industry Veteran Jeremy Parsons on the Backbar Jar And Flavored Spirits
As
owner and founder of beverage marketing and event management agency
Cocktails - The Fluid Experience, Jeremy Parsons has observed the
flavor revolution in cocktails from the eye of the hurricane. His time
with the shaker has led to some interesting drinks using flavored
spirits, as well as in-house infusions.
Parsons recently chatted with NCB regarding flavored and flavor-infused spirits. NCB: How long have you been working with infusions and overall flavored spirits?
JP: About eight years. I was in Toronto, and I was working with
a chain of bars that were using fresh-fruit infusions. And they had a
problem with the consistency of flavor, so I actually developed a full
line of all-natural, dried infusions called Mixology. Basically there
were six different flavors, and you poured this test tube of different
spices and flavor into the bottle, then decanted it after following the
directions. Essentially that eliminated an inactive product on their
shelf. (Using fresh fruit rather than dried fruit) was constantly
changing their flavor profile. I am not making them anymore. I will
design specific ones for bars to use, but I haven’t been doing that
lately.
NCB: What was your first experience making an infusion?
JP: I just decided to do it myself. I did a strawberry/blueberry infusion in vodka.
When I was doing that, it was pretty cutting-edge stuff. You just
didn’t see it in different bars at all. I was doing it for a special
event. I think we left it in there for about a week before we were
going to serve it.
NCB: Do you leave certain food products in longer?
JP: It’s all different, depending on the fruit you are using and
the ripeness of the fruit. When you are doing anything, even like
muddling or pulverizing with different fresh fruit, you are going to
want to taste it first — because the ripeness is going to make a huge
difference in the flavor and also the absorption of the alcohol –– and
the reverse, the essential oils of the fruit going into the alcohol.
Essentially what you want to do is, when you are doing any of this
stuff, you don’t put the fruit in whole. You poke holes in it or peel
the rind or make slits in the fruit to allow alcohol to permeate the
skin and get into the pit and the flesh and, sometimes, the actual
peel, depending on what you are using.
NCB: Do you think infusions are a trend or are they here for the long haul?
JP: Well, take Poir William. There is actually a pear in that
bottle, and that liqueur has been around for a very long time. What
they do is they actually take the bottles and put them on the exposed
branches of pear trees, and the pears actually grow inside the bottle.
Then they pull them off the branch and put the liqueur in there. So you
have a full pear that has been sitting in there for forever. It’s an
incredible liqueur.
I think what it is, is there aren’t enough people who actually take the
time to know how make a great infusion. They are so trial-and-error and
require such an understanding of how porous fruit is. The other problem
is, when you are using fresh fruit in an infusion, you have to go
through a lot of it in a short amount of time. Say the infusion is
ready in two weeks; you only have a certain amount of limited lifespan
before the flavors really start going off. And, also you have to start
worrying about bacteria as well. When it’s bad, you get a milky
particulate in the bottom of the vats. How much air is in the container
has a massive effect. Air is going to speed up the death cycle. That is
why removing what you are infusing will always increase the lifespan.
NCB: Is anywhere training mixologists and bartenders on infusions specifically?
JP: It is sort of all over the place. I haven’t heard of anyone
who is really pushing any of that in the schools. In my book, I talk
about how to do it. People are looking to books more than anything, and
you get the odd person who is willing to put in the time of trial and
error.
NCB: What are common mistakes bartenders make when preparing infusions?
JP: Thinking that all spirits taste the same. So whether they
are using Skyy vodka or Grey Goose or Finlandia, thinking that when you
put the fruit in there it is going to come out the same, and it
doesn’t. When you put in fruit it brings out different notes that are
already existing in those spirits and the key ingredients. It is always
important to understand the base profile of your spirit before you
start
putting in the different fruits, because it will taste different with every
single product.
NCB: Do you think it is necessary to use a premium spirit?
JP: I don’t think you need to use a premium, but you have to
understand the character of whatever you are using. That is the most
important thing.
NCB: Besides vodka, what are some good combinations to try from a spirits side?
JP: Sake is great for infusions, especially to do a tea
infusion. The tea blends –– that is where you are going to see a
massive trend. It is going to be a big hit with consumers. Instead of
using fruit, you are using the herbs in the tea leaves. Gin is great. I
have done rums, tequilas, everything. I wouldn’t start messing around
with scotch, but almost everything is fair game. Say you are doing a
bourbon. I did a Woodford Reserve, and I infused that with dried Bing
cherries. That was an incredible infusion, and I use it for cooking and
all kinds of stuff. Again, I was using dried fruit and I scooped out
the dried fruit, which was full again with bourbon, and used it for
garnish in Manhattans.
NCB: How should an operator market his infusions?
JP: I think it is important for them to not put a thousand
different drinks on the menu. You don’t want to confuse the consumer.
Put a nice back bar display together because the colors are so
appealing, and also coordinate your menu to explain what it is and
describe flavoring. Also, explain it properly to your staff.
NCB: How can a place that is not a heavy Martini/fruit cocktail-based demographic add infusions successfully to their lineup?
JP: I would use dry fruit then and strain out the liquid from
the fruit when the infusion is done. So now you have a colored spirit,
and you are dealing with a safer substance with a longer shelf life.
NCB: What do you see on the horizon for flavored spirits, specifically infusions?
Definitely I think the dried teas –– that is going to be big.
NCB: Flavored spirits continue to hit the market, such as
entries from Boru, Smirnoff, SKYY and the myriad flavored liqueurs such
as Hiram Walker Pomegranate, just to rattle off a very few. When are
infusions a good idea, and when do flavored spirits make more sense?
JP: Well, there are some great flavored products out there.
Infusions aren’t for every bar. It takes a ton of time, patience and
knowledge, and sometimes the investment is not feasible. Some flavored
spirits are great, and some flavors are just too hard
to duplicate through infusion, so other methods produce a more desirable product. NCB
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