Luxurious Liqueurs, Classy Cordials Sweeten Sales with These Fabulous Flavorings
By Brenda Owen
Liqueurs are to cocktails what icing is to cupcakes — they
top off mixed drinks
with a sweet flavor that lingers on the palate and leaves consumers
satisfied and smiling.
The largest category in terms of number of brands and flavors and the
third largest in terms of volume, cordials and liqueurs can contain up
to 50 percent alcohol, and are indeed sweet by their very definition,
which says they must contain at least 2.5 percent sugar by weight.
Although they are normally used in small amounts in mixed drinks,
cordials and liqueurs can add the spark that sells the cocktail.
Family Connection
Award-winning chef Pascal Oudin of Pascal’s on Ponce in Coral Gables,
Fla., makes a delicious $9 cocktail — the Nathalie, named after his
daughter. A top-seller, this cocktail is composed of Champagne and a
peach liqueur — Crème de Peche de Vigne, which the chef brings from his
hometown Bourbon Lancy, France. Oudin claims that there is nothing
comparable and he will only use this particular brand, but he suggests
bartenders who want to duplicate the recipe can use a high-end peach
schnapps or liqueur.
“The Nathalie works well for many different reasons,” Oudin says. “The
cocktail’s flavor and appearance match my restaurant’s cuisine and
ambiance. The light and fruity flavor also complements Miami’s hot
weather. Its name works with the fact that I use the crisp and fruity
liqueur that comes from my hometown. People love that — especially my
regulars. It is our top seller, and has become our signature cocktail.”
Flights of Fancy
From samples of aperitifs to dessert drinks, and everything in between,
restaurants and bars are crafting new and innovative “flight” options
for adult consumers giving them a chance to compare small samples of
different spirits, mixed drinks or dessert beverages. They are using
distinctive barware and recipes to highlight a specific spirits
category or cocktail theme, offering customers a unique dining
experience.
“The wonderful thing about the flights trend is that it provides
consumers with an opportunity to sample a small quantity of several
high-end ... cocktails in a responsible manner,” says Frank Coleman,
senior vice president of the Distilled Spirits Council.
A flight is created for groups of diners, allowing them to compare a
selection of small samples of interesting cocktails or creative
concoctions, such as alcohol flavored frozen desserts.
Shawn Kelley, director of public relations for the Distilled Spirits
Council, says cocktail flights are surpassing wine flights as the
newest way of adding originality to a bar menu, because they “allow
bartenders to offer their adult clientele a sampling of new tastes and
flavors.”
At Sugarcane Bar & Lounge at SushiSamba in New York City, Paul
Tanguay, who created the bar menu, says, “With so many cocktails to
choose from, our diners often have trouble settling on just one.”
At Sugarcane, guests may sample from a wide selection of creative cocktail choices in a cast-iron “Cocktail Tree.”
“Basically there are 12 shots on the Cocktail Tree for $50 and out of
our whole cocktail list, customers may select three of those — four
shots each of the same cocktail,” Tanguay says. Customers may choose
only one or two flavors for their 12 cocktails, but no more than three
different ones.
“Probably the most interesting cocktail we offer is the Sho Zen
cocktail,” he says, a mixture of Zen Green Tea liqueur and Shochu, a
distilled sake, somewhat similar to vodka. “People want to try it
because it’s new and different, and the Zen Green Tea liqueur
definitely fits in with the SushiSamba concept — Japanese.
Another favorite at Sugarcane is the Cucumber Martini, made with Sochu,
muddled cucumber, sugar and Licor No. 43, a Spanish vanilla liqueur
named for the number of ingredients that go into making it.
Top of the Line
Thomas Wilson, beverage director for MAS, a fine dining restaurant,
also in New York City, says his staff makes most of their cordials,
bitters and liqueurs on-site. But, he does use three high-end,
ready-made brands in some of his most popular cocktails.
“We stick with the classics — Luxardo Mara-schino, Godiva and Cointreau,” Wilson says.
Cointreau is used in a $12 Grapefruit Martini that begins with organic,
house-infused citron vodka. “We use Rain Vodka from Kentucky, which is
made with 100 percent organic grain, and we infuse that with organic
botanicals. Then it’s mixed with freshly-squeezed organic grapefruit
juice and a dash of Cointreau liqueur,” Wilson says.
The Grapefruit Martini is served in a glass rimmed with Tahitian vanilla vintage sugar and salt.
“We also have a really special signature drink we feature during
truffle season,” Wilson says. “This is a Truffle Martini. We use very,
very expensive black Périgord truffles in this drink. These mushrooms
can cost thousands of dollars for a single truffle, and we use fresh
truffle shavings to infuse our organic vodka and a little bit of
truffle juice. It’s slightly briny-tasting truffle juice. This vodka is
then combined with white and dark Godiva chocolate liqueurs, then
shaken and straight into a chilled Martini glass. But before it is
served, we take hot organic cream that is steamed in our kitchen, and
the hot cream is layered on top of the cold Martini and a few fresh
truffle shavings are put on top of the cream.
“As far as the amount of truffles that go into making (it), our $20 price tag is a real bargain,” Wilson says.
To let his customers know about his ever-changing list of delicious
dessert, Wilson says, “We have dessert wine list that has ports, single
malt scotches, dessert wines which we feature very heavily and when we
do have a special cocktail such as the Truffle Martini, we add that to
the list. The list is handed out, but also noted by the waiter.”
Wilson says the attributes that make up a good dessert cocktail are
that they pair well with dessert foods as well as cheese and be
digestible after a long meal. “Simplicity is best,” he says. “None of
the cocktails on my list have more than three or four ingredients. I
like a cocktail that allows the component liquor to shine through. If
it’s made with gin, I want to taste that gin. So, I keep the ratio of
liqueurs and mixers quite low.” NCB
Peachy Keen
Chef Pascal Oudin of Pascal’s on Ponce in Coral Gables, Fla., shares
his recipe for the Nathalie Cocktail, named after his daughter, and
composed of Champagne and a special peach liqueur — Crème de Peche de
Vigne — which the chef brings from his hometown Bourbon Lancy, France.
Oudin says, however, that any high-end peach schnapps or liqueur will
work.
Nathalie Cocktail (Serves one)
Ingredients:
1.5 ounces Pommery Brut Royal
1/2 ounce peach schnapps
Directions: Pour chilled Champagne into a Champagne flute or Martini glass, and top with peach schnapps.
Liqueurs are to cocktails what icing is to cupcakes — they
top off mixed drinks
with a sweet flavor that lingers on the palate and leaves consumers
satisfied and smiling.
