Not So Simple Cocktail Syrups

·      This week we talk to Joe Raya, owner of the Gin Joint in Charleston, South Carolina.  He & his wife also make delicious syrups for bartenders called Tippleman’s.  There are 6 varieties and they are all awesome:

o   Burnt Sugar

o   Island Orxata

o   Falernum

o   Ginger Honey

o   Lemon Oleo Saccharum

o   Barrel Smoked Maple

·      Its Bartender Journey Podcast # 129 !

·      First lets do a cocktail of the week!  Its a Bourbon/Maple Old Fashioned using the Tippleman’s Barrel Smoked Maple syrup.  The syrup is made using barrels from Willett Distillery. I used about ½ oz.  I happened to have a lovely bottle of Willet Pot Still Reserve Bourbon, so I figured lets use that in our Old Fashioned!  It’s a pretty incredible Bourbon and it’s tempting to just drink it neat or with one ice cube, but I used it anyway -- 2 oz of Willet Bourbon in my quite decedent Old Fashioned.  I used Basement Bitters from Tuttletown distillery.  These are the guys that make the great Hudson Whiskey among other things and their bitters are great!

·      If you don’t have any Tippleman’s syrups yet, consider ordering some at tipplemans.com.  But meanwhile, try experimenting with a good quality maple syrup in your old fashioned.  Grade B is what is recommended for using in cocktails.  You might consider mixing it with a little hot water to make it easier to mix into your cocktail.  And if you don’t have the Basement Bitters, try substituting other aromatic bitters – Angostura is of course an awesome choice and widely available, but perhaps try experimenting with a few other brands too!

·      To make an Old Fashioned – mix the sugar (or syrup in this case) with the bitters in the bottom of your Old Fashioned or rocks glass.  Add the whiskey and some ice – ideally one big hand-cut ice cube and a twist.  Usually it would be an orange twist in an Old Fashioned, especially if it were a Rye Old Fashioned, but I used lemon in this case.  A little extra citrus “zing” from the limon goes better with the Bourbon and maple flavors.

·      Book of the week is Its All About The Guest by Steve Difillippo. 

·      The subtitle of this book is Exceeding Expectations in Busines and in Life The Davio’s Way.

·      Steve is a great businessman.  In his book he has lots of great lessons for us, including: “every decision you make: is this going to make things better for the guest?”

·      There will always be demanding guests who are ready to get upset about nothing.  They will require a lot of attention, but you can’t let that distract you from the other guests.

·      Figure out how much it costs to make what you are selling, otherwise you may be loosing money without even knowing it.

·      Its not just WHAT you do, its how people PERCEIVE what you do.

·      Our Toast this week: ‘tis better to spend money like there's no tomorrow
 than to spend tonight like there's no money!