A great frozen margarita, daiquiri, piña colada, mojito, or tiki drink may be what immediately comes to mind for your summer drink list, but if you want to stand out from the crowd you may want to consider doing things a little bit differently this season. Depending on your location, budget, and available ingredients, the possibilities for variations on the aforementioned classic summer drinks are nearly endless. If your bar has a kitchen/restaurant attached to it, this task will be much easier; even if it doesn’t, a few simple tools and techniques can go a long way. Few things inspire creativity more than a trip to the local chef supply shop, and with the ease of the Internet, browsing through new and interesting tools has never been easier. Check out Chef Rubber, and spend some time perusing their selection. You will definitely find inspiration for some crazy new ideas for your summer drink menu!
Blended drinks are a staple in the summertime cocktail arena, and without the right blender, not only will your staff be irritated by the difficulty in implementing your new summer cocktail menu, but your customers may be disappointed with the amount of time they have to wait for that frozen drink. (And if the wait isn’t enough to ruin their experience in your establishment, that poorly blended cocktail just might be.)
Few things are worse than a watered-down drink, but with the wrong ice, that is exactly what will happen. As you know, alcohol burns ice, and unless your ice is solid, adding alcohol to it will immediately dilute your drinks. Building your drinks off the ice and adding it just prior to service is one way around this dilemma, but getting your staff to do this requires retraining—which as you know can be quite difficult. The simplest (albeit expensive) solution is to replace your current ice machine with a unit that makes really solid cubes.
There are other solutions are available, as well. If you have a good freezer, there are many interesting moulds and trays that you can use, many of which produce shapes of ice that will really impress your customer. A stack of four perfect cubes in a Collins glass will accomplish the same thing. With that freezer in your repertoire, ice isn’t the only thing that you can use to cool down your drinks. A hot day will make short work of even the hardiest ice, but shave, crush, or blend it and you may as well just serve that drink with water in it. Consider the possibility of using frozen juices or fruits instead. Replace the cubes of ice in that piña colada with cubes of pineapple juice and coconut milk and you’ll have a drink with the same consistency that doesn’t dilute as it melts.
Too bad you can’t freeze alcohol, right? Wrong. Glazierepura is a patented, odorless, and tasteless additive that can be placed in alcohol that will effectively lower the freezing point to a level that allows it to be frozen in a standard freezer. Imagine making “ice” out of your favorite cocktails. Screwdriver popsicle anyone?
Created by AEGS Ventures, in conjunction with the University of Minnesota, the Glazierepura natural freezing process can freeze any alcohol and does not affect the flavor profile of the spirit. “The possibilities are endless,” says Tom Wilen, senior advisor for AEGS Ventures. “Imagine placing a few vodka ice cubes in orange juice for the perfect screwdriver, enjoying a truly frozen margarita at a BBQ, or taking a Johnnie Walker on the rocks where the ice cubes are the scotch itself. There are so many variations.”
You know better than anyone what your customers ask for, and if you’ve been in business through a summer or two, you know that people expect drinks that will cool them down. Giving them what they want is good business. Providing them with options for things they may not have considered—that’s great business. Think of the age-old hospitality adage: “Don’t just meet their expectations, exceed them.”
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