www.cheersonline.com
23
June 2015 •
BARE ORGANIC MIXERS
www.baremixers.com
Natural, low-calorie cocktail
mixes in Lemon Drop, Margarita
and Pomegranate Cosmo fl avors.
BARRITT'S GINGER BEER
www.barrittsgingerbeer.bm
Ginger beer from Bermuda
BUNGALOW 23
www.b23mixers.com
Cocktail mixers in Blueberry
Lemon Drop, Pear Ginger Martini
and Prickly Pear Margarita
fl avors.
COCO LOPEZ
www.cocolopez.com
Cream of coconut, Pina Colada
mix, coconut milk and juice,
Frappe Collection of drink mixes.
DEMITRI'S
www.demitris.com
Bloody Mary mix supplies,
Margarita mix.
DRY SODA CO.
www.drysparkling.com
Gourmet sodas in fl avors such as
lavender, rhubarb and cucumber.
FENTIMANS
www.fentimans.com
Botanically brewed ginger ale/
beer, tonic and soda.
FEVER TREE
www.fever-tree.com
Tonic water, ginger beer, lemon
soda.
FINEST CALL
www.fi nestcall.com
Syrups, purees, sours and
specialty cocktail mixes.
ISLAND OASIS
www.islandoasis.com
Frozen beverage mixes and
blending equipment.
MASTER OF MIXERS
www.masterofmixes.com
Cocktail mixes, syrups, juices.
MONIN
www.monin.com
Specialty beverage syrups,
purees and teas.
NATURAL BRANDS
www.naturalbrands.com
Fresh-squeezed citrus juices,
custom bar mixes.
OWL'S BREW
www.theowlsbrew.com
Tea-based cocktail and soft drink
mixers.
THE PERFECT PURÉE OF
NAPA VALLEY
www.perfectpuree.com
Purees, fruit concentrates, citrus
zests and blends.
POWELL & MAHONEY VINTAGE
ORIGINAL COCKTAIL MIXERS
www.powellandmahoney.com
Cocktail mixers based on the
classics such as Margarita,
Mojito and Lemon Sour.
ROUTIN USA BY
1883 MAISON ROUTIN
www.1883.com
Gourmet cocktail syrups from the
French Alps.
TORANI
www.torani.com
Flavored syrups for coffee and
cocktails.
Q TONIC
www.qdrinks.com
Tonic water, ginger beer and ale,
sodas.
WILKS & WILSON
wilksandwilson.com
Syrups, tonics, mixers and
bitters.
ZMIX
www.drinkzmix.com
Concentrated, zero-calorie
cocktail mixers.
MIXER RESOURCE GUIDE
Icon Restaurant and Lounge in Knoxville, TN, uses ZMIX
low-calorie mixers to create drinks such as the Cosmo
and Soda.
become popular with guests who are health-conscious
and watching their calorie intake. Cappiello says that
the drinks were gaining momentum through word of
mouth after just a few weeks on Icon's cocktail menu.
ZMIX is priced at $5 for a 1.62-oz. bottle, which makes
up to 24 servings.
A number of mixer suppliers offer sugar-free or low-
cal versions, such as Bare Organic Mixers, which have
about 17 calories per ounce, and Finest Call's Lites.
SELECTING A MIXER
Just like the development of any new cocktail, much
of selecting a mixer comes down to trial and error.
Easterbrook likes to spend several hours experimenting
with a variety of mixers to see what works best. He
then taste-tests with his staff to get their feedback and
determine which selections ultimately land on the
drink menu at the Bowery Hotel.
Mixers, Easterbrook says, "make things behind the
bar very easy." Customers don't know the difference
when you're using a quality mixer, he notes. "For us it's
just a really easy shortcut to making amazing drinks."
When developing a new cocktail, Yates and his team
work with current suppliers and introduce new vendors
until they fi nd the perfect mixer that knocks a recipe
out of the park.
At the Ground Round, all locations use the same
mixers in their drinks. Damerow says this not only
helps bar staff increase the speed at which drinks
are prepared, but it also maintains drink consistency
across locations.
There's a savings benefi t as well. A fl avored syrup
is a cost-effective ingredient, Damerow says, "and cost
is one of the main things we look at when we want to
implement something across all locations."
Melissa Niksic is a freelance writer based in Chicago.
