Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/541538
www.beveragedynamics.com July/August 2015 • Beverage Dynamics 23 Brand SPOTLIG HT Q&A BY KYLE SWARTZ Barrow's Intense Ginger Liqueur was a hobby before becoming a company. For years, co-owner Josh Morton made liqueurs for dinner parties, before launching the product in 2013 at the urging of friends. A spicy cocktail component, the all-natural liqueur is handmade from Pe- ruvian and Chinese ginger roots, which are processed, aged with neutral cane spirits, pressed, and then mixed with sugar and water. I recently caught up with Morton and Co-owner Eve Alintuck to discuss the craft liqueur. BD: What differentiates Barrow's from other liqueurs? JM: It's an alcohol, not a syrup, so it's more versatile. There's nothing else like it now on the market. And liqueurs en- able you to make more cocktails. People are always looking for ways to separate themselves with new and different fl a- vors, and everyone loves ginger. EA: I think we can't really talk about differentiating the product without fi rst talking about the product's quality. We're all about the ginger. There are no chemicals or additives. It's very organic. A CRAFTED COCKTAIL COMPONENT BD: How much does Barrow's de- pend on the holiday season? JM: Obviously we see a bump around the holidays, because the whole cat- egory does, but not to the extent of others. I wouldn't sell something that sits and sits on shelves. My stuff is collaborative with most other alcohol products. That also means it's not com- peting against other spirits. BD: How does your product play in the craft market? EA: We try to focus on doing one thing and doing it really, really well. If some- one says they're not a ginger fan, then perhaps this product isn't for them. We don't try to be everything to every- one. The uniqueness of Barrow's is the honesty of our promise to be all about the ginger. JM: If you're selling craft products, it's perfect for you. At the same time, we're not necessarily competing against other local products. Barrow's has got a lot more fl exibility than other things on the market. It lends itself well to being in cocktails. It gets on menus and stays on menus. We give out a list of 40 clas- sic cocktails that can be intensifi ed with our ginger liqueur BD: What's the response been? EA: What's been a great surprise is the fan-like response people have to our product. People really get into it. I had been a single-malt drinker, and thought I didn't like liqueurs. Then Barrow's came along and made me realize there's so much more out there. JM: It's been exciting fi nding out all the different ways bartenders use it. I walked into one place and the bartender was using it in a brunch cocktail with vodka and carrot juice. It also goes well with hellfi re bitters. Together they hit two different parts of the palate. The top of the tongue gets the pep- per of the bitters, while the back gets the ginger. One bartender was making a beer cocktail with Corona, a shot of Barrows, Hellfi re bitters (or hot sauce), a squeeze of lime, and salt on the top, but not around the rim. I even made a milkshake, with Kah- lua and ice cream. It turned out amaz- ing. I started cooking with it, too. You can do really nice glazes with it. It also makes for nice marinades. My friends have also made crème brule, jams, gin- ger-red cakes. BD "We are all about the ginger." — Eve Alintuck, Co-owner, Barrow's Intese Ginger Liqueur