Beyond Equal Parts
Sugar and Water By Logan Ronkainen, Head Bartender @ Trattoria Il Mulino, NYC and Owner / Mixologist @ Punch & Pie
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Simple syrup, by definition, is a sweetener of any kind in liquid form; most commonly table sugar dissolved into water. The dissolving of the sugar can be by heat or time and agitation (stirring at room temperature until dissolved). The strength can vary but the most common is 1:1 or 2:1 sugar/water.
White Dog Sour
RENOWNED ROSÉ Notorious Pink
A sweetener is an integral part of balancing out alcohol content and acidity in a cocktail, but it shouldn’t be used willy-nilly-like. If your cocktail does call for something sweet, most commonly simple syrup, why not add something that not only adds sugar, but also adds a depth of flavor?
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Oils and extracts can be incorporated into simple syrup, resulting in what bartenders call oleo saccharum, which means “oily syrup.” The simplest way to make an oleo saccharum is by muddling citrus zests into sugar, letting it sit for an hour, then adding hot water to melt the sugar into a syrup. At my bar we do not use simple syrup; we religiously use various types of oleo saccharum. Lime, orange-lemon, and grapefruit are among the staples we keep behind our bar. We use the lime in Margaritas, Daiquiris, and Cosmopolitans, and the orange-lemon in sours, Collins, and even Old Fashioneds.
Wat e r
Here Are some ways to kick up your simple syrup Let’s not forget the final dimension of simple syrup. The water can be substituted with fruit juice, vegetable juice, coffee, or tea. Our most popular cocktail is a take on a Collins using simple syrup made with cucumber and mint juice combined with equal parts sugar. Adding sugar to the cucumber and mint juice also helps stabilize the shelf life, allowing it to last a couple of days rather than a few hours. Try fresh ginger juice simple syrup for an intensely fresh kick in your Mules or freshly juiced watermelon syrup to use as a base for a Rosé Sangria.
TASTING NOTES
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osé drinking culture has taken a forefront in leisurely lifestyles. Some would say rosé should only be poured with spicy food or hidden in Blush pink in color, Notorious Pink is very aromatic Just remember to keep CONSISTENCY and with citrus and red fruit. Floral BALANCE with crispinand mind when making syrups. If a The sugar can easily be substituted with other great grandma’s coffee cup in the form of White Zinrecipe calls for a 1:1 simple syrup, but you made sweetening agents that are more complex. Try refreshing mineral character, Notorious Pink is not a 2:1 syrup, then it will yield an oversweetened honey, agave, raw sugar, and even Splenda for fandel but trends are showing it popup as one of the the liquid example. Minor adjustments to berosé wines.cocktail. as dry asmay mostneed French Enjoy Ifwith or you are using to make your syrup is sweet, then scale back the amount of made in your cocktail recipe for consistency’s most versatile categories of wine. Rosé is now synit worksyou well with seafood, vegetables, sugar you add. No matter what kind, color, or sake depending without on whatfood, ingredients flavor of syrup you make, you want it to be the use. Honey and agave don’t require as much onymous with day drinking, Sunday fundays, pastas and poultry dishes. same level of sweetness across the board so water dilution as dry ingredients. that you can easily substitute any syrup in any brunch, patio pounding, beach life and even cocktail. The possibilities are endless. Don’t be afraid to experiment. cocktails. Two of the top selling cocktails at Trattoria Il Mulino are rose based--most prominently the Rosé Watermelon Sangria made with Notorious Pink Rosé. Rose Watermelon Sangria Photos by Maria Kepinski
Simple Syrup
You might ask yourself: How can I make simple syrup more interesting and complex if it’s just sugar and water?
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Serves: 15-20
Notorious Pink is a special blush cuvée made from 100% Grenache, the leading grape varietal at Domaine la Colombette in the south of France’s Lanquedoc region. The innovative name, packaging and luxury appeal are the creation of Notorious Wines Inc. Notorious Pink Rosé on it’s own works as a “session” beverage, meaning, you can sip on it responsibly throughout an activity and not worry about getting overly intoxicated. It’s relatively lower alcohol than drinking cocktails and lower in sulphites than white or red wine. Because it’s dry, it yields a lot less calories too. Notorious Pink is the standard for what you expect from a great rosé at a phenomenal price point. Coming in at under $20 a bottle and in side by side comparisons with some of the higher end (more expensive) roses’ it easily knocks them out of the water. All in all I would call it a benchmark rosé--if someone asks for a rosé, Notorious Pink is exactly the style of rosé they mean. - Logan Ronkainen Owner / Mixologist @ Punch & Pie NYC
INGREDIENTS
1 bottle Brockmans Gin 2 bottles Notorious Pink Rosé 16 oz. Watermelon Simple Syrup (1:1 watermelon juice to sugar) 12 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice 2 ½ oz. Meletti Bitter PREPARATION
Pour into a wine glass with ice. Add a splash of soda and a watermelon slice to garnish. Enjoy the smile on people’s faces.
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ROSÉ WATERMELON SANGRIA • 3 bottles Brockmans Gin (or may use vodka or Brandy) • 6 bottles Notorious Pink • 1.5 quarts Watermelon Cordial - 1 part fresh watermelon juice - 1 part table sugar • 1 quart Lemon Juice • 1 cup Meletti Bitter (to taste / color)
POUR INTO A WINE GLASS WITH ICE. ADD A SPLASH OF SODA AND A WATERMELON SLICE TO GARNISH. REFRESH.
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