The savvy move is to determine for yourself whether your bar’s mixes have the taste, quality, and presentation necessary to shoulder the load. The only sure-fire method is to sample each individually: first served by itself over ice, and then presented in its leading drink application. Involve the bartenders in the process. If mixes can stand-up to that degree of scrutiny, they’re bona fide keepers.
Most beverage operators like the idea of using fresh juices and scratch drink mixes; that is until it comes down to actually executing on the concept. Whether it’s the additional amount of prep work involved,
For starters, produce needs to be purchased on a near daily basis, and citrus juiced before every shift. Freshly squeezed juices keep no more than 24 hours before needing to be discarded. Lime juice, for example, can turn rancid in 2-3 hours. Because they’re unpasteurized, fresh juices must be stored in the refrigerator rather than the bartender’s well, which negatively impacts speed of service.
There will also be occasions when exceedingly tart or bitter juice will throw off the balance of a drink mix. That raises the specter of serving the clientele inconsistent drinks. For whatever reason, scratch mixes may not always perform up to expectation.
WORK SMARTER,
NOT HARDER
Behind the bar the focus is on making high quality, great tasting cocktails. However, the demands of the business are such that those cocktails must also deliver decent margins. In reality there are two kind of cocktails—those that are delicious and those that are delicious and profitable.
Opt to market the latter. Bottled mixes have for decades been the cornerstone of the drink business, and have evolved in-step with contemporary trends. Far from passé, many brands shelf stable mixes are developed using natural flavors, and produced in a wide variety of styles capable of filling any bar’s specific needs. It’s their ease of use, consistency, and reasonable cost per ounce that makes
The answer is a qualified yes. It goes without saying that some brands make much better products than others. Finest Call is an example of a company that uses the highest concentration of fresh juice possible while still keeping their products shelf stable. Don’t be surprised if you find bottled mixes with as much or more zest and personality as many of the scratch mixes you’ve tried.
Locking in on the brands most appropriate for your bar is half the battle. Ultimately the decision renders down to pragmatics, namely picking the best tasting products with the highest quality at the most reasonable cost per ounce.
Evaluating drink mixes is a skill set with a shallow learning curve. Start by assessing light bodied, light flavored items first—sweet ‘n’ sour, Margarita and Mojito mixes—before moving to products with more assertive personalities, such as Piña Colada and Bloody Mary mix. Sample each type of mix side by side, comparing such vital attributes as color, aromatics, opacity and, of course, how it tastes. Swirl the product around your mouth, all the while assessing flavor, mouth feel, and eventually its finish.
A great drink mix is a thing of beauty, regardless of whether it is made by scratch or marketed in a bottle. In the final analysis, only three things matter. Is the drink mix enticing and delicious? Does it make good financial sense? And if used as intended, will it enable the most beverage-challenged among us to still thrill the crowds? 
