won’t work for others. With respect to bottled drink mixes, frankly they’re not necessarily right for every type of beverage operation. But to be equally frank, there are darn few venues in this country that don’t rely on prepared drink mixes behind the bar, and with good reason.
It should be noted at the onset that not all bottled mixes are created equally. Premium brands like Finest Call (FinestCall.com) market a range of drink mixes appropriate for any operation, regardless of the discernment of their clientele. On the other end of the spectrum, lesser mix brands are at best forgettable, and at worst, come dangerously close to being unpalatable. It’s a practical impossibility to serve a high quality drink predicated on a faulty mix.
Although fashionable, scratch mixes also pose operational challenges, not the least of which is their exceptionally short, useful life. Without pasteurization most scratch mixes don’t hold much longer than a few shifts, if that. Ever changing demand makes it challenging to maintain an adequate stock on a shift-to-shift basis. Factor in their elevated expense and the labor hours required to prepare batches of mixes and the strategy can quickly become cost prohibitive.
Fortunately, in this day and age operators don’t need to concede style for substance. You can still be a part of the vibrant cocktail culture all the while reaping the operational benefits of making drinks with prepared mixes. It’s a strategy that blends scratch mix artistry and sound business practice. Best of all, the result is improved guest satisfaction and significantly higher profits.
Beverage Pragmatism
Consider for a moment the Bloody Mary. Few bars still build their Marys from the ground up, painstakingly adding a few pinches of this and a healthy dash of that directly into the glass in which it’s being served. The practice has fallen out of favor largely because of the 
amount of time it requires and the difficulty in attaining consistency from one drink to the next. The problem is some bartenders may use more of certain ingredients than others or leave some out altogether. To call the process detail-oriented is an understatement.
Batching Bloody Mary mix is equally problematic. Even if the drink is a popular call at your bar, over-estimating how much mix you need on-hand invariably leads to spoilage and waste. Under-estimate and you risk running out of mix in the middle of a shift.
The pragmatic approach is to begin with a prepared Bloody Mary mix and let your creative juices flow. Splash in some olive juice or add a heaping tablespoon of fresh salsa or crushed roasted garlic. Modify the mix with prepared horseradish, balsamic vinegar, barbeque sauce or jalapeño juice. Dash in cayenne pepper, fresh wasabi, Chinese mustard, chili powder or cardamom. Whether you use a pinch or a teaspoon is entirely up to you.
Essentially what you’ve done is take a shelf-stabilized product and made it a specialty of the house. In the end, the mix will be as individualized as your signature.
Sour mix is the most frequently used mix behind American bars. It, too, is a perfect candidate for a makeover. The challenge is devising one that tastes delicious and refreshing on its own. Success depends entirely on achieving balance. Add a touch too much sweetness and the mix will be cloying. Back off on the sweetener and you’ll have an acidic, bitter mess.
Here again, begin with an outstanding bottled mix. Finest Call makes three variations on the theme—classic lemon-forward Sweet & Sour, Lime Sour Mix and a lip-smacking delicious Margarita Mix, which features a blend of lemon and lime juice and a lesser amount of orange juice for added dimension.
As great as these mixers are, a little creative tinkering can add another dimension to the mix and your cocktails. For example, by adding a squeeze of fruit or a dash of juice to the Sweet & Sour or Margarita mix, you effectively transform it into a “signature mix” with a personalized taste profile. However, having done so it’s imperative to maintain consistency of product. About the last thing you want is for guests to order what has now become their favorite cocktail at your bar only to be disappointed that it doesn’t taste like the last time they ordered it. People don’t care for those kinds of surprises.
Success in the bar business today has everything to do with offering guests high quality, singularly delicious drinks and doing so at a healthy profit margin. For most operators, bottled mixes are the essential first step.
Margarita Classico Cocktail
Salt-rimmed cocktail glass, chilled
Add ingredients to an empty mixing glass
3-4 lime wedges
1 orange slice
¾ oz. Finest Call Agave Nectar Syrup
Muddle contents and add ice
1 ½ oz. Añejo Tequila
¾ oz. Cointreau
3 oz. Finest Call Premium Margarita Mix
Shake and double strain
Garnish with a lime wedge
Margarita Framboise
Sugar-rimmed cocktail glass, chilled
Add ingredients to an empty mixing glass
3-4 lime wedges
4-6 fresh or frozen raspberries (optional)
1 oz. Finest Call Premium
Raspberry Puree
¾ oz. Finest Call Agave Nectar Syrup
Muddle contents and add ice
1 ½ oz. Añejo Tequila
¾ oz. Chambord
¾ oz. Cointreau
2 oz. Finest Call Premium Lime Sour Mix
Shake and double strain
Garnish with a lime wedge
Bloody Bastard
Salt-rimmed Collins or bucket glass, ice
Build in glass
Half fill with Bass Ale
Half fill with Finest Call Extra
Spicy Bloody Mary Mix
½ tbsp. prepared horseradish
Stir gently
Garnish with a lime wedge
and skewered shrimp
Bloody Cajun
Collins or bucket glass, ice
Build in glass
1 ½ oz. Vodka
2-3 dashes Green Tabasco Sauce
¼ tsp. crushed thyme leaves
2 pinches paprika
Fill with Finest Call Extra
Spicy Bloody Mary Mix
Stir gently
Garnish with a lime wedge and celery stalk
Bloody Tex-Mex
Salt-rimmed Collins or bucket glass, ice
Build in glass
1 ½ oz. Vodka
2 pinches ground cumin
2 pinches chili powder
Fill with Finest Call Extra
Spicy Bloody Mary Mix
Stir gently
Garnish with toasted garlic croutons
