Episode 112

The Truth about Syrups

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The Truth about Syrups

Episode 112

What’s shakin, cocktail fans?

Welcome to episode 112 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast!

This time around, we sit down for an awesome chat with Tory Pratt of Pratt Standard Cocktail Co. to discuss her journey through the world of grenadines, tonic syrups, and so much more.

Some of the things she and I discuss include:

How a childhood spent in and around the catering industry gave Tory the inspiration to start her own company and taught her to approach cocktails from a culinary perspective.
What it means to get back to the true roots of a traditional cocktail ingredient, and why it sometimes takes 47 test batches until you’re happy with the end result.
The intricacies of sourcing ingredients like exotic Kola nuts and Turkish Pomegranates
How Tory built her business from a kitchen concept to brand being sold in 14 States and Partnering with Whole Foods.
Strategies for re-branding a line of existing products.
Equipment you need and mistakes to avoid when you’re making syrups in your own home kitchen
And much, much more.

You can follow Pratt Standard on Instagram and Facebook @prattstandard. You can also email Tory at tory[at]prattstandard.com.

PRATT STANDARD JOINS THE MODERN BAR CART FAMILY

Now, it’s not a coincidence that we’re talking with Tory – it’s actually more like a celebration. As of the airing of this episode, you can head over to ModernBarCart.com and purchase four flavors of Pratt Standard cocktail syrups, including their legendary Tonic Syrup, their complex and tangy Grenadine, their ever popular Ginger Syrup, and their Kola Syrup – all made using traditional ingredients and flavor profiles.

Through September 30, 2019, if you enter the coupon code TORY at checkout, you’ll receive 15% off your entire order – and remember, if your order exceeds $40, we ship for free.

That coupon code is EXCLUSIVE to podcast listeners, so you know we really love you – and you know what, let’s keep that train rolling and give you the chance to make yourself a drink.

FEATURED COCKTAIL: THE TEQUILA SUNRISE

This episode’s featured cocktail is the Tequila Sunrise – another cocktail that arose during the cocktail dark ages of the 1970s. Of course, even in recipes like this one that are designed to please the eye more than the palate, there’s always a seed of genius behind the formulation – something timeless that keeps us coming back.

To make a Tequila Sunrise, you’ll need:

2 oz Tequila
2 oz Orange Juice
1 oz of Grenadine (we, of course, always use Pratt Standard Grenadine)

Traditionally, you would build this drink in a rocks glass over a large rock, adding first the tequila, then the orange juice, and finally the grenadine. The effect is an orange-red gradient that looks just like a beautiful sunrise, and you’ll garnish this cocktail traditionally with a nice big orange wheel right on the side of the glass.

Now, if you’re looking to turn this into a longer drink, just double that orange juice and stick it in a larger collins class.

And finally, if you’re willing to eschew the pretty colors for a more balanced drink – just shake it quickly over a couple of large rocks before you drink. It still comes out a lovely color – and it tastes about 10 times better.

Lightning Round

Favorite Cocktail

Daiquiri – 1.5 oz white rum, 1/2 oz Pratt Standard Rich simple syrup, 1 oz lime. Shake shake shake.

If You Were a Cocktail Ingredient, What Would You Be?

I’m the recipe because I’m an incredibly detail-oriented person.

Cocktail With Anyone, Past or Present

My husband and I built a bar between our house and our neighbors’ house. There was a wall out back separating the two, but we decided to replace it with a bar. We’re out there almost every single day just having a cocktail or a glass of wine, and I wouldn’t replace that with anything. So I’d probably have a daiquiri sitting out with my husband and my neighbors.

Influential Books

The Flavor Bible – Karen Page, Andrew Dornenburg

Advice for Homemade Syrups

Measure your ingredients (by weight, if possible) because when you’re making small quantities, a difference in even just a gram with some ingredients can really impact the end product.
Think about different cooking processes and how you’d like to express your botanicals. For example, do you want a fresh cranberry or a cooked cranberry flavor? How could you best achieve that? Overall, respect the ingredients and how they’re best expressed.
Sugar is cheap, so if something doesn’t taste right, just toss it and start again.

The Truth about Syrups

PRATT STANDARD JOINS THE MODERN BAR CART FAMILY

FEATURED COCKTAIL: THE TEQUILA SUNRISE

Lightning Round

Favorite Cocktail

If You Were a Cocktail Ingredient, What Would You Be?

Cocktail With Anyone, Past or Present

Influential Books

Advice for Homemade Syrups

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