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Episode 253

Winning Dry January with Jon Schott

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Winning Dry January with Jon Schott

Episode 253

What’s shakin, cocktail fans? Welcome to episode 253 of The Modern Bar Cart Podcast!

This time around, we’re joined by bartender Jon Schott. He’s a service industry veteran with two decades of experience under his belt working at bars and restaurants here in the DC area, and he’s here to download some serious wisdom about improving the quality of non-alcoholic cocktails both at home and at your favorite bars and restaurants.

include:

In this wide-ranging conversation with bartender and drinks consultant Jon Schott of Riffraff Drink Company, some of the topics we discuss

The state of the non-alcoholic drinks space, and why language and placement are tricky and need to be dialed in for every unique bar or
restaurant menu.
Jon’s personal journey into sobriety, including a brief detour selling home security systems, and his return to working behind the bar.
This also leads us to think about some of the softer nuances of making drinks of all sorts: how hospitality is an ingredient, how to make people feel good before anything goes into their body, and why drinking is ultimately about knowing yourself.
Then, we explore some of Jon’s favorite hacks for making great non-alcoholic cocktails at home, which he is currently publishing as a series of videos over on the Riffraff Drink Co. Instagram page.
Along the way, we explore how to use guest feedback like sonar, the use of clarity as a vehicle for surprise in cocktails, the joys of nose-to-tail mint butchery, and much, much more.

You can find Jon pouring FREE samples of his creations over at Umbrella Dry Drinks in Alexandria, VA pretty much every Saturday, and you can reach out or follow along for his awesome instructional videos over on Instagram @riffraffdrink_co.

Featured Ingredient: Oleo Saccharum

This episode’s featured cocktail is – well, not actually a cocktail, but a cocktail ingredient. It’s oleo saccharum. This is an ingredient we’ve covered in the past, but it’s something we really dig deep into during this conversation, so I figured I’d give you some technical insights into what it is and how to make it.

The word itself, oleo saccharum, is a mashup of “oil” and “sugar,” and in its most traditional and widespread usage, this is precisely what it is. Generally, you’ll take the peel of a citrus fruit – like a lemon, lime, or orange, and sprinkle sugar over it, perhaps gently muddling as you go. The sugar draws out the essential oils in the peel, which, in turn, partially or wholly liquefy the sugar, resulting in an unctuous, sweet, aromatic proto-syrup that can be used to add weight and flavor to your favorite drinks.

But, as we discuss later on, you don’t need to stop at citrus. You can make an oleo saccharum from the fragrant, but inedible aspects of most fruits. Some of Jon’s favorites include Banana peels, green apple cores, pineapple skins, and watermelon rinds. And, if you venture into the berry space, you can also end up with something like Matt Pietrek’s “analog fassionola” recipe.

Two key variables to consider when crafting an oleo saccharum are:

What kind (and how much) sugar to use
How to incorporate it into the drink

Of course, there are many varieties of sugar experience, and a superfine white is going to leave you with a very different product than a crusty, thick panela. But also keep in mind that the size of the granules will affect how long it takes to draw out the oils or water in your fruity substrate and the end texture of your creation.

Depending on how thick or liquid your oleo turns out, you may need to make smart choices about how to incorporate it into your drinks. Oleos are very powerful vehicles for flavor and texture, but it’s gonna take a little bit of practice and repetition before you come up with a recipe that you can replicate on-demand.

This episode was made possible with editing and sound design by Samantha Reed, sober bartending and no-ABV cocktail insights courtesy of Jon Schott of Riffraff Drink Co., and a little bit of interview magic by yours truly. This has been a Modern Bar Cart production, copyright 2023.

This episode is also brought to you by Near Country Provisions. If you live in the Mid-Atlantic and want to enjoy ethically raised (and delicious) meat from local farmers delivered to your door every month, then you need Near Country in your life.

Head over to NearCountry.com and enter the code BARCART when you sign up for your subscription to receive 2 free pounds of bacon or ground beef in your first delivery.

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Episode 253

Featured Ingredient: Oleo Saccharum

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