Fall In Love With New Autumn Beverages

OBI Collection Shochu autumn beverages
  • RAK Porcelain
  • Simplot Frozen Avocado
  • McKee Foodservice
  • Atosa USA
  • Imperial Dade
  • Day & Nite
  • RATIONAL USA
  • Inline Plastics Safe-T-Chef
  • BelGioioso Burrata
  • AyrKing Mixstir
  • Texas Pete
  • DAVO Sales Tax
  • T&S Brass Eversteel Pre-Rinse Units
  • Red Gold Sacramento
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Autumn is officially here. Wacky as it may feel with Covid-19 restrictions and concerns still lingering, the new season heralds a time for exploring and embracing new things. The kids are back in school (many of us will lift a glass to that!), and for those who are Jewish, it is even a whole new year.

No matter how many years you’ve worked in the hospitality business you can’t admit there’s not something exciting about fall. Menus get turned over, new ingredients gain prominence (goodbye zucchini and stone fruits, hello pumpkin spice), and in some parts of the country air conditioners don’t have to work as hard. Though we certainly do!

So, in honor of fresh starts, and because in the beverage industry we look forward every year to this most profitable of seasons we affectionately refer to as OND (October, November, December for those of you just getting your feet wet in the business) this month’s column is full of exciting new autumn beverages you can explore and then share with your guests. They’ll surely be as delighted by them as we were.

Square One Spicy GingerSquare One Organic Mixers – Spicy Ginger Syrup

Count this one as your bar saver! Labor shortage getting you down? Ingredient shortage screwing with your drink menu? COGs going up and now you need to re-engineer your menu for profitability, or your beloved bar or restaurant will fall into the red? Check out Square One Organic Mixers Spicy Ginger.

The deep spicy warmth of fresh Peruvian ginger root gets a bounce from some coriander spice and a touch of fresh lime and coriander spice. Grab it to create an in-house ginger beer using an ounce of syrup and three ounces club soda from the gun (or bottle) for a balanced Moscow Mule or refreshing soda. Or consider swapping this in where you’d normally use simple syrup.

No matter how you serve it, non-alcoholically, as your house Moscow Mule, or in a whiskey cocktail, you’ll appreciate that Square One offers up 16% real ginger juice and 25 servings per bottle making it more environmentally friendly than buying bottled ginger beer. And it saves on waste too. The fact that it tastes delicious is a given bonus, of course.

  • Red Gold Sacramento
  • Imperial Dade
  • Texas Pete
  • AyrKing Mixstir
  • RATIONAL USA
  • Inline Plastics Safe-T-Chef
  • Simplot Frozen Avocado
  • BelGioioso Burrata
  • RAK Porcelain
  • McKee Foodservice
  • Atosa USA
  • DAVO Sales Tax
  • Day & Nite
  • T&S Brass Eversteel Pre-Rinse Units

Stauning Kaos WhiskyStauning Whisky

Looking for something new to use with that ginger syrup you just ordered? How about some Danish whisky that’s just landing in the US market this year? While we’re sure that Stauning would be great in cocktails we’d highly recommend you taste these on their own.

Stauning Whisky takes its name from the village it calls home. Situated on a fjord in West Jutland on the west coast of Denmark, this is a place of big skies, wind, moorland, and miles of shifting dunes.

These 100% locally grown barley and rye-based whiskies were created with a focus on reviving and innovating traditional methods lost to industrialization. All three expressions- Stauning Rye (70% malted rye, 30% malted barley), Stauning Kaos (a triple malt featuring rye, smoked and unsmoked single malt whiskies), and Stauning Smoke ( 100% malted barley that’s been peat and heather smoked) are floor-malted in-house at the distillery. Distillation takes place in 24 small copper pot stills which are direct-fired to create complex flavors, giving the whiskies weight and character that reflects the surrounding landscape of the Danish west coast.

Look for these notes in the: Rye- freshly-baked rye, red fruit and ripe cherry on the palate, balanced by vanilla and citrus peel, peppery finish; Kaos- rounded and sweet with pear, sweet apple and quince. Hazelnut notes to dusty, smoky spices. Zesty and peppery; Smoke- gentle bonfire smoke with notes of citrus and honey. Rich taste of tobacco, nuts, vanilla and fresh herbs.

You probably can’t get away to Denmark right now, so it’s the perfect excuse to bring Stauning – and Denmark- to your bar.

OBI Collection Shochu

Newly arrived from Japan are these elegant Obi Collection shochu, courtesy of Honkaku Spirits; the first portfolio devoted exclusively to koji-fermented spirits produced at family-run distilleries. Named for the traditional silk kimono belt, the Obi Collection includes only shochu made by female producers.

Furusawa Distillery – maker of Motoko, Masako, and Mahoko – was established in 1892 on a spit of land pinched between the Pacific Ocean and the mouth of the Hosoda River. For five generations Furusawa has been sourcing local ingredients for their handmade shochu.

Ms. Masako Furusawa has been the master brewer-distiller and president of the distillery since 2007, when she took over for her father upon his passing. Deeply rooted in the family’s history, Masako remains committed to producing a variety of traditional shochus that embody generations of ritual and tradition.

OBI Collection Shochu autumn beverages

  • Motoko – Aged more than eight years, this 100% rice shochu was first distilled at normal atmospheric pressure which brings out richer aromas. The time spent in ceramic pots produces an umami-laden drink that is perfect either straight or on the rocks.
  • Masako – 11 years of aging- in both enamel tanks and ceramic pots- provides this 100% barley shochu a deep, umami quality that like the Motoko, shines straight or on the rocks.
  • Mahoko – Made to celebrate the birth of a granddaughter, this sweet potato shochu was aged for more than 16 years.

In southern Japan it is traditional to seal a pot of shochu with a foot or handprint of one’s newborn child, leaving it in the distillery to age. Once the child comes of age, the shochu is retrieved and ceremoniously enjoyed with loved ones.

Mahoko spent its time in both ceramic pots and enamel tanks and is best enjoyed on ice, but also exceptional oyuwari: poured over 140°F hot water (2 parts Mahoko to 3 parts water).

Don’t miss next month’s selection of more new autumn beverages to try. No reason to limit new product exploration to the beginning of the season. Keeping things fresh and exciting at your bar and restaurant all throughout OND is what keeps those guests coming back.

  • Atosa USA
  • Red Gold Sacramento
  • BelGioioso Burrata
  • DAVO Sales Tax
  • RAK Porcelain
  • T&S Brass Eversteel Pre-Rinse Units
  • AyrKing Mixstir
  • Inline Plastics Safe-T-Chef
  • Imperial Dade
  • Simplot Frozen Avocado
  • McKee Foodservice
  • RATIONAL USA
  • Texas Pete
  • Day & Nite