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Have you ever thought about making drinks from a tableside mojito cart? Garnishing bar drinks with sugarcane spears? How about pairing tamarind or papaya with tequila? Or blending Latin-inspired Batidas, creamy, fresh fruit shakes spiked with cachaca?
Those are just some steps inspired bar chefs are taking as Mexican and Latin restaurants move beyond margaritas to tempt guests with more native culinary ingredients and interactive bar experiences.
At Andina, a Peruvian restaurant in Portland, Ore., the Pisco Sour — made with the grape brandy called Pisco — is fashionable. But recently, Head Bartender Greg Hoitsma says the Mojito has dethroned this national drink of Chile and Peru.
Havana Central, a Cuban restaurant in New York City, reports that the Mojito is the No.1 seller there, too. The bar staff makes up to 275 traditional Mojitos per night — not including fruity variations such as pineapple-coconut, passion fruit and guava.
According to Chef Adam Seger, general manager and bar chef at Chicago's Nacionál 27, the Mojito is popular because rum and the technique known as muddling (crushing fresh herbs and produce to release their flavors such as the lime and mint used in the mojito) are enjoying a renaissance.
Another classic selling well at Nacionál 27: the Brazilian Caipirinha, lime muddled with sugarcane syrup and cachaca, a sugarcane liquor from Brazil. Sangrita, high-end tequila served with a side of spicy citrus nectar, is also popular.
Havana Central's Bar and Closing Manager Bolivar Arias and Cater-ing and Events Manager Lara Richardson say Sangrías are selling well, especially the classic red and white wine versions, although they also serve Sangrías made with rosé, shiraz, port and champagne. All are made fresh daily, says Richardson, adding that muddling the fruit speeds the infusion process.
These bar chefs put an authentic spin on drinks in a number of ways. Garnishes may include sugarcane spears, herbs or fruits, and rims of exotic sugars in flavors like cardamom. Seger uses ginger, habanero peppers, and chiles for a spicy twist to classic Mojitos.
"I make a simple syrup of sugar and water boiled together. When the sugar dissolves, I put in chopped, fresh ginger," Segar explains. He seeds a habanero, puts it in cheesecloth, then sets it in the syrup for about five minutes. "It gives it a little but not too much heat. And because it's in cheesecloth, it's easy to pull out," he adds.
He also makes all of his bitters from scratch. He focuses on seasonal produce, and every month has a new assortment to work with from tamarind to blood oranges to mangos, which inspire fresh drink ideas like the "incredible" tamarind margarita.
"Tamarind is from Mexico," explains Seger. "It looks like a big, brown pea pod with flesh inside that looks almost like beans. It's custardy and good to puree, and tastes phenomenal with tequila!" Seger has a motto he lives by at the bar: What grows together goes together. "Tamarind is prevalent around Guadalajara, so tamarind and tequila have a natural affinity," Seger says.
"It's good for the bottom line, to work with what's in season," he continues. "We try to use the same fruits at the bar as we do in the kitchen, so you have fresher products with two outlets, and you're not ordering two different things. We have a great produce company we work with, and they keep us up to date every week."
Roasting fresh ingredients like pineapple, ginger and coconut is another secret bar chefs use to infuse drinks with flavor. Andina's Ron-Yki-On cocktail is roasted ginger and infused silver rum shaken with grapefruit juice, lime juice and cane sugar, served with a cardamom sugar rim. Its "Novo-andino" drink menu offers up its newest libations, like the Sacsayhuaman (which looks like a tongue twister but is pronounced sexy woman): pepper-infused vodka shaken with passion fruit puree and cane sugar, served with a sugar rim and cilantro leaf garnish.
Bartenders at El Torito feature the Papaya Tequini — a colorful, Hispanic version of a martini. Havana Central's Bird of Paradise cocktail recreates the brilliant colors of the flower, with high-end citrus vodka and liqueur, passion fruit puree, a splash of lemon/lime soda, and a sinker of Chambord for a touch of purple. It's served in a sugar-rimmed martini glass with a lime wheel garnish.
Customers are es-chewing on-the-rocks and frozen drinks so they can truly savor these exotic alcohols and fresh ingredients, bartenders say. Daiquiris, and Bat-idas like those featured at Fogo de Chao in Addi-son, Texas, are the exceptions.
But while bartenders are saving on blending time, they're spending more time preparing fresh produce and muddling.
With all this exposure to new cocktails, are any alcohols gaining favor with today's drink-savvy customers?
Seger sees cachaca, the main ingredient in Caipirinhas, on more menus lately. He also thinks the popularity of flavored vodkas has paved the way for the resurgence of gin's aromatic botanicals including those infused with anise, cinnamon and orange.
Hoitsma says cachaca and pisco are growing in popularity, and the Piscola, a grape brandy and cola concoction, is being ordered more frequently. "Little by little people are getting more discerning," Hoitsma notes.
Discerning customers also enjoy experiencing new things. About a year ago Nacionál 27 began offering a Million Dollar Mojito, which uses premium vodka and substitutes champagne for club soda. For $100, four people can celebrate in style. "It's been doing really well," says Seger, adding that it utilizes standard bar ingredients. "It's a creative way to upsell."
Nacionál 27 also offers $5 mini Mojitos and Caipirinhas, as well as a Mojito made with 40-year-old rum, and Luxury Flights made with high-end spirits and the best-quality fruit and mixers. "These are selling better than super-sized drinks," Seger says.
"Flights are very hot. People love to taste new things and this way they can try a cocktail, and the price is less. From a restaurateur's standpoint it works beautifully for your product cost — you're serving smaller portions at a lower price, like wine by the glass. There is really no additional cost from a business standpoint. It's a win-win."
Flights and sample-size cocktails may seem like more work to bartenders, who have to prep smaller glassware and garnishes to match the diminutive presentations. The good news, Seger says, is that when bartenders see guests' excitement and receive their feedback, it starts making sense. It all results in a more appreciative clientele. Havana Central offers Sangrías in flights, so customers can try several of their six varieties before committing to a full or a half pitcher.
The most profitable cocktails, ex-perts say, are anything made with rum, or cachaca. "Mojitos using white rum are not extremely expensive, and it's seen as a premium drink," says Seger. "With white cachaca, you're not paying for aging, and it doesn't have all the marketing behind it. It's significantly less expensive than vodka, yet has an exotic aura — you can charge the same as for a well-known rum or vodka."
"Anything rum-based has a good profit margin," agrees Hoitsma. "The average price is $10 to $15 for a good bottle of mix rum. In Oregon there's only one Pisco available really, and we pay $25 per bottle for that."
Richardson also agrees that rum drinks are the most profitable right now, including the classic rum-cola-lime drink, the Cuba Libre.
In addition to offering unique products, creative marketing will get your bar business flowing. Andina's Bar Mestizo has an extensive tapas menu, raw bar, and nightly, live Latin-inspired music. Hoitsma says guests enjoy ordering the Sacsayhuaman in this clubby atmosphere, in part because of the way it's pronounced: Sexy Woman.
Andina also posts its menu online and on tables, and servers intrigue diners further, inquiring: "Would you like to try a Pisco Sour? It's the national drink of Peru."
Havana Central's Mojito cart takes cocktail marketing a step further, literally. Bartenders bring the cart right up to tables to personally mix drinks, muddling fresh ingredients in front of guests who get to share in the experience of their creation. "Visually," says Richardson, "it's fantastic!"
Recipe Reference: Bird of Paradise and Dulce de Leche Martinis
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