The Cocktail College Podcast: Techniques: Sugar and Sweeteners

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There’s only so much volume in a cocktail glass, which means it’s imperative to pack as much flavor as possible into that limited space. This entails using quality spirits and modifiers, seasoning with the right bitters, not over-diluting, and, of course, selecting the right sugar. It blunts the heat of alcohol, tempers the acidity of citrus, and contributes texture to any cocktail.

Simple syrup is so often the go-to for bringing sweetness to drinks. Its preparation is just as “simple” as the name suggests, and given its neutral profile, it doesn’t interfere with other ingredients. But are we missing an opportunity there? According to today’s guest, the answer is an emphatic yes.

On this episode of “Cocktail College,” we’re joined by Austin Hennelly, bar manager at Los Angeles’s Kato, for a masterclass on one of the four fundamental components of cocktails: sugar. If you’re stuck in a simple syrup rut, you’re absolutely missing out on a massive flavor opportunity, as Austin explains it, taking up valuable real estate with flavorless refined white sugar and risking over-dilution with the ingredient’s water component. What should you do instead? The answer is also… simple. Tune in for more.