BUNGALOW 23 COCKTAIL MIXERS add NEW TWIST TO COCKTAILS

Michael Hepworth

BUNGALOW 23 COCKTAIL MIXERS add NEW TWIST TO COCKTAILS

PERFECT FOR THE LAZY AT HOME BARTENDER

HOLLYWOOD(Spiritsman)7/5/15/–A new company from Florida has launched hand crafted mixes with their signature mix being the Pear Ginger Martini Mixer. As a lover of ginger, I welcomed this bottle when it arrived on my desk with its combination of Washington State Wenatchee Valley pears, ginger root, lemons and in house lemongrass extract.

The drinks have a one year shelf life and are full of pulp. For those of you that care about these things, the drink has just won a Gold Medal at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition. With the home bartender craze really just beginning to take off big time; these are drinks you can actually fix in 15 seconds, perfect fodder for the lazy at home bartender

The pears come from a region in Washington close to the Cascade Mountains where they can flourish in the glacial soil in a warm dry climate. The extremely fresh fruit blends well with the crystallized ginger and the crisp citrus.

They also produce the Blueberry Lemon Drop which pairs with vodka and the Prickly Pear Margarita pairing up of course with tequila. The Lemon drop has a nice fresh taste to it that can make even the most mundane vodka palatable with the combination of 3/11ths vodka and 8/11ths the mix. The fruity mix starts in the Willamette Valley of Oregon where berries can be very ripe thanks to the dry summer nights and cool evenings.

Lemongrass partners with the fresh lemons to give a touch of earthiness. Lavender pairs well with the blueberries and lemons adding to the overall complexity of the cocktail. There is also research that indicates that when blueberries are mixed with alcohol, the antioxidant level goes way up.

The fruit for the Prickly Pear Margarita comes from the Salinas Valley where the foundation of the mix are crisp limes. Add oranges which double the citrus component as they help take away from the tartness of the limes. Depth and richness is provided by Blue agave nectar and the homemade cilantro delivers the earthiness. Margarita mixers can be a bit of a crapshoot frankly, with for example the Jose Cuervo mix you see everywhere containing such questionable and dodgy stuff like Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Cellulose Gum and Polysorbate 60.

Distribution of the mixers is a bit patchy at the moment with the exception of Florida, and At a retail on-line price of $17.50 some would consider them mildly expensive. However the quality is good, and this writer certainly has no qualms about a positive endorsement.