A few drops of flavor extract can do what a bottle of flavored syrup does in a cocktail, without the extra sugar. Lavender lemonade, a rose spritz, a cardamom old fashioned: each starts with a concentrated extract and lets you decide the sweetness yourself. Here is how to build them, with and without spirits.
- Flavor without sugar. Culinary Aromatics® extracts have no added sugar, so the drink is only as sweet as you make it.
- No dilution. A few drops change the flavor, not the balance of spirit, citrus, and ice.
- One bottle, many drinks. The same extract flavors a cocktail, a zero proof version, and a house syrup.
- Aroma on top. A mist over the glass adds the first impression before the first sip.
Six drinks to start with
| Drink | Extract | Zero proof version |
|---|---|---|
| Lavender lemonade | Bulgarian lavender | Already zero proof; add gin or vodka for a collins |
| Rose spritz or rose gin fizz | Bulgarian rose | Rose, lemon, and sparkling water over ice |
| Cardamom old fashioned | Cardamom | Cold black tea, demerara syrup, orange peel |
| Ginger mule | Ginger | Lime, ginger, and soda water for a fiery ginger soda |
| Peppermint espresso martini | Peppermint | Chilled espresso, cream, and a touch of syrup |
| Valencia orange margarita | Valencia orange | Lime, orange, agave, and soda |
Add the extract to the liquid, then shake or stir
Drop the extract into the shaker or mixing glass with the spirit and citrus, before the ice. It disperses through the liquid as you shake or stir. For a highball or a spritz, add it to the base of the glass and stir before topping with soda or sparkling wine, so the bubbles do the rest without being knocked flat.
In the cardamom old fashioned, add the drops with the sugar and bitters, stir with ice, and finish with an orange peel. The cardamom warms the whiskey without the cloudiness of muddled pods. In the ginger mule, extract gives you a sharper ginger edge than ginger beer alone, so you can choose a drier mixer.
Build a house syrup for a busy bar
For service, put the flavor into a simple syrup once and pour it like any other. Stir 1/4 teaspoon of extract, about 50 drops, into each cup of finished syrup. At a normal pour of one to four pumps, that puts 3 to 5 drops in the glass. A lavender syrup made this way covers lemonade, a lavender latte, and a gin collins from one bottle.
Keep the syrup and the flavor as separate decisions when you want a drier drink: add the extract directly and use less syrup.
Zero proof drinks deserve the same care
A good mocktail is built like a cocktail: something bright, something sweet, something with backbone, and a clear lead flavor. Extracts are especially useful here, because they bring the aromatic complexity that a spirit would otherwise provide.
Try cold black tea or a splash of verjus for structure, citrus for brightness, and a lightly sweetened syrup. Then let the extract carry the character. Rose and lemon over sparkling water, ginger with lime and soda, or cardamom with cold brew and orange peel all feel finished rather than like a cocktail with something missing.
Finish with aroma: mist the glass
Much of what we taste in a cocktail arrives through the nose. The Culinary Aromatics Kit comes with a dropper and a spray nozzle, so you can flavor the drink and then mist the top of it, the inside of the coupe, or the garnish right before it goes out.
A light mist of rose over a gin fizz, lavender over the foam of a sour, or orange over a margarita rim gives a bright first impression that fades into the drink as you sip. It is the bartender’s twist of peel, in a bottle. Read more about aromatic finishing.
How much to use
| Where the flavor goes | Starting amount |
|---|---|
| Cocktail, mocktail, lemonade, soda | 3 to 5 drops per cup of finished drink |
| House simple syrup | 1/4 teaspoon (about 50 drops) per cup of syrup |
| Aromatic finish | One or two light mists from the Kit’s spray nozzle |
The rates above are a starting point. Taste and adjust; every base is different. Rose, lavender, and peppermint are intense, so start below the baseline with those, especially in a small cocktail. See our guide to how much extract to use for conversions.
Pure Infusions™ flavor oils are made for chocolate, candy, and rich foods, and oil does not mix into a drink. Every recipe here uses a Culinary Aromatics extract. A few drops of an alcohol based extract add a trace of alcohol, so if a guest avoids alcohol entirely, mention it.
Keep exploring
- Flavoring buttercream and frosting
- Choosing a flavor format for chocolate and candy
- Flavoring ice cream and frozen desserts
Stock your bar
Our Culinary Aromatics extracts are No Sugar Added, Kosher Pareve, Non-GMO, Gluten-Free, and vegan, and a 2 oz bottle of a concentrated flavor covers more than 300 cups. Shop the Culinary Aromatics collection. For bars, cafés, and beverage programs, gallon sizes are available through our wholesale inquiry page.