Interview with the bar manager of the Muse restaurant. How professionals use CODE cordials

In the world of cocktails, there are many different premixes and bases, but only a few of them can boast such a unique combination of tastes and aromas as CODE cordials . To dive deeper into the topic of professional use of cordials, we turned to the bar manager of the famous Muse restaurant, Vitaly Skripchinsky.

The Muse restaurant on Bolshaya Nikitskaya is a project of Alexander Oganezov, the owner of a holding of popular food locations in Moscow. The establishment has a bright, stylish and laconic interior. A special feature of the restaurant is the open kitchen located in the center of the hall. Here you can enjoy not only delicious dishes, but also watch the work of the chefs, including the chef himself. The menu is inspired by Mediterranean, Italian and Indian cuisines. The bar offers a wide selection of drinks, including signature cocktails.

In this interview, we will share Vitaly’s expert opinion and talk about what makes CODE cordials so popular and easy to use.

Are you familiar with our CODE cordials? What are your general impressions, please tell us.

- Yes, I do. I like the fact that they are more sweet, so we can bring them into balance with acid.

What flavor do you use most often? Any preferences?

– In first place is “Black Currant / Pineapple Express / Lavender” , the cordial “Rhubarb / Raspberry / Sicilian Lemon” is very good. So far we have been able to try two new products - “Jasmine / Apple / Pink Guava” and “Pomegranate Wine / Walnut / Jaffa” . Very cool, tasty and unusual, and the seasonality is emphasized.

What, in your opinion, is a more universal taste that suits almost any alcohol?

– To be honest, I didn’t single it out, but all the flavors work very well in one way or another with gin, vodka, brandy, and tequila because there are three flavors. It is very difficult to work with a mono flavour, for example, cordial elderberry. And here there are three tastes. As practice shows, when mixing a drink, a fourth taste appears.

How do you get inspired to use a certain flavor and try mixing it with something?

– At first I start from seasonality; nevertheless, I take some seasonal moments. There is a moment of combining alcohol with something. For example, tequila goes well with pear or jasmine. I try to make drinks with very few ingredients. This is very difficult to do, but sometimes it works. This makes the drinks more understandable to the guest. There are eight or nine components mixed together, and it is not clear what the output is. Three or four, maximum five, but less is better. It's not easy to do, but if it works, it turns out delicious.

Have you identified rules and features that you would like to share with other young bartenders? What’s better: follow the manufacturer’s instructions, or rely more on your own feelings?

– In any case, the manufacturer’s recipes and tips are not bad because they are compiled by professionals. I definitely wouldn’t focus on them, but you can look at them.

Cordials are such a moment; you can use them to make lemonades, iced teas and, of course, cocktails.

I haven't tried them in hot teas, but the field is unplowed. Need to try. I didn’t heat them, but I think it’s possible up to 60 degrees, there won’t be any harm, but I don’t think it’s worth it. There are no regulations as such.

It is also convenient that it is a beautiful, small bottle with a clear volume of 500 ml. Tasty, sweet, you can adjust the balance to the sour side if it’s too sweet for you. And here is a tip for young guys - you just have to do it and try, you have to work, because everything is convenient. I am satisfied with everything from price to quality.

Have you tried making some unusual cocktails? For example, iced teas, this topic is also not fully covered. The main focus, of course, is on cocktails. What flavors are selected for iced teas? What combinations have you discovered?

– I use Rhubarb/Raspberry/Sicilian Lemon Cordial Iced Tea. I brewed the usual assan, but something was missing. Then I brewed Earl Gray, and I and the staff at the tasting liked it. It has become more understandable and multifaceted. We have lemonade, I’ll make it later, also non-alcoholic lemonade, mocktail is a fashionable word now. I use “Blackcurrant / Pineapple Express / Lavender” there. Cordials are all good in their own way and go with what is written on the label. That is, technologists see maps very wellWell, what is happening, they look in the right direction. There is a combination of flavors here, it’s difficult to spoil anything.

What can you say about the dosage? Do you need to test everything?

- Yes, somewhere twenty is good, somewhere thirty is not enough, somewhere forty is a lot. I set myself to thirty – you can hear both the cordial and the base alcohol. No one bothers anyone, so to speak.

Maybe you have a suggestion for what we should add to our existing range?

– It’s too early to talk about this now, we need to think about seasonality. This was, is and will be relevant. Winter means sea buckthorn, for example. It’s very good that the cordials are transparent, of course, this is a big plus.

Cordials are stored for three months without refrigeration or additional conditions. Have you encountered any storage problems?

- Yes, they don’t have time to deteriorate. Someone put the bottle in the refrigerator, the cordial began to crystallize, so there was no need for a refrigerator. They do not have time to deteriorate, in general, the volume is small - it is consumed quickly.

Can you compare cordials from other manufacturers with CODE corials?

– Over the past six months, so many brands of cordials have appeared, but brands have appeared whose products cannot be called cordials, and it is difficult to call them syrup. This is where the quality takes its toll. It may be a little more expensive, but it will be of high quality. I'm quite happy with CODE's balance, which is a little on the sweet side. It seems that at first you drink something sweet, and then after seconds it opens up and turns sour. One way or another, we can bring them ourselves. We're bartenders, right? And when the cordial comes to you sour and sour, some manufacturers have such moments. It seems like a good combination, but it’s sour, and there’s no point in adding sugar to it. It will be sugar, all the taste will be lost.

Thanks for sharing your opinion!

– Please, let’s work and try new tastes and combinations!