Each week our Mandarin team creates over 20 different syrups in house from our cocktail kitchen.  The syrups are integral in creating our weekly and seasonal menus.  Our syrups range from Strawberry Rose to Beet Kvass to Basel Ginger to Dandelion Tea to Habanero Ginger.

We are always looking for ways to introduce new ways to enjoy and enhance our cocktail creations. One of these ways is to ‘smoke’ our cocktails with a variety of burnt wood chips. We regularly use hickory, cherry, maple, alder, and oak chips to provide character and body to a drink.  However, we also utilize smoked herbs like rosemary to pull out an underlying ingredient in a spirit.

In 2010, we began experimenting with aging cocktails in char-oak barrels.  What we found was that whisky and other spirits that we aged gained flavor, character, color and a smoother finish after aging 7 to 8 weeks in a barrel.  Further, our aged cocktails take on a richer, smoky body to them, which adds to the depth and layers of the cocktail.  We consistently keep 2 barrel aged cocktails in rotation and alternate from classics to new creations.

Small but mighty; that is how we see the importance of bitters to a cocktail.  They’re usually the smallest component of the ingredients in your glass, but if you leave them out, you can end up with a very hollow drink.  Bitters is often the key to the case that can transform a cocktail and provide incredible complexity.  We carry a variety of over 20 bitters including our own homemade bitters.

The importance of ice should never be overlooked.  Just as important to the balance of one of our well-constructed cocktails as properly pairing our small-batched/homemade syrups, bitters and spirits, is selecting the appropriate ice for the drink.  Ice can often add an ounce of water to a drink.  Therefore, how you add ice to a drink is important to the final texture, temperature, and taste of the drink itself.  We focus on pairing the proper ice for each cocktail from chipped, solid, large, round, crushed, or flavored.

People often obsess over what goes into a glass for a well-crafted cocktail. However, before you pour, you should know exactly what to pour your drink into. The construction of a glass will directly affect the aroma, taste, and longevity of a cocktail.  Each type of drink requires a specific vessel to maximize its potential.  We strive to find the right glass for each creation to bring out its shine.