These Fresh-Made Mixers Will Change Your Home Bartending Game
These cocktail mixers go way beyond sugary syrups.
Courtesy of AVEC/Williams-Sonoma
Calling all designated bartenders at home gatherings: It’s time to step away from gathering ingredients, juicing, or muddling behind the bar and join your friends and family at the table. With high-quality, at-home mixers, you can now simplify the bartending process because West Coast makers have done the hard work for you. Just add your favorite liquor—or nonalcoholic spirit.
Dominique Gonzales founded Root Elixirs, based in San Luis Obispo, California, when she needed a way to consolidate her ingredients so she could spend less time behind the bar. “I wanted to be able to step away from bartending at my home barbecues and still give my friends the same tasting experience,” Gonzales says. “There was a gap where there wasn’t something fresh and carbonated on the market.” She had years of bartending experience and wanted to create an elevated, fresh mixer so that people could have craft cocktails without the added time or hassle. Root Elixirs specializes in carbonated mixers with fresh-squeezed ingredients and botanical syrups for a line that ranges in flavors from pineapple passionfruit to strawberry lavender.
Turns out, other companies were founded for the same reason. Ken MacKenzie realized he spent all his time at dinner parties behind the bar because every cocktail required so many ingredients and so much time, so he delved into creating Fresh Victor, a brand of mixers that incorporate cold-pressed juices and no artificial additives. He began in the tequila industry but noticed consumers would mix top-shelf spirits with low-quality mixers with tons of added sugar.
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“One thing people were asking me over and over, no matter where I was, was, ‘When you make these cocktails it takes six minutes,'” he says. “‘People aren’t going to spend six minutes making cocktails, so what’s the cheat code?'”
He found that the cheat code was simple: mixers that contain all of the ingredients without sacrificing freshness.
H. Joseph Ehrmann, Chief Mixology Officer of Fresh Victor, emphasizes the importance of fresh ingredients to mimic craft cocktails you can get from your favorite bar. “What we learned really early on is if you’re using fresh ingredients, it can mix with anything — from gin to beer to Champagne to tequila.” (Fresh Victor’s jalapeño and lime mixer also works for marinating chicken.)
These four companies have created the shortcut you’ve been looking for: real mixers that might even outshine your bartending skills.
Fresh Victor
Fresh Victor mixers have no additives or preservatives because the brand uses fresh ingredients to make cold-pressed juices that can be used in a variety of cocktails. Chief Mixology Officer H. Joseph Ehrmann found that consistency in a drink is what makes it great; with Fresh Victor, you won’t have to worry about mixed-up measurements or imbalanced flavors. Ehrmann’s favorite cocktail is the Pom Paloma, which includes the cactus pear and pomegranate mixer, tequila, and grapefruit seltzer, topped with salt and a squeeze of lime.
Root Elixirs
Root Elixirs founder Dominique Gonzales’ favorite cocktails inspired this line of mixers. Her love of mimosas led to the strawberry lavender flavor that will change your relationship with Champagne. A White Linen cocktail led her to create a mix that makes it so you only need two ingredients to make the refreshing drink.
AVEC and Williams-Sonoma
AVEC, a mixer brand that uses 100% fresh ingredients, partnered with Williams-Sonoma to create sparkling cocktail mixers with classic flavors. “The mixers are made with 80% to 90% less sugar than common counterparts and are just as tasty with alcohol as they are solo,” according to a press release. We recommend trying the yuzu lime flavor with gin for a tangy, herbal cocktail.
LAVA Craft Cocktail Co.
It can be difficult to find a good Bloody Mary or michelada mix. But LAVA, a brand based out of Orange County that focuses on classic cocktail flavors, tops the market for these two.The use of San Marzano tomatoes in both the Bloody Mary and the michelada mixers, plus the balance of spice, makes the flavors authentic and hearty.
