Al Culliton Al Culliton

Orgeat

Orgeat is an almond syrup that was used long before “tiki” got started, but became much more famous as a tropical ingredient, especially as a component in the Mai Tai. This recipe is adapted from the Fort Defiance house recipe.

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Vanilla Syrup

We used this vanilla syrup (borrowed from Gigantic) for our March 2023 Gold Rush-themed drinks.

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Strawberry syrup

This is the strawberry syrup we make at Gigantic that uses a muddle-and-heat method that Ned developed for our raspberry syrup. It’s very good!

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Rich Demerara Syrup

Rich demerara syrup pops up a lot in the tropical genre and beyond. We used it in our 1930s- and ‘40s-inspired Tiki Month (June 2021).

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Fig Syrup

This fig syrup added “leather armchair” notes of dried fruit and tobacco to our cocktails in November 2022. It’s a “rich” syrup, so keep that in mind if you’re looking to sub it into other recipes.

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Spiced Angostura Bitters

This Spiced Angostura bitters recipe comes from St John Frizell and his great bar team at Brooklyn’s Gage & Tollner. We used them in June 2021 for 1930s and ‘40s Tiki Month.

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Vanilla-Orange Cordial

If you like creamsicles, this cordial is for you. We used it in a couple of drinks for April 2021’s Tom Bullock month.

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Grenadine (FD version)

Homemade grenadine is a thing of beauty. This recipe was adapted from the house recipe at Fort Defiance, which was derived from the NoMad’s recipe. We used this grenadine in our Tom Bullock month back in April of 2021. He was a great fan of grenadine.

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Martini “Brine”

This saline solution, spiked with lactic acid, was the brainchild of Tyler Caffall and St John Frizell at Fort Defiance. Their goal was to make a “clean” Dirty Martini, and they succeeded. We used this brine in Club recipes, both in March and May of 2021. It’s not just for Martinis!

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Cinnamon Syrup

This cinnamon syrup played a role in a couple of our steakhouse-inspired recipes from March 2021.

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Salted Parsley Syrup

This salted parsley syrup is part of my Apium Cobbler recipe, but could be used in sours as well as to make refreshing non-alcoholic sodas.

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Demerara Syrup

This is an all-purpose 1:1 demerara syrup. Not to be confused with its more viscous sibling, rich demerara, which features a 2:1 ratio.

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Salted “sour patch” sugar

This salted “sour patch” sugar mixture was invented to garnish our Toreador in a month of tequila cocktails inspired by the Café Royal Cocktail Book.

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Scotch Mix

This mixture of blended and peaty single-malt Scotches formed the base for all of our cocktails in February 2021.

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Ginger-honey Mixture

This very gingery “mixture” is so called because it’s not really a syrup, but more similar to something you might get at a juice bar.

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Pineapple Syrup

If you’re using pineapple for juice or an infusion, this is a great way to use the core and rind of the fruit. Try subbing it in for other syrups in your favorite templates.

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Pineapple-infused Rum

This pineapple-infused rum was the star of two drinks from December 2020’s Victorian Christmas theme. Try swapping it in for aged rum in your favorite cocktail recipes!

Read More
Al Culliton Al Culliton

Pumpkin Spice Syrup

Our 2.0 version of pumpkin spirit, this one's more classical than our delectable miso-laced version from 2022.

Read More