An applied guide for baristas and coffee shop owners
Twice a year, and sometimes more often, head baristas or coffee shop technicians become involved in the process of creating a seasonal menu. Signature or seasonal drinks can become a hallmark of a coffee shop and set it apart from others.
Where to start?
The development of a signature drink begins long before the actual recipe development and the selection of a suitable name.
- Record in a notebook or on your phone, wherever you may be, all the flavor combinations that come to mind and that you would be interested in working with.
- Cultivate your creative abilities: be open to new experiences, don't be afraid to express emotions, read books, visit exhibitions, work on your own creativity.
- Expand your taste experience - explore new flavor combinations, try different cocktails at bars, communicate with bartenders, study the cuisines of different nations.
- Keep up with global trends. Numerous new ideas for signature drinks are born at every coffee championship. Review the performances of finalists in national and global championships, take note of ideas. Follow interesting resources on social media that discuss global trends in beverages, or follow the accounts of specific bartenders and baristas who inspire you. Baristas rarely disclose their own creations, but bartenders are more willing to share recipes, even with precise measurements. One such website is Drinkhacker. Many have probably heard of food pairing - a scientific method that allows you to combine products based on the molecular similarity of their aromas. Ideas from food pairing can also be applied in a coffee shop, but this requires a great deal of experience in mixology.
Before developing the seasonal menu, outline the framework for the future range of drinks and each drink individually, based on your own taste experience. Write down what you want to combine and in which drink it can be implemented - latte, raf, flat white, lemonade, etc. Consider the texture and serving vessel, and don't overlook the name of the future drink.
Milky or non-milky? The coffee shop itself decides which drinks will dominate the menu. Sweet signature drinks are usually purchased more frequently, so special attention should be given to the development of such drinks. Most milky signature drinks are prepared according to the following scheme: espresso + milk base (cream or milk) + flavor base.
Always make note of all flavor combinations and experiments with taste, proportions, and measurements. Documenting each step helps save time and quickly find the optimal ratio of components to establish a recipe later on. For example, determining the quantity of acidic berries and dairy component that prevents the drink from curdling can only be achieved through gradual adjustment of optimal proportions.
If the drink doesn't involve adding milk, lungo or filter coffee is often used as the coffee base.
Example of creating a non-coffee signature drink
Objective: Create a refreshing summer lemonade.
Choose summer berries, such as strawberries, as the main component.
Consider what it will be paired with. Any berry pairs well with citrus, so add citrus to our lemonade based on personal taste experience to find the most suitable option.
Desire to give the drink a more complex flavor, so add fresh herbs - mint or tarragon. And the final touch - ice for chilling.
When selecting components, it's important to use common sense and not get carried away with fantasies or add strange ingredients (such as sweet potato, for example).
Texture of the drink and flavor additions
The texture of the drink greatly influences its perception. If large components are added (fruit chunks, berries, nuts), it is desirable to strain the drink, homogenize it as much as possible, and make it tactically pleasant. Most guests do not like the presence of lumps or pieces in their beverages, so uniformity is crucial. On the other hand, the presence of such components indicates their natural origin.
How should flavor components be prepared?
It is more convenient to use dry powder preparations in your work - sugar mixed or ground with the flavor component. For example, with dried lavender flowers for lavender raf or with citrus zest for citrus raf. Such preparations have two advantages due to the presence of sugar: longer shelf life and better solubility of components in the drink. If using sauces or concentrates, don't forget to mix them well before adding to the drink.
When choosing containers for storing preparations, consider their convenience in work. It can be vacuum packaging or a regular sauce bottle with a lid. It is important to monitor the expiration dates of all preparations. For this purpose, labeling with the preparation date is used. When the expiration date is reached, the preparation should be discarded without hesitation and fresh ones should be prepared.
Sugar in beverages
There is no need to fear sugar in signature drinks, as it serves two key functions: enhancing flavor and acting as a natural preservative.
The amount of sugar in a drink is determined through experimentation. The basic proportion is 300 grams of the main component (cream/milk) + 100 grams of sugar + N grams of the component that is infused in the cream/milk. For example, a latte typically includes around 40-50 grams of flavor base (syrup). Most coffee shops have an assortment of beverages listed in the Consumer Corner, indicating their calorie content, volume, and price. Anyone interested in this information can refer to the list at any time.
Many people pay attention to the sugar content in beverages for various reasons. To reduce their glycemic index, we can turn to sugar substitutes. For example, agave syrup or Jerusalem artichoke syrup can be used, as they have the least impact on the glycemic index.
There is also another natural sugar substitute - erythritol, which has a glycemic index of zero and does not affect blood glucose levels. It has zero calories while providing 60-70% of the sweetness of sugar. It's important to note that all sugar substitutes are more expensive than regular sugar, which may not always be acceptable for a coffee shop.
Toppings and decorations
In the modern world of visual content, we need to be creative and emphasize not only the taste but also the visual appeal of the beverage. Decorations can be used to create something visually unique, distinguishing the drinks and your coffee shop from the rest. However, it's important to maintain minimalism and not overdo the decorations to avoid distracting from the taste. A small accent such as sprinkling freeze-dried berries or fruits, edible dried flowers, can be added. If a drink looks unappealing, for example, with unknown floating components on the surface, it will spoil the impression even if it's very tasty. Remember the multisensory experience ;)
It's important to understand that in large chain coffee shops, the choice of decorations is limited. There is no possibility to introduce special vessels for every new drink, and this should also be considered during the development process.
The most important thing
Creating a signature drink is an opportunity for a barista to showcase their talent in creativity and mixology, as well as explore a new field of knowledge. A well-crafted beverage can become the center of attraction. People will come from across the city for a delicious and beautifully presented signature drink, and they will happily share their experience with friends and acquaintances.