Review: Pratt Standard Agave Spice Old Fashioned Syrup
Review: Pratt Standard Agave Spice Old Fashioned Syrup
It was only just this summer that I was waxing poetic about the many merits of a tequila-based Old Fashioned cocktail, and here we have the latest and greatest from the syrup wizards at Washington, D.C.’s Pratt Standard: Agave Spice Old Fashioned. Per Pratt Standard’s founder, Tory Pratt:
The flavor profile was driven first by a goal to develop an old fashioned syrup for non-whiskey drinkers. I wanted to make an old fashioned base that would work for tequilas, vodkas and rums, since I regularly make old fashioneds with non-traditional spirits.
This syrup is made in small batches from raw blue agave, cacao nibs, and a whole host of other natural flavorings familiar to the Old Fashioned fan. Pratt Standard’s standard (ha) Old Fashioned syrup is perhaps one of the best on the market today. How does the Agave Spice compare?
There’s a lot of bright, sweet citrus coming through in this syrup, from blood orange to lemon peel, which complements the agave spirit nicely. On the spice cabinet front, it contributes flavors that even a barrel-aged tequila or rum can’t necessarily pull out of the cask, the clove and cardamom adding a particularly nuanced layer. The cacao nibs and peppercorn are unique additions, but they impart just the faintest hint of each. Pratt Standard suggests a simple recipe of 0.5 oz. to 2 oz. tequila or mezcal with an optional orange peel. For all the built-in complexity in this syrup, it doesn’t make for an overly bold cocktail, which is actually the impressive part. Pratt Standard has managed to bottle the subtleties of agave-based cocktails, which, in my experience, shouldn’t punch with the same spice and barrel notes of traditional Old Fashioneds. In the crowded world of cocktail syrups, this one is truly unique and definitely worth adding to the home bar.
A- / $12 per 8 oz bottle / prattstandard.com
