Magazine: A syrupy story

Despite having a rather poor cocktail culture and RTD beverages being less competitive because of the high taxes on them, mixed drinks are an important part of bars and clubs’ drinks list in Hungary. A stunning number of them are served, in part thanks to the unbelievably large selection of syrups available – some manufacturers offer more than a hundred flavours! These convenience products have a long shelf life, guarantee constant quality and can be used as flavour enhancers any time. More and more flavours are available, but there are all-time favourites such as grenadine or cocoa.

About a decade ago an innovation wave commenced in the world of syrups and this trend still prevails. In the USA fruit syrups are used to flavour coffees, while in Europe walnut, peanut, cinnamon and caramel are more popular. About 10 years ago syrup manufacturers have started producing complex-flavour syrups such as brownie or marshmallow. These new products give coffee the chance to become some kind of dessert, which at the same time also meets health trends as it contains less fat and sugar than ordinary sweets. According to Judit Miljanic, the representative of Momenti-Hungary Kft (the distributor of Routin 1883 products), in the domestic market we find the most important international brands and cheaper Hungarian products too. Her view is that health trends have the biggest influence on major manufacturers’ innovation activity. Orsolya Szabó, marketing specialist for Starbucks in Hungary told our magazine that Hungarian consumers are becoming more open, happily trying new products. In Budapest Starbucks units caramel, vanilla, peanut and chocolate syrups are the favourites. Starbucks’ seasonal offers include Pumpkin Spice, Gingerbread and Toffee Nut. Syrup quality highly depends on fruit content. Products containing preservatives won’t turn cloudy. In bars thinner syrups are used because they mix better with other cocktail ingredients. The quantity of syrups added to coffee has to between 2 and 4.5 percent and the coffee taste must remain dominant.