Passion Fruit Showdown: what's the best syrup for cocktails?

[@makeanddrink]

Totally forgot to mention I recently made passion fruit syrup from real fresh passion fruit. Didn’t prefer it. Two more things to note here: First, the ones that ended up my favorites I was not super positive on when first tasting in the video. When you're looking for pros/cons it's easy to pick things out. But once you taste them against others that's when you can really pick up what you like and don't like. Second, the sugar and brix readings are not that relevant. I did not notice a large difference in sweetness when tasting and since we are dealing with syrups with varying levels of acidity (some added) you can't truly judge these based on the Brix levels.

[@aleonard08]

Are you measuring in grams when you make the syrup?

[@makeanddrink]

In the video yes it is in grams. But how you measure is not too relevant if you are targeting a specific Brix because however you measure you’ll end up with the same.

[@Elflavio92]

You are quickly becoming the best tropical cocktail creator on youtube. Such high-quality content, thanks for all of your hard work!

[@breadbasket37]

I think he already is. And has been.

[@daneflanigan]

Agreed.

[@simonwatson3418]

Agree with breadbasket - Derek is there. One of the few channels I actually look Forward to new releases during the week!

[@TW-AZ]

He already is for sure.

[@mungovanlowe]

Love that last point: if you’re worried about the unhealthiness of some cocktail syrups, then you should be WAY more concerned about the unhealthiness of alcohol.

[@lorensztajer6400]

Thank you for saving me the time and money to do the comparisons! We seem to have similar palates, so I trust your reviews. The bottle of Real in my fridge has earned more respect today. 😊

[@mmwosu]

Super helpful stuff as always. People pre-judge on packaging (guilty ✋) but when you get past that sometimes you find cost-saving gems that still give superior results. This was how I ended up switching from Coco Lopez to Real when it comes to Cream of Coconut

[@StevetheBarmanUK]

Absolutely LOVE THIS Big D! The more noise we make about branded stuff, the better. The grief I get as a Bartender for using my ODK Syrups/Purees is hilarious. I feel that my channel picked up a lot of geeks over the years, and they hate on Brands vs making your own. But the fact is as you mentioned...Brands do stuff amazingly well, and they last flippin ages. I'm lucky here in the UK as i have close relationships with all Puree Brands because of the work I do, So i regularly get to try all the purees...even judge them blind in yearly industry comps... I'll never have a bad word against them. Yeah i prefer ODK over Reál... BUT, if i didn't have ODK, I'd be smashing out the Reál. Their Guava and Pineapple is INCREDIBLE!!! Reál Blueberry on Toast is also a staple... 😉😂

[@makeanddrink]

KEEPING IT REAL from both sides of the pond. You're the king of the taste tests. That's the only way to know what you like and it's important to throw pretension out the window. That reminds me I have your Hurricane rum blend on my list of things to do.

[@powermonger9090]

I really liked the point about people worried about preservatives and put everything in perspective. The alcohol and sugar alone will be far worse than worrying about the preservatives. Also got to say Steve the Barman would be proud of your comparison video. Keep up the good work!

[@StevetheBarmanUK]

StB is very proud! 😂 You know I'm a big fan of my Branded stuff with those e Numbers!

[@ericepperson8409]

My wife is from South America and she introduced me to Passion Fruit (Maracuya) years ago. I love the tangy tart flavor it brings. In drinks lately I've been using the Pitaya pulp with an extra 1/4 oz of syrup added to the drink. I can find it in our local Kroger's which saves me from the longer trip to the specialty markets. They are also in local WalMarts near me. I used to use the Goya puree but the Pitaya cubes are easier to portion small amounts out of the freezer. Favorite drink with it right now is a Port Light with Bourbon, Passion Fruit, Lemon Juice, and grenadine.

[@maitaioneon]

Great video! The showdown format is super fun. Cheers

[@MartinDoudoroffLLC]

Homemade is really best! Still trivial to make-hit a latin american market if you’re having trouble finding frozen pulp. Also, I find it practical to freeze my passion fruit syrup between uses.

[@ultimatemaitai]

Thanks for running through these.

[@ApothecaryAlyth]

I love the comparison videos, really informative and helpful guidance for us to narrow down our option at home. I do think a "Part 2" could be welcome here to see how they perform in a cocktail!

[@makeanddrink]

Part 2 ain’t gonna happen! If the results had been a pricey commercial and homemade as the top 2 that might warrant it, but since the 3 fave for me were the cheapest that’s what I’ll be making from here on out.

[@william_lloyd]

Goya passionfruit puree at any local supermercado is under $3 and what I use for mine. Always tastes great. Going to try the .87 on the sugar next time as I usually just go 1:1

[@josephlucatorto4772]

Yeah same. I was kinda surprised that he totally dismissed the other frozen pulp. Maybe that's just a really bad brand? but i'm really happy with the syrup i get from Goya + sugar

[@makeanddrink]

I was dismissive of it because I had done a blind taste test with it before and it was really bad. Even has someone else tasting with me and they agreed. Goya might be the best, but the whole point of this is to show how much you can learn by actually blind tastings things. You may think something is great (Plantation 3-Stars) then taste it against others and find out you like something else much better.

[@MMatricks]

Is there a technical difference? Or just a quality difference? Did not really understand from the video. Sadly here I Europe the choices are really limited 😅

[@JasonBunting]

​@@makeanddrinklove the consistent shade at 3 stars...

[@makeanddrink]

The differences will be brand specific. Not using the same raw passion fruit or processes. Whether it’s pulp, juice, concentrate or puree they’ll all be different. My dislike of the frozen pulp is the brand specific to the one shown in the video.

[@scrub175]

Your videos are top notch. Thank you for your information and presentation. Your Mai Tai series was captivating.

[@makeanddrink]

Thanks so much! I really appreciate it!

[@scrub175]

Thank you for your contributions to the community. I will check your catalogue but could you make a video describing your bar set up. It is very impressive. How did you get into mixing cocktails and any training. Like I said I will check your catalogue, maybe videos like that exist. Thank you.

[@christinecamley]

I am not a sweet fan and I make a home made passionfruit syrup but I do always enjoy Liber and Co! Terrific video! Yes these are expensive! Passionfruit is expensive so in a sense I can understand it probably is a more expensive syrup to manufacture. Liber is usually high quality. I prefer home made and I cut down on the sweetness level. Cheers!

[@ynotlast9210]

This was great information Thank you

[@TheMooseOnTheLeft]

I love these comparisons and blind tastings. I did something like this with passion fruit honey syrup last summer. With the only variable being honey, I made four different Saturns. Used a store-bought clover honey, a columbine honey from the farmers market, honey from the beehives on top of my apartment building (A lot of linden trees nearby) and honey from a friend that keeps bees (probably wildflowers and linden trees). More than anything I was blown away by how different they were. The one from my building had a bit of a menthol taste to it that I really liked with the gin.

[@LitoCortes]

I was pleasantly surprised at Real's flavor. I thought it would be a bit less fruit tasting and a bit more generic sweet syrup. This one is now a staple at my store and at home.

[@WhoKnowsNose]

My local Raley's and Sprouts typically have the Pitaya brand in stock. That's always been my go to for homemade passion fruit syrup as well.

[@als.2983]

Derek, you are doing yeoman's work here. We will all cross paths with passion fruit syrup so its great to know which one to start with. Thanks for doing the work so we don't have to.

[@julianmoy1432]

Great video, I would love to see more videos on various products. Coconut cream would be a great product to review.

[@makeanddrink]

Thank you! I’ve done a more general coconut video but my preference is Reál over CocoLopez, but they’re close.

[@Kgk22314]

I really appreciate the honest assessment. Can’t say I would ever do this on my own and now if all I can find is Reàl I know the cocktail will work out fine.

[@christianbank393]

This was very eye-opening for me. I started out with Real, but then "graduated" to other more pricey brands thinking they would be better, but I never stopped to do a taste test. Thanks for doing it for us and saving me money :) I'll be going back to Real next time I'm shopping. Hope to see more "Showdowns" in the future, thanks.

[@makeanddrink]

I don't think you need to abandon any preferred brands, but maybe try some of the alternative options against it yourself to see what you think.

[@atomicgrog]

Ambitious and comprehensive video! I've done similar tests around a half-dozen times over the years with whatever brands I could get my hands on. Over time, I discovered that tasting the syrups on their own was not a true test of their mixability. They must be mixed in cocktails to get their true value, me thinks. Some that tasted fine solo fell flat in cocktails. I spread out the tests over multiple days, so I didn't face your dilemma in filming a video in one sitting. FYI, I did find Real to be consistently near the top. It does mix well. The other consistent result was that my homemade syrup (similar to yours) was almost always No. 1 by a clear margin .... until recently. You need to try the new Passionola syrup from Doc Parks and the authors of the Fassionola book. It should be on the market soon, though I'll bet Doc would bring some to sample if you had him on the show. I got a preview bottle, so it may not be exactly comparable to the finished product, but the overall freshness and flavor was neck-and-neck with a homemade syrup. Apparently it's based on the original formula from the 1930s, when the syrup first came to market in soda fountains and was later embraced by Don the Beachcomber.

[@jarrod-smith]

Fantastic video. My Liber is about gone and I’ll have to try one or both of your two favorites next.

[@imrahil_327]

Enjoyed the video and look forward to more of these head-to-head tests!

[@jdogfunk100]

My vote is for Reàl, it tastes incredible

[@lilithdasweet4780]

I follow a lot of mixology channels, yours is the best for tiki! thank you for your content. I wish you had more than 15k definitely deserve soo much more

[@Mackovision]

+1

[@sergisamongas]

Very passionate review!

[@satellitescreenprintinginc3404]

This video was super helpful!

[@Speciarii]

Thank you for this tasting. Much appreciated. I have only tried the liber and the real both taste really good but I prefer the real for the squeeze bottle ease of use.

[@BrianRKocak]

You are amazing and only growing my love for tiki drinks even more. Keep up the good work, love your videos.

[@betht555]

Great to see so many Australian brands on your back bar❤

[@robmichaels4728]

Dispelling myths and squashing rumors! Thanks for spending the coin on all of these options to prevent us from needing to do so. I recently bought a bottle of Real, but have yet to open it.

[@johnolmos8670]

I used to just get Goya passionfruit purée at the Mexican market but now I’m definitely gonna switch over to gitaya

[@sak4aak]

Great video. We do a lot of Lapu Lapu and Hurricane drinks here and primarily use BG Reynolds and Liquid Alchemist. No way I would have thought that Real Exotics would have been in your top 3. Might have to try that one now. I don't necessarily consider their product bad, use the cream of coconut all the time but your POV on them was aligned with mine.

[@Succumbed2Rum]

I have been using Real products since Derek recommended their cream of coconut. Great, affordable products that last long in the fridge. Thanks, Derek!

[@hortencia01030]

The pitaya passion fruit cubes are sold at Walmart too. At least they are in the Phoenix market. About $3.98

[@michaelhagerman1074]

Yep available in my area (Tacoma) too, this is what is use.

[@blindlemonlipschitz912]

Thanks for the tip! Just looked it up, and sure enough, there it is! Gonna check this out.

[@jbworkoutlog]

Same here (Indianapolis). Had trouble finding it in specialty stores then stumbled upon it at Walmart for under 4 dollars. Later I found it at Fresh Thyme for 6 ot 7 dollars.

[@gregehyougetit2863]

Your videos are great! Went from never heard of to must watch for me in a very short time. One question. At the end you mentioned how long in the fridge. How long would you say Liquid Alchemist or Small Hands are good after opened in the fridge? Just a few weeks to a month?

[@miksologia]

I'm really happy that Real was in the top 2, as it's the only one available here in Europe.

[@alho9231]

I think you'll find that Funkin's purées are also available in Europe. I also use ODK and Monin here in the EU

[@andymiller3541]

Awesome work and great vid! BTW where's that tiki shirt from? Looks dope!

[@makeanddrink]

amazon . com

[@durarara911]

Ayo! Missed your uploads. Glad to see you're back!

[@HistoryFeels]

Thanks for these videos, I'm just getting into Tiki for the summer (even though its pretty cold here in Europe right now!) We dont have these brands so home made it is for me

[@rbilabronze2653]

Aunty Liliko’I is the best I’ve had.

[@odiec5567]

Totally agree with your comments the fear of added ingredients being unhealthy. Alcohol is quite literally poison, so the grams of sodium bonzoate may not be the thing you should be concerned about while drinking. I finally found a bottle of Banana Real, it is surprisingly good!

[@mbalash3755]

I don’t care what Real bottles look like. They taste great and keep forever! The squeeze bottle works great too😊

[@HyperspaceCowboy]

Thanks for another good one! I’m firmly in the Real camp myself - both on taste, cost and ease … I enjoy making my own syrups but in this case, it doesn’t really make sense.

[@DarkSky513]

Anytime a recipe calls for passion fruit puree or syrup, I just sub in Chinola. Ups the ABV a bit and that stuff is delicious!

[@TheAndrewjh1987]

I never thought I’d say this, but I guess we’re lucky. I’m in east Texas and the Pitaya passion fruit purée is available at Walmart for $4 a bag. Makes it by far the cheapest, and my go-to for passion fruit syrup.

[@jjdawg9918]

Thanks for doing this! I had given up on the prepackaged syrups in my local area since they were mostly sugar with little passion fruit flavor. With the resurgence of tiki looks like more option might be available now. I will continue to go the Goya route when possible but it's not always available and it's nice to have some last minute options.

[@reedone33]

Love your videos - they are reliably informative and inspirational. I was thinking you should do an extended blind test with the same options, but this time in a cocktail - perhaps a Puka Punch - where the only variable is the passionfruit syrup. I wonder if the other ingredients interact with the passionfruit syrups enough where your rankings change? I'd do this myself, but figured since you have all the options already....

[@makeanddrink]

Thank you! The main issue I have with using an ingredient like this in a cocktail taste test is this goes in so many cocktails that choosing one to try it in will end up not really proving a point. Since so many of these passion fruit cocktails have so many other ingredients you’d need to go through many, many cocktails. What might be the best in a Puka Punch may not be the best in a Saturn and on and on. But since my preference ended up as the cheapest 3 options that’s enough for me to use those exclusively moving forward.

[@carolinepeterson7995]

I currently have a bottle of Liquid Alchemist passionfruit languishing in my fridge. Like you describe, I found the flavor to lack the acidity and pop that I would prefer. Separately, I would be curious to know what you disliked about the La Nuestra pulp mixed with sugar. I haven't tried that particular brand, but passionfruit pulp from the Latin grocery store is usually my go-to for making syrup.

[@makeanddrink]

Really just a flavor issue. I know a lot of people like other brands like Goya, but I found the La Nuestra to have an off, rotten, funky flavor.

[@goblinb]

Its funny, I like the frozen puree that I get from my local bodega better than the Pitaya brand; I thought it has way more flavor, although I find the Pitaya brand more convenient to use because of the individual 'nuggets'.

[@JohnKelly2]

I use Pitaya and make it as a 1:1 ratio. it's available at Walmart for $3.98/12 oz bag.

[@atomicgrog]

There's a reason people like Beachbum Berry, Ian Burrell, and Daniele Dalla Pola have used and endorsed Real Syrups. They're really not as bad as people think. Real is also not the "least premium." I would put it on the middle shelf with Finest Call on the bottom. I used to recommend Finest Call in the dark days 10-15 years ago, when there were few options and the original Trader Vic's syrup (which Beachbum Berry recommended in the Grog Log days) became a horrible mess. Now I'm seeing ads that say Vic's syrups are made with real sugar, so I may need to revisit for old time's sake, though I don't have my hopes up. Like Monin (another old-school though slightly better option), it comes in a huge bottle that I'd be stuck with forever. 😬

[@makeanddrink]

This made me lol because I've completely put finest call out of my mind. And it's not something from before my time, when I turned 21 I went to the store and bought some Finest Call simple syrup and Collins Mix, maybe even some sour mix to make my own Tom Collins. You are correct, that is the bottom shelf syrups.

[@laurencefrabotta1618]

A heads-up: Bay Area TJs just got a limited buy of Chinola ($25)!

[@drewsandoval]

Whooooaaaa!!! That opening shot is so cool! How did you accomplish it? A camera control arm? After effects? so cool!

[@makeanddrink]

Very rudimentary, practical, and time consuming. I just kept moved the turn table with each new bottle and then lots of masking.

[@drewsandoval]

@@makeanddrink dude, it sounds like a lot of work on your part, but i really appreciate you bringing those cool images!

[@makeanddrink]

Sometimes it’s all about testing out an idea and seeing if it works and then applying it elsewhere in other videos. This particular one worked, but not like I wanted it to so I probably won’t do it again.

[@drewsandoval]

@@makeanddrink awww man, its a bummer when stuff doesn’t work out as well as hoped! Thanks for trying, really appreciate the cinema-graphic effort you put into these things!

[@videotasticz]

Well I'll be damned. Also, THANK YOU for that preservative psa. So long as a fruit syrup is made out of natural fruit and real sugar thats what really matters (taste-wise.) At the end of the day, cocktails really are just crafty poisons lol

[@jurispurins8065]

Real + a splash of Chinola 🎉

[@Mackovision]

Oh snap! Gonna try this, thanks!

[@_allcap]

I'm a fan of Liber Co. Their Orgeat and Grenadine are my go to, but I prefer REAL passion fruit as well. I also use REAL coconut but I do want to try Libers toasted coconut. I like these comparison videos you've been doing

[@singincowboy]

I got the pitaya at Walmart today, it's 3.50 for 12 oz there

[@bermei5187]

The passion fruit puree made by perfect purees of napa valley is a really good product to make syrup with, but I'm not sure where or if you can buy that product out in the non-food and beverage service world.

[@user-vs1wv8kd1o]

As a current Liber and Co. user, I need to branch out apparently. Off topic: Are your bar shelves commercially available or custom made? I am working on designing my home bar and love the size of those shelves with the rail as well.

[@Default78334]

How would a passionfruit liqueur work as a substitute in cocktails (with adjustments made of course for the differences in sugar and alcohol content)?

[@atomicgrog]

Depends on the drink. The liqueur is fine in a light cocktail, but if you're making something heavy, with 151 rum for example, you need the rich syrup for balance.

[@nickmonts]

I just got a hold of some of that frozen passionfruit. I tried the real and it was too overpowering. What are some good recipes for the syrup besides hurricanes and Saturns?

[@billpetty4184]

I added a splash of my homemade (from Goya) to a Mai Tai last weekend. I loved it as did my guests.

[@ericepperson8409]

Check out a Port Light - Bourbon, Passion Fruit, Lemon Juice, and Grenadine. Very refreshing on weekend afternoon. If you use Scotch it becomes a Starboard Light

[@Mackovision]

For some reason, I fully expected to see Passionola from Spike's Breezeway in this line up; but I guess that's not a straight up passion fruit syrup 😅

[@atomicgrog]

Passionola is a fantastic passion fruit syrup, though not yet on the market. See my comment elsewhere on this video. I got a preview bottle and give it two thumbs up. It's being produced by Doc Parks and the folks who wrote the Fassionola book.

[@Mackovision]

@@atomicgrog oh yea, I got a bottle too and love it! 💪

[@27dcx]

It's crazy how much fancy syrups cost. I waited for a year for the BG fassionola to come in stock, and then when it did I still couldn't pull the trigger at 33 dollars for 12 oz (after shipping); just to try something I don't know if I will like or not. Syrups shouldn't cost more than the booze in the drink.

[@ccoffeegod]

What is the shelf life of the homemade syrup?

[@atomicgrog]

I make a similar syrup to Derek and find it keeps for months, though there is some loss of flavor over time. As someone commented elsewhere, you can also freeze it and thaw later.

[@LuisOrozco-mx9mw]

Would you mind sharing why you don’t like the store bought pulp version? I started making a semi rich syrup with the Goya pulp, and I’ve been enjoying it, but I haven’t tried the others so I’m not sure why that version is so inferior. Could you elaborate?

[@makeanddrink]

Just taste related. Had a very off putting almost rotten flavor when compared to the others. I had previously tated it against Real, Pitaya and a homemade fresh passion fruit syrup. Never had Goya. But I’m sure each frozen pulp will be very different.

[@adamlindsley1143]

I think it's the brand he was using. I've made passion fruit syrup from the frozen Goya pulp and think it's great! But these days I just use the Real for simplicity's sake (and because it tastes excellent).

[@atomicgrog]

@@adamlindsley1143 You're probably correct. Goya has been my go-to since Beachbum Berry touted it more than a decade ago. But I also keep Real (also endorsed by the Bum) on hand as a back-up.

[@jcloiseau]

I'm very surprised that you didn't try with hmmm fresh passion fruits. Are they hard to get in the usa? I make fresh passion fruit syrup at least once a month and it's pretty easy: make simple syrup, pour in a load of passion fruit. Mix in and let sit for about 30 or so minute, quadruple strain/filter and voila

[@makeanddrink]

I have tried it and it's not as good as any of these. Fresh passion fruit is not easy to find and it's sometimes $3+ per fruit, so it will get you 1-2 oz for $3. Also, it's not consistent and to me thats the most important.

[@jcloiseau]

@@makeanddrink interesting! In both Singapore and Dubai they are ok priced and very consistent in taste and acidity. But then again I'm not making industrial nor commercial batches ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@johnolmos8670]

Passion fruit is super expensive! I bought 5 and they were around $2-3 each and the fruit was tiny

[@ScottyCycles]

Since the REAL is thicker and concentrated(?) do you use less than a cocktail calls for?

[@atomicgrog]

I find Real to work fine in equal proportions to homemade syrup. It's not really that much more concentrated.

[@timheath518]

should I be putting the real syrups in the fridge?

[@makeanddrink]

I'd check each syrups label and consult their website to get an official answer

[@ILuvRum]

What about Monim and Torani?

[@metalmankam]

Those are not made with passionfruit, they are just sugar or corn syrup and "natural flavor"

[@kristofergonzalez1596]

Love your content, but have you considered making a video or videos focusing on rum brands and bottles that prioritize sustainability, environmental friendliness, and social responsibility. Given that rum production, originating from cane juice in tropical areas, can contribute to deforestation and biodiversity loss, it's crucial to highlight brands that mitigate these impacts. Additionally, considering rum's historical ties to slavery, identifying brands that have moved away from this legacy would be valuable information. Topics like these would greatly enrich your channel content and is something that is missing in rums exploration on KZbin.

[@filmstudent2000]

Disappointed you didn’t try Auntie Lilikoi

[@makeanddrink]

I’ve had it before. Hard to justify something not easily available that you either have to buy directly or pay 3-6x more than the rest of these through Amazon.

[@noahkohn9350]

“This has turned out to be one of the most expensive videos I’ve done,” he says, standing in front of a wall sporting some 70-odd bottles of rum, with a retail price somewhere north of two grand. Umm….OK. 🫣😉🤣

[@makeanddrink]

Ok but I didn’t buy 70 bottles of rum to make 1 video.