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Trader Vic's Passion Fruit Syrup Discontinued? |
mahalomo
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Feb 10, 2005
Posts: 70
From: SD, CA
|  Posted: 2005-08-01 2:09 pm Permalink
During my last visit to my local liquor store I inquired into whether they could order some of this for me - to save me the shipping costs I usually pay from tradervics.com. They stock quite a few other Trader Vic's products so I thought I'd give it a go.
Today I received a call from the store manager who said she spoke to her order person at Vic's and received word that (according to her), "Vic's does not have it in stock and will be discontinuing that product". I did, however, just receive word that Vic's is shipping me an order - which includes passion fruit syrup - as of yesterday.
I find what she said hard to believe, choose not to believe it, and otherwise stand in disbelief. Is this just another confused and helpless liquor store worker, or is there any truth to this (God help us)?
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tikicleen
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 11, 2003
Posts: 325
From: ripon: almond capital yet no orgeat
| Posted: 2005-08-01 2:18 pm Permalink
the jab just purchased some at the emeryville vic's on thursday. also they have plenty of their own drinks that use it so i can't see it being discontinued. i would discount it as bad liquor store employee syndrome.
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tikibars
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 11, 2002
Posts: 2014
From: Aku Hall, Chicago
| Posted: 2006-10-22 6:22 pm Permalink
Bought some today in Chicago at Sam's. They have plenty, but it is the 'double strength' variety.
I guess I'll just dilute it with 50% water to get the proper amount needed for various drinks (so as not to either overpower the drink with double the Passion Fruity flavor OR end up with a bit less total liquid in the drink than intended by the creator)...?
Dea, Martin, Dave, Pablus, Matt, anyone... any suggestions on this?
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Tikiwahine
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 09, 2003
Posts: 3288
From: Ontario, Canada
| Posted: 2006-10-22 6:31 pm Permalink
Um, wouldn't the 'double strength' passion fruit syrup be the same as the 'double strength' koko creme syrup? As in it means nothing? I believe martiki clued us into this fact a few months ago.
Quote:
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On 2006-07-14 21:31, martiki wrote:
By the way, the "Double Strength" thing on the labels is essentially meaningless. Just marketing. Don't let that throw you.
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As seen here: The Mai Tai, a component study in Mixology
I'd be very sad to see that product discontinued, especially since the company won't ship to Canada, or even acknowledge orders or e-mails from Canadians.
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pablus
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 23, 2003
Posts: 2149
From: www.crazedmugs.com
| Posted: 2006-10-22 7:06 pm Permalink
>>Dea, Martin, Dave, Pablus, Matt, anyone... any suggestions on this?>>
I want to try that Passion syrup recipe Kuku posted.
It's quintuple nuclear strength to the 47th power.
But, as you well know, I'm just a technician... martiki and kuku, BK and thejab are artistes.
(Tikibong made fun of my Banana Rum Split even though it's a delicious and potent summer cooler.
Now I make paper wallets, listen to country music and cry.)
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martiki
Official Mixologist
Joined: Mar 29, 2002
Posts: 3056
From: http://www.smugglerscovesf.com
| Posted: 2006-10-23 12:20 pm Permalink
Yeah, I wouldn't read much into that "double strength" crap. You probably won't find it too "passion fruity", you may find the consistency too syrupy, but if there's enough dilution it will be fine. The bum used TVs passion syrup when formulating his books.
What I will tell you is that Torani Passion Fruit Syrup will do to your cocktails what the Allies did to Dresden. Horrible stuff.
I've heard nothing about it being discontinued, and FI certainly keeps the production flowing.
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tikibars
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 11, 2002
Posts: 2014
From: Aku Hall, Chicago
| Posted: 2006-10-23 5:36 pm Permalink
Mixed up some QB Coolers last night, ignoring the 'double strength' label(as suggested above), and they came out pretty good.
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KuKuAhu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Dec 23, 2002
Posts: 567
From: Kahiki, Ohio
| Posted: 2006-10-27 3:08 pm Permalink
The "double strength" thing is just marketing label jargon for "extra good" I suspect.
Pab, you sell yourself short. Best drink I've had this month came from your punchbowl.
Passion fruit syrup is so easy to make it is almost criminal to bother ordering it. And it turns out with a very good passion fruit flavor and no artificial nonsense. I hesistate to call what I make a recipe, as it just uses off the shelf ingredients and a soup pot, but..
Anyone can make it, the cost is cheap, the passion fruit content is higher, and I have yet to find a recipe that calls for it in which home brew syrup has made a negative or even terribly noticeable difference.
Buy some passion fruit juice (nectar even if you find it). Make note of the ingredients, as it is often 25% passion and the rest is either water and sugar or white grape juice (aka water and sugar). The better the percentage, the less you need, but it really does not matter.
I use a typical carton packed brand with 25% passion and the rest white grape. I boil the contents of the carton in a pot on med high until it reduced by one third. I measure this out and add one 1/2 pound ordinary white sugar (of course Maui Brand blonde Hawaiian sugar is my prefered thickener. Use it if you can find it) per one cup of reduced liquid. Cook this on med high stirring all the while until the sugar is disolved. Add some white rum to preserve it if you like (I do), maybe 4 oz per fifth.
Bottle in empty rum bottles while hot (over the sink). Cap when cool to touch. Store in the fridge. Keeps for ages with the rum in it, but you may wish to toss it in six months and make more. If it goes bubbly, fizzy, or foamy in the bottle after lengthy storage, toss it out.
If you really wish to keep a large batch, just practice canning techniques post production and you should be able to bottle it in such a way as to keep it indefinitely.
Ahu
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KuKuAhu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Dec 23, 2002
Posts: 567
From: Kahiki, Ohio
| Posted: 2006-10-27 3:19 pm Permalink
Upon reading my above post, 2 things pop out..
1) 2 oz per fifth of white rum should do it, not four. Seems I am always subconsciously trying to squeeze extra rum into things.
2) Some may say, "White grape juice? No thanks. I'll stick to Vic's."
My response? White grape juice of the kind used by large juice companies in mixed fruit beverages is for all intents and purposes flavorless sugar water. And further still, it beats the corn syrup, artificial color, and artificial flavor that makes up most brands of passion syrup. Beyond that I simply say try it. Make a batch. It will cost little more than an afternoon of your time, and if you can taste grape flavor in the finished product..
..then you have such a refined palate that you might consider becoming a sommelier.
Ahu
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kick_the_reverb
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 17, 2002
Posts: 573
From: Originally Israel, now Oceanside, CA
| Posted: 2006-11-14 10:22 am Permalink
But why not use passion fruit juice that doesn't have grape in it? Availabilty?
Ran
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KuKuAhu
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Dec 23, 2002
Posts: 567
From: Kahiki, Ohio
| Posted: 2006-11-14 2:31 pm Permalink
I have never seen 100% passion fruit juice. But if you can get it, yes I agree that this would be ideal. It may still require some water though, and the "juice" may contain water already.
If I could find one that was made with sugar water and passion fruit juice, that would be better than white grape in theory... as any fruit syrup is really nothing more than either:
a) Sugar syrup with added color and natural/artificial flavor
b) Sugar syrup with fruit juice concentrates and/or esssence
In the case of making passion fruit syrup, my goal is to actually put as much real passion fruit into it as I can and keep the flavor natural. If you have access to passion fruit juice with no additive juices as fillers, then cooking it down to a thick nectar and adding it to sugar syrup is all you'd really need do.
Please advise me of any brand names you find that are 100%, as I'd be interested in buying some.
Ahu
[ This Message was edited by: KuKuAhu 2006-11-14 14:32 ]
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Rum Hunter
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Nov 15, 2006
Posts: 26
From: Gold River, CA
| Posted: 2006-11-15 08:34 am Permalink
Ahu-
The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley makes a passion fruit product that is only passion fruit concentrate and water. It comes frozen in 30oz. containers and is twice the strength of passion fruit juice. It seems like it would make the ultimate syrup. Problem is it costs $22.50 plus $30 shipping. It makes TV's Syrup look like a great bargain. http://www.perfectpuree.com
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UtopianDreem
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Jun 02, 2003
Posts: 292
From: LA County, CA
| Posted: 2006-11-15 10:12 am Permalink
We had a decent harvest of passion fruit this year. Now I need to get off my chair & try to make some syrup!
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martiki
Official Mixologist
Joined: Mar 29, 2002
Posts: 3056
From: http://www.smugglerscovesf.com
| Posted: 2006-11-15 2:32 pm Permalink
Looza passion fruit juice has no grape juice- just sugar, water, and passion fruit (25%) . Made in Belgium, like all good things.
I imagine it would be a good syrup base. On it's own, it doesn't last long after opening.
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kick_the_reverb
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 17, 2002
Posts: 573
From: Originally Israel, now Oceanside, CA
| Posted: 2006-11-16 11:31 am Permalink
Looza is what I use too (as nectar, not to make syrup).
No grape juice in it. I get it in a Middle Eastern Market.
I saw Looza in Ralph's,but they don't have a large variety.
Ran
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