Post #323520 by The Gnomon on Mon, Aug 6, 2007 7:06 AM

On 2007-08-04 23:30, The Ragin' Rarotongan wrote:
The new Trader Vic's passion fruit in the plastic bottle is horrible! It is nothing like the glass bottle, they have ruined it!

Try Aunty Lilikoi Passion Fruit Syrup, if you like the heavenly taste of Kauai.

TV seems to be becoming nothing more than a name for corporate exploitation. That's why I don't even bother with any TV products, although there are respected luminaries here at TC who swear by them. Obviously, the quality has existed in the past, but it seems to be disappearing by attrition.

Remember the old (Marriott) Roy Rogers restaurants when they first came out. Roy Rogers actually endorsed them, which he would only do if he really meant it. Quality was important to him. After the King of the Cowboys passed on and Marriott had declining interest in its restaurant franchises it sold its RR interests to Hardees. Hardees tried to change the restaurants and the RR name to Hardees, but the public rebelled. Hardees changed them back to RR, but it was too late. They had ruined them. Now there are still a few Roy Rogers restaurants around, but they're awful. Nothing like they were originally (which wasn't that complicated in the first place).

Every time I turn around, I get the impression that the people running the TV enterprises are just out to make a buck, sacrificing quality whenever it suits them, riding on the TV name and reputation. Your assessment of the change in TV Passion Fruit Syrup seems to support that theory.

I make my own Orgeat and my own supersaturated, highly unstable Rock Candy syrup as well as few syrups that have no counterparts in stores.

The homemade syrups usually (unless they get ruined or otherwise degraded in the making) have the best flavor and character, which is passed on to the drinks where they're employed. When I have time and the mood strikes, I'll make them from scratch. Mostly, I don't have the time, so I have "emergency" recipes using pre-processed ingredients.

For example, I like to grind up my own blanched almonds to make almond milk over a two day period, but it's a pain in the ass and takes so much time. I make an Emergency Orgeat using store-bought almond milk that takes me ten minutes to make. Not as good as the two-day orgeat ordeal, but still better than store-bought syrup.

I sometimes make my own Passion Fruit syrup, but here in the National Capital Area the actual fresh fruits cost ±$3 each (!!!), so I generally use Goya's Passion Fruit pulp instead. If you aren't into making your own stuff, maybe you should give Aunty Lilikoi a try.