As a kid growing up, I loved nothing more than a great burger and milkshake for lunch, so it was such a pleasure to see the milk bar concept brought not only back to life, but up to date.

There are 2 recently opened  Milk ,cafe-milkbars in Brisbane, at Ashgrove ( in the Woolworths Village) and Windsor (Homezone).

On a recent delivery, Which was my first visit to the Asgrove Milk, they made for me the best tasting burger I have had in years, and I also had a chocolate with coconut and walnut syrup milkshake made with Barambah organic milk. Spectacular! The ‘drink in’ shakes are served in the aluminium cups of old, and the takeouts are in great waxed carboard cup with striped paper straws.

John and Amanda have created that magic ‘retro/ new’ hybrid, of old world charm and service, with innovative food and drink options that will keep everyone happy.

They are partnering with great suppliers (Merlo for coffee, Alchemy for syrups, Barambah for milk), and their staff are all bright friendly and just a bit sassy. The burger chef said to me ” The best tasting burger you have ever had coming right up!” and you know what. he was right.

It was great to see such a well run concept, and it made me pause to think how every cafe could look to the many little things that are within their control to tweak, refine and improve, and what a difference it would make to the customer experience.

Please let me know what has impressed you recently in the cafe arena. By sharing we raise the industry standard, and that is a wonderful thing.

Cordially Yours.

Michael Bishop.

Master Blender.

Alchemy syrup training video

Hi there Cafe professionals. We have just completed this little video which has some training info on how to make flavoured coffees, Chai lattes, Frappes, and Steamers using Alchemy syrups.

There will be a second one posted shortly, so have a look at this, and show it to your staff, so they too can easily make and promote these profitable, delicious drinks to your customers.

One of the biggest things that a cafe can do to increase sales of syrups (coffee syrup or Chai latte syrup), is to move them from the “Extras” part of the menu into the “Features” part.

What is meant by this is that most customers coming into a cafe want to get a coffee of some sort. They may not have a caramel latte in mind, and when ordering, they will typically just ask for a cafe latte. Few customers (except those that always order a flavoured coffee) will take the time to read the extras part of your drinks menu before ordering.

By making a “Flash flavour” or flavour of the week promotion in your cafe, you are putting a specific drink option in front of every customer who comes to your counter.

say for example that you choose to offer a Caramel latte as your “flash flavour”.

For the promotion to work most effectively you should do the following.

1. Standardize the drink so everyone makes that drink exactly the same, no matter who the barista is.

2. Put up signage promoting the Caramel latte as your “flavour of the week”.

3. Train all of your staff to promote the caramel latte. The best way to do this is to ask everyone when they are ordering “Do you normally take sugar in your coffee” if they say yes then say ” why don’t you try a caramel latte instead, that is our flavour of the week?”

4. Make a competition amongst the staff to see who can sell the most “flash flavour drinks” during the week.

You will find that following on from each promotion that there will be a core of customers who will continue to order the flash flavour in all of their drinks, and by running this type of promotion on a regular basis, you will find your syrup sales increasing dramatically, and your profits along with that.

So what are you waiting for?

Pick a flavour, an get promoting. if you want a hand, send an email to me michael@alchemycordial.com.au and we will help you to get started.

A Frappe is an ice blended drink that is usually made with coffee, milk and
coffee syrup flavourings, not unlike a gourmet milkshake. A Frappe is made in a blender,
and is an excellent way to keep coffee sales high during hot weather.
Customers should be given a choice of ALCHEMY COFFEE SYRUP
flavours.
A Frappe generally sells for more than a coffee, and so excellent returns will
come from promoting the following recipes to your customers.
ESPRESSO FRAPPE.
Combine in your Blender –
1 x 30 ml shot of espresso
30 ml ALCHEMY SYRUP (customers choice of flavour)
150ml of cold milk (try using skim milk for a Low fat Frappe or even
soy!)
Add 200- 250ml of ice ( approx 1/2 liquid and 1/2 ice is what you want.)
(You can also add ice-cream as an added treat !)
Blend on high until all contents are a creamy texture, serve in a tall glass.
SUGGESTED NAMES.
Velvet frappe (Vanilla)
Haze Frappe (Hazelnut)
Karma Frappe (Caramel)
Lyrical Frappe (Irish Cream)
Swoon Frappe (Tiramisu)
Sinful Frappe (Cinnamon and Hazelnut)
Kahuna Frappe (Coconut and Walnut )
MOCHA FRAPPE
As above but add drinking chocolate to the coffee. Particularly delicious is
the “Kahuna Mocha Frappe”, which tastes like an icy cold liquid Bounty Bar.
CHAI FRAPPE.
Blend 30 ml of Chai to 150ml of cold milk and 200ml of ice, and a scoop of ice
cream. Whizz on high until creamy, pour into a tall 350ml glass and top with a
sprinkle of cinnamon or nutmeg

Enjoy your Frappe with your choice of coffee syrup flavours.

Happy Drinking!

If you want a break from caffeine and a good night’s sleep,
follow this simple recipe.
Into your special mug add:
* 15-20ml KARMA caramel syrup
* Hot milk from your espresso steamer or
microwaved cold milk
* Stir and top with nutmeg sprinkles
Pleasant dreams x x x