Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

Keeping the Cocktail Revolution Going, One Drink at a Time: An Interview With Max Messier of Cocktail & Sons

Originally from San Francisco, Max Messier has done time behind the bar in a variety of spots in New York, New Orleans, and beyond. During that time, he developed a recipe book full of syrups and other ingredients that he’d use to create custom cocktails and blow the minds of his patrons. Recently, he decided to make a go of it and start selling these syrups. Cocktail & Sons was born and with it, the chance to keep the cocktail revolution, which all of us have been privy to, going. We sat down with Max to talk about his syrups and how they fit in to the home bar and more.

Related: The One Ingredient That Will Make Your Cocktails Go From Oh to Oh Damn

How did you get started with Cocktail & Sons?

Recommended Videos

This is a whole series of recipes that I worked up over years as a bartender, wanting to pair certain syrups with certain spirits and certain cocktails. When I was between gigs, my wife and I looked around the market place and discovered a lot of enhancers—basic simple syrups like lavender and vanilla, there are RTDs—ready to drinks like Jose Cuervo margarita mixes and there’s been a rise in components syrups which have been dominated by tonics and grenadines in the past couple years. We’ve seen a rise in orgeat syrups as well, but we found there was a void in the marketplace for intensives, for syrups that are built for specific classic cocktails. I went to my recipe book and decided to focus on four classic drinks and work our syrups to fit those classic drinks. We chose the Old Fashioned, Tom Collins, Margarita, and Mojito.

What syrups did you come up with then?

I found a spiced demerara, that I’ve been using for old fashioneds for a while. There’s an oleo saccharum, which is a process that bartenders used back in the day to make punches. In their books, David Wondrich and Jimmy Morgenthaler both talk about the process of oleo saccharum. I love dried flowers, so we started doing a honeysuckle and peppercorn syrup, which I had been doing years ago in Brooklyn. We decided to pair it directly with mezcal and tequila. Finally, we have a mint syrup. Mint syrups are all around and they’re all simple. We took a more interesting take on it by adding verbena and wormwood.

You used Kickstarter to raise capital for Cocktail & Sons. How’d that go?

We learned a great lesson from Kickstarter—never launch during the holidays. But we launched on November 1st and hammered everyone we knew. We got a piece in Food & Wine’s online portal, FWx and a friend of mine wrote about the Kickstarter on their blog and we raised the money.

Where do these syrups fit in for someone who may not know anything about mixing, but really likes to drink?

Our tag line is “Complex Syrups for Simple Drinks” and the idea is that we emphasize good booze, fresh citrus, good bitters, and our syrup. My wife and I are huge advocates of the home bar, of returning people back to what my grandparents did in the fifties and sixties and I feel that’s how we’re going to keep this cocktail revolution going.

What are you going to work on next?

We’re going to be launching seasonal syrups, which will most likely be component or enhancer syrups. They’ll be based on Louisiana culture and produce. The strawberries and the honey are great down here, so we’ve already got some things in the works.

Cocktail & Sons syrups are available in select stores, but you can also now buy Cocktail & Sons syrups online at their store.

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
This city just ranked #1 in the world for Instagram-worthy coffee culture
Here's where coffee lovers should consider traveling
Cup of coffee

A new study analyzed Instagram engagement and café density across 70 global cities to determine which destinations are best for coffee lovers seeking an Instagram-worthy experience. After analyzing over 150 million Instagram posts using various coffee and beverage-related hashtags, the research revealed 10 "coffee capital" cities that are perfect for java junkies.

The study evaluated each city using price analysis of 10 coffee varieties, total café counts, and Instagram hashtag volumes for location-specific coffee content. Cities were ranked using a weighted methodology prioritizing affordability (40%), social media engagement (30%), and café accessibility (30%) to identify locations offering great coffee experiences.

Read more
Iced coffee vs. iced latte: What to know before your next order
Chilled and caffeinated, here's what sets these drinks apart
iced latte

If you add enough cream to your iced coffee, it's almost impossible to tell the difference between an iced coffee and vs. iced latte from a visual standpoint. Although similar, an iced coffee and a latte are different drinks. As a coffee enthusiast, it's almost a pet peeve when people mix these beverages, yet I can understand why.

Often, the misunderstanding concerns the appearance of these drinks, though what makes each drink unique is how it's made. Below, let's break down the key differences between iced coffee and iced latte so you know exactly what to order and don't fall into this common coffee order misunderstanding.

Read more
Drinking this coffee could increase your blindness risk by 700%
Should you rethink your coffee choice?
instant coffee

We all have our coffee preferences, but this recent study could have you rethinking your favorite coffee choice. A recent study published in the journal Food Science & Nutrition found that instant coffee drinkers could be at increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition associated with blindness. The study analyzed data collected from over 500,000 individuals, concluding that instant coffee drinkers may be at an increased risk of developing AMD. The most common type of AMD, known as dry AMD, is a leading cause of vision loss in older adults and does not currently have a cure. This condition affects a small region in the back of the retina, causing damage that can lead to blurry spots and a loss of vision over time.

The complex study identified an overlap between a person's genetic disposition towards drinking instant coffee and their risk for dry AMD. Within this genetic correlation, the study suggests that drinking instant coffee (compared to other types of coffee) could increase the risk of developing dry AMD by about 700 times. This research provides new insight into AMD pathogenesis, offering a potential next step for researchers to contribute to personalized prevention strategies such as genetically informed lifestyle interventions. The study did not find any correlation between instant coffee and wet AMD.

Read more