Drink of the Week: Just Date Syrup

Okay, so it’s not technically a drink, but this Just Date Syrup has become an important supporting character in most of my daily beverages, from hot tea in the morning to iced coffee in the afternoon and cocktails in the evening. The self-explanatory name tells you exactly what’s in it: 100 percent organic Medjool dates from California. The natural sweetness of the dates makes the syrup a tasty replacement for other sugars or sweeteners and, as a bonus, the slightly nutty, caramel-like flavor is particularly complementary in coffee or stirred into cocktails like an Old Fashioned. In fact, realizing the Just Date syrup’s potential in cocktails (they also make a date-sweetened pomegranate molasses), company founders Sylvie Charles and Liselle Pires collaborated with bartenders like Sother Teague from Amor y Amargo, Jillian Vose of Dead Rabbit and Alfie Spears of Trick Dog to create a cocktail ebook. The 20 recipes range from playful riffs (The Datequiri) to complex originals like the Panache Attack (Oloroso sherry, Armagnac, amaro, pomegranate molasses and lemon), and 100 percent of the book’s proceeds go to bartenders (including the book’s contributors) and the United States Bartenders Guild. $8.99 for the syrup, $12 for the ebook, justdatesyrup.com