technique #beverage #proprietary #restricted-ops #ip #pocket-spice

⚠ PROPRIETARY — RESTRICTED OPS ONLY

This article contains the proprietary Pocket Spice recipe. Do not share with guests, vendors, or non-Lancey staff. If asked about Pocket Spice by a guest, the only acceptable response is: "It's a house spice blend — I can't share the recipe, but it's part of why this drink tastes the way it does." Never list ingredients.

Recipe (100 mL yield)

Method

1. Weigh out 2 g MSG into a clean 100 mL dropper bottle (digital scale required — 2 g is small).
2. Add 50 mL of 20% saline solution (the saline is itself a separate prep: dissolve 20 g kosher salt in 80 mL warm water; cool before use).
3. Add 10 mL absinthe.
4. Add 40 mL vegetable glycerin.
5. Cap. Shake hard for 30 seconds until fully integrated.
6. Label: "Pocket Spice — date — initials."
7. Store cool (room temp acceptable; refrigerated optimal). Shelf life: 30 days. Discard if it separates and does not re-integrate with shaking.

Use

• 1 dash (~0.05 oz, ~1 mL) per cocktail unless otherwise specified.
• Drinks calling for Pocket Spice: Lancey Old Fashioned variants, Long Way Down, Grown Spritz, HiFi Margarita, Darkroom, Quiet Hours (alternate to saline).
• Treat as a flavor accent, never a base. Over-dosing makes drinks taste off.

Cost

~$0.05 per dash. Trivially profitable; the IP is in the proprietary blend, not the cost.

Why it works

The MSG hits the umami receptors and amplifies depth. The saline at 20% is bright and bracing. The absinthe contributes anise-licorice complexity without alcohol burn (10 mL across 100 mL of finished spice = very low ABV by the time it's 1 dash in a cocktail). The vegetable glycerin gives the drop a slight viscosity that helps it integrate.

Guest-facing language

If a guest asks what's in Pocket Spice, the answer is: "It's a house spice blend." Never: "MSG and absinthe." Never list components. The blend is part of the Lancey IP.

Earlier note

An older recipe variant used Genepi or Yellow Chartreuse instead of absinthe. The current authoritative recipe is the one in this article: MSG · Saline · Absinthe · Vegetable Glycerin.