Manufactory
pHenomenal Drinks owner Hendrik Schaulin ‘s formal career path in the catering industry has been rather straightforward so far.
6 months at McDonald’s as a student, 4 months as a bellboy at the Marriott, and community service in geriatric care? Nevertheless, his enthusiasm for hospitality and cocktails always appealed to him. Hendrik made his first absinthe at the age of 18, and his reference library of bar books has grown steadily since he bought the antiquarian “Savoy Book of Cocktails” from 1931.
After studying fashion design at the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture in Paris, he worked successfully for over 25 years as a
stylist for fashion and advertising clients.
Hendrik has been the founder, owner and developer of pHenomenal Drinks since 2012:
Here he produces lemonade essences and bottled cocktails that reinterpret well-known classic drinks.
An intensive and curious preoccupation with bars and spirits was inevitable.
“In both my professions, I am driven by the search for refinement. My goal is to recognize the essence of a task and to find the best and most beautiful solution with attention to detail.”
The idea for pHenomenal Drinks was – in the truest sense of the word – a boozy idea. At the end of 2012, after an evening in a favorite bar, I came across a recipe for homemade tonic water on the Internet. Intrigued by it, I quickly ordered some cinchona bark and started experimenting with my friend Peter Hundert. Soon we had the first prototype of our own tonic syrup in the kitchen – and the idea for pHenomenal was born. Peter was initially at my side as a co-founder, but later left to concentrate on his photography.
Why syrup? Quite simply, we wanted to drink better gin & tonic. Most of the liquid in this drink is not the gin, but the tonic – and it was a thorn in our side to drown high-quality craft spirits in industrially produced, often far too sweet tonic water. So we developed our own pHenomenal Tonic Syrupdeliberately dry and with finely balanced bitter notes.
A year later, we discovered a second passion: Dark & Stormy, the combination of ginger beer and rum. But here, too, we were disappointed by what was on the market. We wanted real ginger flavor and spiciness, no added chilli heat and, above all, less sugar. Here too, the solution was to make our own ginger syrup with fresh organic ginger juice – and so we created pHenomenal Ginger.
What all our products have in common: We only use natural ingredients in organic quality. Our syrups contain no refined sugar, but are sweetened with a little organic agave syrup – which is not only healthier, but also gives the flavors more room to develop. Our tonic syrup contains just 5.9 g of sugar per 100 ml, while the ginger syrup contains 7.6 g.
The origin of the ingredients is extremely important to us. The cinchona bark for the bitter quinine in our tonic comes from Ecuador and the Congo. We extract the bitter substance ourselves by boiling the bark with spices like a bitter tea and filtering it carefully. The ginger juice in pHenomenal Ginger is freshly pressed in southern Germany from organic ginger from Peru and Uganda – without any tricks such as chili tincture.
Instead of citric acid, we use natural tartaric acid, which comes from wine production. We also use real organic direct juices instead of artificial flavorings. This attention to detail is what makes our syrup creations so special.
Why syrup and not ready-made lemonade? Out of conviction: syrup is more sustainable. It weighs less, saves on packaging and transportation emissions. What’s more, everyone can mix their own drink – just as they like it. The recommended mixing ratio of 5:1 allows us to work with real ingredients and not compromise on taste. What’s more, syrup is incredibly versatile. Whether for cocktails, for cooking or baking, for crumbles or Asian wok dishes – our products are far more than just a simple drink ingredient.
My personal favorite? I can’t say – like my two grown-up daughters, I love both syrups for their differences. But I like to try out new things. An insider tip, for example, is tonic with white port or vermouth, or ginger syrup with fruit brandies such as pear, plum or cherry. Espresso tonic with our pHenomenal tonic is also a highlight – especially for coffee lovers.
In 2017, I added a few bottled cocktails to the pHenomenal Drinks portfolio, starting with a bottled Negroni for my friend Thorsten Lewin, a bespoke confectioner. These perfectly balanced, multi-layered drinks are ready to serve and are therefore an excellent solution for entertaining guests at home or for offering fascinating cocktails of consistent quality in restaurants without a designated bartender. All pHenomenal cocktails are also available in 100ml format as a small gift, give-away or for the minibar.
Our customers not only appreciate the intense, natural taste of pHenomenal Drinks, but also the many application options and space-saving storage. I look forward to the feedback from our community every day – and yes, I still have a few new ideas in mind. Stay tuned!
