Cheers

www.cheersonline.com 25 MAY 2014 | marinated and flambéed berries, vodka, citrus fruit, fresh herbs and sparkling wine. RIPE FOR INFUSION Building on the continuing popularity of vodka and soda, Salicetti created several custom vodka infusions to perk up the classic drink. For example, he infused Bar Hill honey-based vodka with fig and spice; Russian Standard with lavender and hibiscus and Fair Organic quinoa vodka with fresh herbs. Ariana includes the infused vodkas on the menu as house specialty versions to be served with soda. Salicetti also created some signature shot duos: Dill- and peppercorn-infused vodka served with pickle brine, basil and habanero vodka paired with cherry-tomato water and smoked pineapple and coconut vodka offered with coconut water. at level of sophistication fits neatly into the trend to treat vodka as an ingredient that differs depending on source material as well as regional styles. For instance, Finnish vodka is more likely to be crisp with a short finish, while Polish potato vodka tends to be earthy, oily and robust. Sub Zero also has a vodka infusion program featuring 10 varieties that change regularly. e most popular is a four- pepper and sun-dried tomato version that's always on the menu, Gamlin says, partly due to its Bloody Mary connection. Gamlin credits the vodka bar/sushi/gourmet burger combo for the longevity of Sub Zero, but he notes that the enthusiasm for vodka has never flagged among his customers. "Here, you get the pure vodka experience: If you want, we'll shake the vodka and water it down for you, but otherwise we pour it for you from the freezer, and we think that's very important for our concept," he says. "We also have great Martinis, but they are more craft oriented than the typical vodka bar cocktails." THE BIG CHILL Other vodka bars have managed to thrive or expand with a frozen connection. Red Square in the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, boasts Soviet iconography and a frozen bar top. e Las Vegas bar also has a reservation-only deep freezer, in which guests sip vodka wearing provided fur coats. A new frozen bar concept, Minus 5 Ice Bar, now operates two units in las Vegas and one in the New York Hilton: Everything from the walls, bar, seats and, of course, vodka, is frozen. e Silo Slider Bar in Los Angeles offers a vodka freezer experience in which up to 10 guests at a time are provided with snow coats and hats and then escorted into the freezer. e Silo's "freezer hostess" spends 10 to 15 minutes with each party providing entertainment, information and tastes. Costs for the freezer experience range from double shots starting at $10 each to prearranged flights starting at $17 each. e Silo offers a dozen flights such as Russian, with Stoli, Russian Standard and Czar's Gold; California with Tru, Hangar One and Charbay; and First Class with Karlsson's, Beluga and Crystal Head. Abou-Ganim says the average operation can do more to promote and focus vodka sales through flights or culinary connections or frozen shots and so on. You want to present vodkas in a way that customers can pick up some knowledge of the subtleties and range of characteristics of the spirit, he says. e point being, consumers will drink vodka no matter what, so an operation may as well provide a better experience while they keep ringing the register. Sub Zero, for instance, encourages customer loyalty—and brand sampling—through e Vodka Club, which offers different levels of rewards. Customers that taste 25 vodkas get a shot glass; for 150 vodkas the receive a shaker and Martini glasses with a bottle of vodka, while for 300 they are presented with a wall plaque, jacket, gift certificates and more. "at really helps get people to spread out their drinking among brands," Gamlin says. Bern's has long served caviar with vodkas from the freezer, but Hurst figures most sales come from the same cohort of drink orders, albeit at the higher end. "I don't know whether it is because the economy is improving or what, but the higher-end brands that go for $12 or so are really improving, and nobody bats an eye at the price." Jack Robertiello is a wine and spirits writer/consultant based in Brooklyn, NY. Sub Zero, which opened in St. Louis 14 years ago, stocks more than 600 vodka brands served from a freezer behind the bar. 22-25 vodka CH0514.indd 25 5/7/14 10:14 AM

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