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www.cheersonline.com 13 Cheers September 2014 • By Melissa Dowling Craft beers, spirits and cocktails are huge in major markets such as New York, San Francisco and Chicago. But what happens when you want to open a craft cocktail lounge in a smaller town? A July 19 session at the Tales of the Cocktail conference in New Orleans offered some insights for blazing a craft mixology trail in smaller markets. It helps to understand why craft hasn't caught on in some cities. Panelist Ryan Magarian, a cofounder of Aviation American Gin and "modern urban saloon" Oven and Shaker in Portland, OR, has done some consulting in the Phoenix area, and he said it's still an underexposed cock- tail market for three reasons: 1) Lack of consumer exposure to craft; 2) the challenge of fi nding leadership to help run a "revenue-positive" cocktail bar; and 3) a lack of understanding by operators in those markets. And when operators don't get the craft cocktail culture, it's hard for them to understand why you need to spend more higher-end spirits, fresh juices, bar talent and so on. So if you're opening a craft bar in a region that's underexposed and uninformed about cocktails, you need to do some schooling. "You have to educate your bartenders so that they can educated the customers," said Brian Kelley, owner of Bin 612 and Restaurant Tyler, in Starkville, MI. Here are a few other tips from the panel. Ease guests into craft prices. It's not just management that balks at high costs of craft. "Our customer isn't willing to pay $12 for a cocktail," Kelley said. "But we can introduce craft cocktails at a Happy Hour—a customer that tries a craft cocktail for $5 will maybe order it again at full price." Not that it's always about price, noted Jay Carr, owner/head bartender of The Eddy in Providence, RI, which opened a year and a half ago. "Some people will come in and order the most expensive thing on the menu," he said, "so it's good to mix up pricing." Keep it simple. Don't overdo your drink menu, Magarian advised: "My wheelhouse is 12 drinks." Also remember that "drinkability sells way more drinks than fl avors." Start off with approachable classics, such as Collinses. You might give a classic concept a palate-relevant twist, such as a Honey Basil Collins, Magarian said. Get creative with cocktail names. Craft cocktails don't have to be serious—have a little fun with the names. Portland Hunt and Alpine Club BRINGING CRAFT BARS TO SMALLER MARKETS A 1970s fl ash mob kicked off Tales of the Cocktail. in Portland, ME, has a cocktail called Late Night at OOB, named for Old Orchard Beach, a honky-tonk resort town in southern Maine. The cocktail is "a playful variation on the beach drink," according to the menu, with the ingredients listed as "rum, other things, shame." People laugh at the cocktail's name, said owner/head bartender Andrew Volk, who opened Portland Hunt and Alpine Club in in September 2013, "and half the time they order it." Name a drink something weird to make guests giggle, Magarian said. He cited a cocktail developed for Easy Company in Portland, OR, called Redneckreation, made with Buffalo Trace bourbon, lemon juice, maple syrup and Coors Light, served with a Ruffl es potato chip garnish. Another tip: "I always put the full drink recipe on the menu, down to the teaspoon," said Magarian. "It helps demystify the process in a smaller market." Roll out the barrel. Barrel aging spirits and cocktails is a great way to get guests intrigued about your beverage program. "People see a barrel and want to know what's in there," Kelley said. "They think, This must be a good bar!" Drinks on tap can also work well in smaller markets, Carr said, especially things like Gin & Tonics. (Negronis on tap, not so much.) And bottled house drinks are not only a time saver, they're fun, too: "People love looking at that little bottle on the table," Kelley said. Spice it up. Spicy drinks are hot right now; "they're selling like two to one over any other drinks," Magarian said. Anything with a pepper tends to generate interest today. That's part of the reason that the Moscow Mule is currently such a big seller—the ginger beer in the cocktail provides a tactile, spicy sensation. Hire passionate people. How do you hire for craft bar service? Most of the panelists agreed that you can train people to serve or tend bar, but it's harder to train for soft skills like service and traits like passion and hospitality. Look to hire employees with an inherent, authentic heart for service, Magarian advised. Because the coffee bar people tend to already have this, he added, "I get most of my bartenders at Starbucks." Personality is key in educating guests in a friendly way and selling them on craft offerings if they're skep- tical. It also helps to be over the top and enthusiastic when trying to guide a customer to an intelligent drink choice, Magarian said, as in something like, "Have you ever had fresh pineapple and vodka? Dude, it will blow your mind!"