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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/383488
www.cheersonline.com 10 Cheers • September 2014 FAVORITE SPIRIT CALL BRANDS With so many new premium and innova- tive brands of spirits crowding the market, you might expect a bit more variation in the favorite spirit call brands. But that's not the case: The overall leading spirits call brands have not changed much in the past four years, with Jack Daniel's, Absolut, Grey Goose and Bacardi duking it out for the top- four spaces. One notable difference this year is that Smirnoff made the top-10; the venerable vodka brand hasn't been on the list of the top call brands for at least the past five years. The company's numerous new prod- ucts and flavors may have boosted its brand recognition. The brand that fell off the list for 2013 was Crown Royal. But the Canadian whisky remains a popular call for customers: Crown Royal & Coke was in the top 10 for the most-popular mixed drink overall in 2013. The data comes from the OnTrac survey, conducted by the Beverage Information Group (the research unit of Cheers' par- ent company). The annual study surveys about 2,000 on-premise accounts, includ- ing fine-dining restaurants, casual-themed eateries, hotels, bars and taverns in major metropolitan markets. The full report is available in the On-Premise Barometer Handbook (visit www.BevInfoStore.com for more information); the 2014 edition will be out in November. 2013 Brand Share Absolut 28.9% Jack Daniel's 27.3% Grey Goose 27.2% Bacardi 23.7% Captain Morgan 19.2% Patron 14.4% Stolichnaya 11.1% Smirnoff 9.7% Jose Cuervo 9.3% Ketel One 9.0% Source: 2013 OnTrac Cheers PRODUCTS Heineken USA has introduced Desperados, a beer blended with tequila barrel-aged lager. The Latin- inspired European import beer is 6% ABV and was available in 66 countries before coming to the U.S. Desperados will be available in 6- and 12-pack 11.2 oz. bottles and in 16-oz. single-serve cans. The newest addition to Lunazul's collection of tequila is a clear anejo called Lunazul Primero. Aged 18 months before filtering, Primero retains the oak notes and smoothness of a barrel-aged tequila, according to the company. The 80-proof tequila is available in a variety of sizes, with a suggested retail price of $24.99 for a 750-ml. bottle. Hawaii-based Kai Vodka is now being distributed in the U.S. by A. Hardy USA. Kai offers a collection of six rice-based spirits, including vodka, lychee, lemon grass, coconut pandan, lemongrass ginger shochu-soju and young coconut shochu-soju. The vodka is manufactured in Vietnam and based on a 300-year-old recipe. The average suggested retail price of the six spirits is $24.99. DRINK CULTURE