Cheers is dedicated to delivering hospitality professionals the information, insights and data necessary to drive their beverage business by covering trends and innovations in operations, merchandising, service and training.
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/524520
www.cheersonline.com 12 • June 2015 By Melissa Dowling What's trending in the beverage world? Kathy Casey, found- er of Seattle-based beverage/food/hospitality consulting fi rm Kathy Casey Food Studios—Liquid Kitchen and owner of Dish D'Lish branded products and cafes, has been gather- ing intelligence on drink trends organically via social media. Casey shared some of her fi ndings in a session May 17 at the National Restaurant Association show's BAR (Beverage Alcohol for Restaurants, formerly the International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event) program in Chicago, where she kicked things off with a Honey Mint Carrot Collins cocktail. The drink, made with Koval gin, fresh-pressed carrot juice, wildfl ower honey-mint syrup, Meyer lemon juice and sparkling water, illustrates several of the trends Casey dis- cussed. Here are some of them. All Things Ginger. The classic Moscow Mule cocktail started the whole copper mug craze and is fueling the inter- est in ginger fl avors, Casey said. In fact, "The Mule is more about the ginger beer than the spirit," she added, since a lot of bartenders are using spirits other than vodka for their takes on the drink. Many mixologists are using fresh-pressed ginger juice, ginger syrups and candied ginger garnishes in cocktails as well, she noted. Apple and Cider Craze. "The Apple Martini has grown up," Casey declared, and the venerable spirit Applejack is back. The trend to "real" apple cocktails plays into the current pop- ularity of whiskey, she said. And hard cider is getting a boost because of the apple trend, plus it's gluten-free, she added. Friendly Whiskey. Fresh and approachable cocktails have been cropping up to appeal to new brown-spirit drink- ers, Casey said. She cited the Honey Peach Smash at TGI Fridays and the Whiskey Berry Smash at Applebee's as ex- amples. The new fl avored whiskey expressions are also part of the trend, Casey said. Grilled, Roasted and Charred. In particular, Casey said, "Grilled pineapple is hot, hot, hot! Grilled Pineapple Margaritas are fl ying off shelves." Descriptions such as charred, grilled, torched and roasted are menu hot buttons, she said. Why? Grilling fruits such as peaches and citrus adds an- other dimension, "a layer of fl avor that's smoky and almost umami," she said. Oven roasted individually quick frozen SIPPING SOCIAL BEVERAGE TRENDS (Clockwise) Watermelon Coolers, with Chopin wheat vodka, fresh watermelon and cucumber juice. / A tempting Tiki tumbler display in the Libbey Foodservice booth. / Opihr (pronounced "o-peer", an Oriental Spiced London Dry Gin. / The Pink Ginger Collins by the House of Angostura, made with gin, dry vermouth, Angostura bitters, fresh lime juice, ginger-raspberry syrup and soda water. / The Big O, a new craft ginger liqueur from Maplewood, MO. / A decadent dessert pairing, William Wolf whiskey pecan bourbon with miniature Elvis cupcakes—banana cake with a chocolate ganache center, peanut butter and buttercream frosting sprinkled with bacon-pecan praline. / Pluto's Paradise, from Chicago's Tiki hot spot Three Dots and a Dash, with Angostura 7 yr. rum, Angostura bitters, passion fruit, lemon, falernum and orgeat. SEEN AND SAMPLED AT THE NRA'S BAR EVENT