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 22 • June 2015 and Blackberry syrups in its bottomless lemonade offerings, served in 22-oz. glasses and priced at $3.49. For an additional $2, guests can opt to add a shot of either vodka or rum to their drink. Don Damerow, Ground Round's director of operations and menu development, says the lemonade drinks are so popular that the chain just added a new Jackberry Honey Lemonade cocktail to the menu. It incorporates Monin Blackberry syrup, Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey and lemonade. The drink retails for $5.50. LOWER-CAL COCKTAILS Certain mixers allow operators to cater specifi cally to the calorie-conscious crowd. The contemporary Icon Restaurant and Lounge is located in a unique space in Knoxville, TN: on the fi fth fl oor of the Sunsphere, a 266-ft.-tall tower that was constructed for the 1982 World's Fair. Owner Tony Cappiello recently added ZMIX to his bar lineup, a zero-calorie instant cocktail mixer. "ZMIX gives us an effi cient way of making very fl avorful cocktails," Cappiello says. "It works perfectly and has no aftertaste or bite that other products can have." The ZMIX cocktails, including the Purple Hooter (black raspberry and lime fl avors), Cosmo and Lemon Drop, have THE POWER OF GINGER BEER Ginger beer, the brewed and fermented beverage used in classics such as the Dark & Stormy and Moscow Mule, is riding the popularity of the ginger fl avor crazy and appearing more frequently as an ingredient on cocktail lists. Whether store- bought or house-made, ginger beer adds a spicy effervescence to specialty drinks. Ginger beer brands include Barritts, Cock 'n Bull, Fentimans, Fever Tree, Gosling's and Regatta. A recent entry to the fi eld is Q Ginger Beer by Q Drinks. The Peninsula Hotel in New York uses Q Ginger Beer in several cocktails available in the hotel's Clement restaurant and bar. One is the Ink & Dagger ($22), made with Bombay East gin, muddled blackberries, cardamom leaves and Q Ginger Beer. "I'm a huge fan of Q Ginger because of the intensity of the ginger fl avor and its dryness," says The Peninsula's director of wine and spirits Jared Fischer. Another new entry onto the ginger beer market is Stoli Ginger Beer from the Stolichnaya vodka company, which debuted in 2014. This non-alcoholic mixer was created to complement Stoli vodka and is available in a four-pack for $5.99.—MN Sm thie Operator Busy operations often look to cocktail-ready mixers and fruit purees. Cheers caught up with Michele Lex, director of sales and marketing for The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley to fi nd out some of the fl avor trends the company is seeing. Who are some of the bars/restaurants using The Perfect Puree products for cocktails? Trick Dog in San Francisco; La Mar in San Francisco and Miami; Seamstress Restaurant in New York; Signature Room in Chicago; Chandelier Bar at the Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas; Solage in Calistoga, CA. What are some of the hot flavors/trends right now? Sangria, fl avored lemonades and ice teas; carbonated drinks—with spirits and non-alcoholic; ethnic fl avors; spices and botanicals. What flavors tend to be popular year round? Mango, strawberry and coconut. How do most bar operators use your products? In signature drinks as well as mocktails. What new products do you have just out or coming out? A Sweet Hibiscus fl avor. What flavor/drink trends do you see on the horizon? The incorporation of mindful ingredients in drinks, rather than a focus on "skinny" beverages. The Tlatelolco, by Mixologist Manny Hinojosa, with Delirio Joven mezcal, The Perfect Purée Sweet Hibiscus blend, The Perfect Purée Chipotle Sour blend, fresh lime juice and agave nectar. IN MIX the