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Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/598044
www.cheersonline.com 24 • November/December 2015 ST. GERMAIN (2007) Before there was St. Germain, most consumers would be hard-pressed to identify the elderfl ower fl avor profi le. But once the elderfl ower liqueur came out in 2007, it was suddenly an indispensible elixir for bartenders everywhere. Beautiful packaging, a whimsical story (made from starry white fl owers, hand-gathered at their peak in the mountains by French villagers and delivered via bicycle!) and a subtle, fl oral/fruit fl avor that hints at pear, lemon and grapefruit made the product a must-try. The premium, unique and highly mixable spirit is a bartender's darling. Coopers Spirit Co., which created St. Germain, sold the brand to Bacardi in 2013. Though it has spawned numerous competitors, St. Germain remains the elderfl ower elixir of choice for many. It's sometimes called the bartender's ketchup because it appears in so many recipes. The St. Germain cocktail—2 parts brut Champagne, 1 ½parts St. Germain, 2 parts sparkling water—has even become a modern classic. RUMCHATA (2009) Irish cream liqueurs owned the creamy cordials category since Baileys was launched 1974. Then rum-cream liqueur RumChata came along in 2009, and gave the category a Latin fl avor and it hasn't looked back since. What is RumChata? Founded by former Beam executive Tom Maas and crafted with Caribbean rum, rice, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla and cream, Rumchata was the fi rst liqueur in the U.S. inspired by horchata, a traditional Spanish beverage made with ground almonds, rice, cinnamon and other ingredients. The fl avor combination is familiar to many consumers, plus it simplifi es drink making for bartenders. The taste of RumChata fans has been compared to the milk at the bottom of a dish after eating cereal—namely, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, which is sometimes used as a garnish for RumChata cocktails. The savvy brand two years ago introduced exclusive branded cereal bowl shot glasses for bars to capitalize on this and other cereal-inspired shooters. PINNACLE WHIPPED (2010) The concept of a whipped-cream-fl avored vodka might have sounded preposterous 20 years ago, maybe even 10 years ago. But when Pinnacle, a line of wheat vodkas made in France, rolled out its Whipped expression fi ve years ago, consumers readily embraced it. The proliferation of vodka fl avors was already popping—namely fruity expressions. While vanilla, coffee and even espresso had already been explored, no one had really tapped the confectionery fl avor profi les. Whipped, with fl avors of vanilla and sweet cream, could be enjoyed straight, but consumers and mixologists have found that in cocktails is where it really shines. The vodka's success spawned whipped fl avor offshoots-- Cherry Whipped, Orange Whipped, Chocolate Whipped, Key Lime Whipped, not to mention Cake, Cookie Dough and Marshmallow, among other fl avors. Pinnacle, which was sold by White Rock Distillery to Beam in 2012, now boasts more than 40 fl avors. But it was the original Whipped that ushered in the era of confectionery- fl avored spirits and made creating dessert cocktails easy. ANGRY ORCHARD (2011) Though our ancestors cultivated the fermented-apple beverage, modern American consumers had never really warmed to hard cider. It fell somewhere between beer, wine cooler and sweet fi zzy wine—most didn't Seven Daughters wine Sofi e farmhouse ale Voli vodka 2009 Apothic wines Bird Dog whiskey Jeremiah Weed Hum botanical spirit Red Stag RumChata Skinnygirl Tequila Avion Zwack herbal liqueur 2010 Banks 5-Island rum Blue Nectar tequila Crème Yvette Crystal Head vodka Deep Eddy vodka G'Vine Nouaison gin Ole Smoky Tennessee Moonshine Pisco Porton Redemption Rye The Kraken rum 2011 2 Gingers Irish whiskey Angry Orchard hard cider Bacardi OakHeart spiced rum Caorunn gin Crispin Cider Entwine Flipfl op wines Hiro sake Kinky Liqueur Pisco Kappa Privateer rum Pura Vida tequila Saint Archer Brewing Sammy's Beach Bar rum Virtue Cider Co. 2012 Bud Light Platinum Bud Light Lime-a-Rita Caliche rum Casamigos tequila Crabbie's alcoholic ginger beer Crave chocolate liqueur Deadbolt wines Dirty Tequila Dusse Cognac HandCraft wines Kirk and Sweeney rum Larceny Kentucky straight bourbon Lillet Rose Michelob Ultra Light Cider Monkey Shoulder whiskey Montelobos mezcal Moonlight Meadery Top 20 Product Launches