Beverage Dynamics is the largest national business magazine devoted exclusively to the needs of off-premise beverage alcohol retailers, from single liquor stores to big box chains, through coverage of the latest trends in wine, beer and spirits.
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GIN UPDATE 32 Beverage Dynamics • March/April 2016 www.beveragedynamics.com World. The monk pictured on the bottle is a nod to that tradition. "We say, when the monk's feet get dry, it's time to buy a new bottle," Falkoff quips. TRY THIS AT HOME How are producers ensuring that consumers who enjoy a great gin cocktail at a bar can make an equally great drink at home? Brand ambassadors, reps, websites and social media can convey recipes—but which kinds? "You want to position yourself with rec- ipes that are on trend or timeless, and taste good without too many challenges or obsta- cles," says Howard at Bombay. Obstacles can be using ingredients that are only regional or seasonal, or incor- porating polarizing fl avors and elaborate ingredients consumers have to make for themselves. The classic gin drinks, Howard points out, are simple recipes with just a few ingredients—the Collins, Martini, Rickey and Mule. "They check all the boxes: accessible and minimal ingredients, taste great, tell a story and highlight qualities of the base spirit." Keeping these tenets in mind will lead to recipes easy to make at home. One example of a recipe that fi ts is the Langley's G&B, which is a variation of the venerable G&T, adding fresh grapefruit wedges and a sprig of fresh basil to the basic formula. "When we offer creative recipes to on-premise accounts, we try to make them consumer-friendly so they can be replicated at home," Clark says. Pernod Ricard features a different drink recipe for each of its gin brands. For Beef- eater, the focus is on the iconic Gin & Tonic, because the gin's fl avor is so juni- per-forward. The twist? Lemon instead of traditional lime. "A lot of Millennials are entering the gin category with Seagram's," Falkoff says. That brand uses a Plus-One strategy; Seagram's plus one simple mixer equals a fabulous cocktail, she says. Reput- edly, Plymouth was the gin called for in the Marguerite, the precursor to the Martini (which is a promoted recipe), along with other simple-to- make cocktails like the Pink Gin. TOOLS FOR THE TRADE Pernod Ricard disseminates these and other gin recipes in-store, as well as other merchandising materials. More education on the topic of gin is available through the websites and social media. "Gins are really different from one another," Falkoff notes. "Our portfolio is a good example of that." "The retailer has the best story-telling prop at their fi nger- tips—the bottle," Howard says. Bombay Sapphire includes geo- graphical origins of the botanicals and deets on Bombay's vapor distil- lation process. Bulldog provides full support for retailers through POS and merchan- dising as well as on-site staff train- ings and incentives programs, Birkitt says. The brand also employs ded- icated local brand specialists who generate buzz and produce local events and curated experiences de- signed to drive consumers to retail partners for purchase. House Spirits conducts cocktail classes at its tasting room in Portland. The company is also building another tasting and educational center at the PDX airport. And reps travel the country conducting seminars. Times are changing. "The old notion of a traditional gin drinker is of the past," Moony adds. "New consumers are discovering the gin category." BD THOMAS HENRY STRENK is a Brooklyn-based freelance writer with over 20 years experience covering the beverage and restaurant industries. In his small apartment-turned-alchemist-den, he homebrews beer kombucha, and concocts his own bitters and infusions. LEADING BRANDS OF DOMESTIC AND IMPORTED GIN, 2013-2014 (000 9-Liter Cases) '13/'14 DOMESTIC BRANDS SUPPLIER 2013 2014 % CHG Seagram's Gin Pernod Ricard USA 2,118 1,941 -8.4% New Amsterdam E & J Gallo 730 730 0.0% Gordon's Gin Diageo 680 630 -7.4% Barton Gin Sazerac 370 352 -4.9% Gilbey's Gin Beam Suntory 368 352 -4.3% Burnett's White Satin Gin Heaven Hill Brands 275 296 7.6% Total Leading Brands 4,541 4,301 -5.3% Total Domestic Gin 6,965 6,685 -4.0% '13/'14 IMPORTED BRANDS SUPPLIER 2013 2014 % CHG Tanqueray Diageo 1,290 1,310 1.6% Bombay Sapphire Bacardi USA 877 883 0.6% Beefeater Pernod Ricard USA 509 494 -2.9% Hendrick's William Grant & Sons 225 246 9.3% Bombay Original Bacardi USA 183 186 1.3% Tanqueray No. TEN Diageo 26 32 23.1% Total Leading Brands 3,110 3,151 1.3% Total Imported Gin 3,670 3,740 1.9% Source: The Beverage Information & Insights Group. For more data, visit www.albevresearch.com. "Gin is well- suited to the craft cocktail movement." — August Sebastiani, president, 3 Badge Mixology