Cheers

Cheers May 2016

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.

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www.cheersonline.com 7 May 2016 • DRINK CULTURE RUTTE SPIRITS STARTS UP WELLNESS WORKSHOP FOR BARTENDERS Tending bar is generally a gratifying vocation, but shaking up drinks and standing on your feet late into the night is tough on the body. That's why Dutch spirits brand Rutte has started a wellness workshop for bartenders. The 10-week pilot pro- gram kicked off in New York in February with sessions led by Marcia Polas, an occupational Pilates teacher. Polas met the 12 participants in two groups weekly, in addition to visiting them individually on the job. She has worked with bartender/hospitality industry clients before. "I see how hard their bodies are working and the damage disorganized patterns are causing," Polas says, "and my goal becomes getting them out of pain and teaching them to be effortless behind the bar and to wake each morning feeling good, versus wrecked." The program instructs participants on correct body alignment and building muscle tone and strength while increasing balance and fl exibility. Polas edu- cates them on how to use their bodies with ease behind the bar and retrains them on basic bar skills, including shaking, stirring and pouring a drink. "Let's face it, like chefs, bartenders put their bodies through hell for the gig and notoriety," says Ben Carlotto, vice president of trade marketing and advocacy for Royal Dutch Distillers. The answer so far has been treating the symptoms through exercise and diet, "but really it needs to be examined a lot more closely," he says. Participants in the pilot program included bartenders from popular New York cocktail venues Death & Co., Pouring Ribbons, The Standard, Saxon & Parole, NoMad and Clover Club. The New York series, which wrapped in April, is the fi rst in an ongoing series of advocacy work- shops Rutte is planning for other markets, including Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Portland, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. Royal Dutch Distillers launched Rutte in the U.S. last July. The smallest distillery in Holland, Rutte produces pre- mium gins and genevers. Products available in the U.S. are Rutte's Celery Gin, Dry Gin and Old Simon Genever.—MD 5 FAST FACTS ON NEW ZEALAND WINE New Zealand sauvignon blanc "is so much more than a $10 supermarket wine," according to British wine writer Oz Clarke. And while the country has become known for sauvignon blanc, New Zealand also produces impressive wines from other varietals. Clarke hosted a masterclass on New Zealand wine in New York earlier this year at Colicchio & Sons; here are a few of the fast facts on the region. 1) Unique and optimal wine-growing conditions. Surrounded by oceans in the Southern Hemisphere, New Zealand is located "absolutely at the bottom of the world," Clarke said. The "roaring 40s" winds dump rain onto the top of the mountain range, while cold dry air and sun stay on the other side. "It's a classic rain shadow," Clarke said. Marlborough is the sunniest place in New Zealand, but it's not the warmest, Clarke said. "You don't need heat to grow grapes, you need sunshine." 2) A recent and underestimated wine history. A French report in 1950 said that New Zealand wine was unfi t for con- sumption, Clarke said. But when New Zealand started created the fl avor of its sauvignon blanc in the 1980s, "It was the beginning of a new era of what white wine could taste like," he said. What's more, Clarke noted that it was once believed that you could never grow wine grapes in Marlborough. It's now one of the most famous wine-grape-growing regions in the world. 3) Green is good. Thirty days of sun a month in the summer gives New Zealand white wines a freshness and greenness, with fl avors of apples, limes and fresh herbs. Consumers often make the mistake of being too critical of green when it comes to wine, Clarke noted, while winemakers lean to "dead-fruit," overripe wines. "Overripe is not better," he said. 4) A source for superb chardonnay. New Zealand has nine areas for making world-class chardonnay, Clarke said, including Nelson, Central Otago and Hawke's Bay. As the market moved away from chardonnay a few years ago, some of the winemakers "lost their courage, but now they've got it back in spades." 5) Wines with unique energy. "Acidity is a beautiful thing to lead the wine," Clarke said. From its celebrated whites to its high-quality pinot noirs, syrahs and red blends, "New Zealand wines have a lot of energy—the acidity is always there." —MD BARSMARTS MARKS 40TH LIVE EVENT Bartender education program BarSmarts hosted its 40th live event in Denver on April 6. BarSmarts Live is the culmination of the online training component; the top performers from each market are invited to attend. A joint venture between Pernod Ricard USA and consultancy BAR, BarSmarts was started in 2008. The four annual BarSmarts Live events, which have been hosted in 23 cities nationwide and in Dublin, Ireland, are hosted by the BAR partners Dale DeGroff, Steve Olson, Doug Frost, F. Paul Pacult, Andy Seymour and David Wondrich. So far the program has produced 13,462 graduates, in- cluding 3,168 BarSmarts Advanced grads. Steve Olson, Doug Frost, cluding 3,168 BarSmarts

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