Cheers

Cheers-Sept 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 23 September 2016 • A lthough it might seem that high-octane cocktails such as the Old Fashioned and Negroni dominate the current bar scene, low-alcohol classics like Spritzers, Cobblers and Pimm's Cups are still strong contenders. Guests seeking fl avorful refreshment and a modicum of moderation now crave these lower-proof libations. Low alcohol doesn't mean low complexity, however. Formulating a tasty shim, aka suppressor or session, requires a more considered approach and skill set. But the recent proliferation of high-quality vermouth, aperitifs, fortifi ed wines and other low-proof bases has benefi tted mixologists. "Low-alcohol cocktails are one more category in the bartender's toolbox," says Greg Best, co-owner of the recently opened Ticonderoga Club in Atlanta. Back in 2012, Best was among the pioneers of the low-alcohol cocktail movement and popularized the term suppressor. "We thought it would be worthwhile and tongue-in-cheek hilarious to create a style of drink that was the anti-venom to the Corpse Reviver," he recalls. "Now years later, there are bars from all over the country adding to the canon of suppressors." Although there are always one or two low-alcohol cocktails on the Ticonderoga Club's menu, they aren't singled out or labeled as suppressors. Arranging menus by categories can be excluding, believes Best. For example, the restaurant has removed the word "appetizers" from its food menu. "We want people to engage at any level of our menus; it's DIY, they can choose their own drinking and dining experiences." A low-alcohol drink can be an ideal aperitif or a nightcap option, he suggests. Ticonderoga Club's current list includes the Poor Fella (a.k.a. Suppressor 78), which combines tawny port and fi no sherry with lime juice and Coca-Cola. "We are doing low-alcohol cocktails, but not as a special thing," says Miguel Lancha, head of national cocktail development for ThinkFoodGroup, chef Jose Andres' 14-unit restaurant empire. "We don't take ABV levels into consideration when we design cocktails; we think in terms of fl avors." For example, two popular drinks at ThinkFoodGroup's The Bazaar concept are wine-based sangrias. Sangria Roja has a base of spiced red wine, as well as some brandy, gin and citrus fruits; White Sherry Sangria starts with manzanilla sherry, topped with cava and citrus. Both are prepared tableside and priced at $16 each. Why both operators and guests are loving lower-alcohol cocktails Several ThinkFoodGroup concepts in the Washington, DC, area offer a White Sherry Sangria that's prepared tableside with manzanilla sherry, cava and citrus. Ticonderoga Club in Atlanta offers the Poor Fella (a.k.a. Suppressor 78), which combines tawny port and fi no sherry with lime juice and Coca-Cola. "LOW-ALCOHOL COCKTAILS ARE ONE MORE CATEGORY IN THE BARTENDER'S TOOLBOX." — Greg Best, co-owner, Ticonderoga Club in Atlanta.

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