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www.cheersonline.com 14 • January/February 2017 profi le. For example, Destillería Serrallés in Puerto Rico launched its fi rst spiced rum in the Don Q line; it is an aged product, with a base blended from 3- to 6-year-old rums, a dry profi le and bottled at 90 proof. "At Hard Rock Café, we trend higher in rum and fl avored rums, which has to do a lot with our core customer," says Busi. The average guest visits Hard Rock for celebratory occasions or while on vacation, and has a permission slip to be a little indulgent. So they are more apt to try twists on Pina Coladas, Daiquiris or Sangria, she notes. Rum drives those categories of cocktails, Busi adds. "The rum category continues to grow in new fl avors; it seems like there is a new one on the market every month and it's hard to play catch up." Indeed, the bright spot for rum these days is the vibrant fl avored segment, especially the spiced variants. Of the top- 10 leading rum brands, more than half are fl avored/spiced specialists, according to the Handbook Advance from the Beverage Information Group. Led by Captain Morgan at the number-two slot, other fl avor-centric brands in the lineup are Malibu coconut rum, Admiral Nelson's, Sailor Jerry, The Kraken and Captain Morgan's Parrot Bay. SPICE OF LIFE "I don't even consider spiced rum a fl avor," says Di Tota at The Bonnie. The addition of Caribbean ingredients like allspice make spiced seem more like another type of rum than a fl avor, he explains. At the restaurant, spiced rum is featured in cocktails, especially during the fall and winter. Plus, guests can order cider with an added shot of spiced rum. "I think we will see more spiced and fl avored rums on the market because of the changing relationship with Cuba," Di Tota predicts. "We'll see a surge in interest in rum of all kinds." At the Park Café, manager Lauren Jones created a drink called the Roscoe, made with Captain Morgan spiced rum (or the Chairman's Reserve, if you want to step it up, she says), Pamplemousse grapefruit liqueur, maple bitters and ginger beer, garnished with a grapefruit peel. Despite a small and crowded backbar, Park Café always stocks a spiced rum because of customer demand. SHOW TIME Malibu rum is a key ingredient in one of the top-selling drinks at Coyote Ugly, according to Mahaffey. It's a proprietary version of the Vegas Bomb: Malibu and Coyote Ugly Whiskey dropped into a glass of Red Bull. The concoction is priced at $10, considerably more than other drinks, but can account for 50% to 70% sales when promoted. "One of the things that make us different is the ability to advertise in the bar on the microphone through comedy and wit," says Mahaffey. "We'll get on the microphone and say, 'Hey, for the next hour we are doing Bomb Time; everybody's doing them.' That encourages people to try our specialty." Its liquor-store-like set up enables Genuine Liquorette to feature every fl avor of Cruzan rum, every fl avor of Bacardi rum and many fl avors of Malibu rum, according to Freeman. Personally, he's partial to Plantation pineapple rum. Genuine Liquorette's Pina Colada Cha- Chunker cocktail ($10.59) is served in an open can of pineapple juice with upended bottle of Malibu rum, with a pineapple leaf for a straw. The uniquely presented drink is one of the bar's best sellers. SEASONAL SPINS "In the summer we were heavy, heavy on rum-fl avored drinks," says Busi at Hard Rock. As an example, she cites a drink with cherry-fl avored rum and cherry liqueur. "We also took some of the classic style drinks and kicked them up a notch with fl avored rums." A classic Daiquiri but made with a spiced rum, for example, or adding orange-fl avored rum to Sangrias. "That's been a big platform for us with our Mason Jars. Seemingly familiar, but adding a differentiator with some cool fl avors," Busi says. Whereas consumers might not buy four or fi ve fl avors of rum for using at home, they might be more likely to sample those different rums at a Hard Rock Café, she explains. "People may be familiar with the Bacardi brand, say, and so have the trust and willingness to try Bacardi Dragonberry or its coconut, orange or cherry fl avors," Busi says. "We have a lot of fun with that." Thomas Henry Strenk is Brooklyn-based writer specializing in all things drinkable. PROFILES IN Flavor Genuine Liquorette's Pina Colada Cha-Chunker cocktail, left, is one of the bar's best-selling drinks. Right, rum drinks such as the Strawberry Mojito do well at Hard Rock, says worldwide beverage director Cindy Busi, since guests tend to be on vaca- tion or celebrating something and are a little more indulgent. "WE TOOK SOME OF THE CLASSIC DRINKS AND KICKED THEM UP A NOTCH WITH FLAVORED RUMS." — Cindy Busi, Hard Rock