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.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/63431
D mixologists to tout gin's versatility—sales of a more ubiquitous spirit are still white hot. From 2010 to 2011, vodka sales increased by six percent, according to the Beverage Information Group, Cheers' parent company. Th e vodka category continues to be huge, even if it not always the Indy Bartender's darling. Classic labels still sell well: including top brands Smirnoff , Absolut, Svedka, Grey Goose and Skyy. Also brands with increasingly quirky fl avors, including espite the recent resurgence in popularity of brown spirits—like whiskey and aged rum—and the propensity of some classic cocktail-minded At Fiola, he says it's becoming increasingly common for guests to request Boyd & Blair, a potato-based vodka from Pittsburgh, as well Tito's Handmade Vodka from Austin, Texas. "More and more people are taking notice of these smaller distilleries and I've certainly tried to steer people in that direction." Fiola off ers six vodkas priced $9 to $12 and lists several vodka cocktails on the menu. Th e Alexandra ($13) mixes Boyd & Blair Vodka, Rothman Pear Liqueur, Domaine de Canton and lime; Th e Fiola Del'Autonno ($13) uses Wodka Vodka, lime, homemade grenadine and club soda. fl avors like Swedish Fish and Pickle Juice, are joined on shelves by organic, small-batch and local off erings. Bartenders also continue to use vodka behind the bar in classic and innovative ways and their guests often still turn to premium brands for straight-up consumption. For many operators and patrons, vodka still remains the clear-cut category winner. FLEXIBILITY IS FIRST Many operators continue to praise vodka's overall mixability. First off , Mariena Mercer avoids the presumption that vodka drinks can't be fl exible and inventive. "Vodka can be a useful conduit for fl avors in a cocktail and help diff erent profi les coalesce," explains the general manager for the 500-seat Chandelier Bar, and the property mixologist at the Th e Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, a 2995-room resort and casino. She goes on to add that it's unfair to judge an entire spirits category on a handful of poorly distilled products and that ample vodka brands exist that capture the nuances of what the spirit is capable. Th e Cosmopolitan's vodka selections run from $9 to $12 and the most popular options at Chandelier are Hangar One Mandarin Blossom, Russian Standard and Ketel One. Bar manager Jeff Faile of the 156-seat trattoria Fiola in Washington D.C. admits that vodka often needs to be a part of a well-conceived cocktail list to give a wide range of guests a range of drink options. "Not everyone wants to go for a rye or gin cocktail," he says. Faile believes that thoughtfully stocking a bar with high quality vodka will make it more likely that the guest who typically drinks a Cosmopolitan will branch out and order a similar citrus- and vodka-based drink. Faile also currently sees a slight movement away from the traditional premium vodkas and towards small-batch bottlings. www.cheersonline.com The Out of the Blue is made with Hangar One Vodka and served at Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. MAY 2012 | 23 BENJAMIN GARCIA