Beverage Dynamics

Beverage Dynamics May-June 2016

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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36 Beverage Dynamics • May/June 2016 www.beveragedynamics.com Keeping consumers wanting more O ne of the keys behind making exceptional cocktails is the concept of sessionability, a term used to describe a drink guests can enjoy throughout an evening without it becoming tiresome, overbearing or otherwise unsatisfactory. Ultimately it refers to a cocktail suffi ciently engaging to keep guests interested in wanting another. Creating a sessionable drink is more challenging than it may seem. Cocktails lacking character and dimension are a bore and guaranteed to send people packing. On the other hand, cock- tails with excessive amounts of fl avor will quickly overwhelm the palate and rankle the sensibilities like an accordion. Achieving balance between characteristics such as tart, sweet and savory is the primary mission and a mixologist's stock and trade. Not surprisingly, sessionability is a signifi cant factor in de- veloping a new and innovative spirit. A fl avor erring in one extreme or the other is the so-called "kiss of death." Most people make a judgment regarding the fl avor of a bev- erage within moments of fi rst tasting it. In essence, the fate of a brand is often decided within moments of launching. How does a company best ensure that their product has the fl avor it takes to win over the consumers' collective palate in that moment of truth? Anthony Pullen, educational and brand development man- ager for Lucas Bols, thinks succeeding at that moment is all about creating a balanced overall experience. "Flavor is based on people's experiences. We've all heard the saying that some exotic food tastes just like chicken. Our brains are hard-wired to relate the chemical reaction happening on our tongue to a past experience. Color and aroma play a huge role in this, and if you want to recreate a fl avor that matches something that already exists, all of these factors have to be considered and matched." Mark Montgomery, CEO of Fishbowl Spirits, makers of Blue Chair Bay Rum, believes there are other contribu- tors to winning the moment of truth. "There's the visual and tactile experience of the bottle to con- sider—how it looks and how it feels in the hand. Then there are non-tangible cues that create value in the mind of the consumer. After that it's all about the liquid. How enticing are the aromas when the cork is pulled? How does the liquid look when it's poured? And then, yes, the consumers' fi rst impressions of the fl avor set the tone for re-consumption." KEEPING FLAVORS FRESH One of the most notable of beverage trends is that vodka sales of both fl avored and neutral are beginning to slow. According to the Beverage Information Group, the vodka category increased its sales BY ROBERT PLOTKIN Flavor Innovation

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