September 2018
THE HOW-TO PUBLICATION
BAR BUS NESS MAGAZINE
BAR SET UP
Are you set up for success?
GIN REVIVAL
Gin is in again
PLUS:
The Secret To Good
Web Design
A Cherry on top
This mighty little stone fruit is trending.
CL E R MON T K . Y.
U. S .
THIS IS NOT YOUR PARTICIPATION TROPHY.
EVERY BIT EARNED KNOB CREEK® KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON WHISKEY 50% ALC./VOL. ©2018 KNOB CREEK DISTILLERY CLERMONT, KY.
Contents How Tos
18
September
Deal or No Deal?
Differentiating between good and bad leases.
20
Setting Up for Success
26
Tuning Up: Future Projections
Proper planning can reduce problems.
Taking projection to a whole new level.
Departments
4
From the Editor
6
On Tap
A letter from our Editor Ashley Bray
32
ON THE COVER
A Cherry (Back) On Top
This mighty little stone fruit is a year-round gift of flavor and substance.
Industry news & announcements.
10
Behind The Bar
16
Happenings
In-depth analysis of beer, wine & spirits. Important dates for the month.
42
Inventory
46
Q+A
Featured product releases. Scott Meek – Phillips Distilling Company
Features
38
The Secret to Good Web Design The key to unlocking a website that works.
CoVER photo: Shutterstock/ Andrew Pustiakin Contents photo: Shutterstock/ Dirima
barbizmag.com
September 2018
Bar Business Magazine
1
THE HOW-TO PUBLICATION
BAR BUS NESS MAGAZINE
September 2018
Vol. 11
No. 9
Bar Business Magazine (ISSN 1944-7531) is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 55 Broad St 26th Fl., New York, NY 10004
subscription department 800-895-4389
executive offices President Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. Publisher Art Sutley 212-620-7247 asutley@sbpub.com
editorial
Editor Ashley Bray 212-620-7220 abray@sbpub.com Contributing Writers Elyse Glickman, Jeff Grandfield and Dale Willerton, Maura Keller, Erik Shellenberger
art
Art Director Nicole Cassano Graphic Designer Aleza Leinwand
production
Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers mconyers@sbpub.com Digital Ad Operations Associate Kevin Fuhrmann
circulation
Circulation Director Maureen Cooney mcooney@sbpub.com
advertising sales Art Sutley 212-620-7247 asutley@sbpub.com
Bar Business Magazine (Print ISSN 1944-7531, Digital ISSN 2161-5071) (USPS#000-342) is published February, April, June, August, October, and December. January, March, May, July, September, and November will only be offered in a digital format at no charge by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 55 Broad St. 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices. Pricing, Qualified U.S. Bar Owners may request a free subscription. Non-qualified subscriptions printed or digital version: 1 year US $45.00; Canada $90.00; foreign $189.00; foreign, air mail $289.00. 2 years US $75.00; Canada $120.00; foreign $300.00; foreign, air mail $500.00. BOTH Print & Digital Versions: 1 year US $68.00; Canada $135.00; foreign $284.00; foreign, air mail $384.00. 2 years US $113.00; Canada $180.00; foreign $450.00; foreign, air mail $650.00. Single Copies are $10.00 ea. Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only. COPYRIGHT Š SimmonsBoardman Publishing Corporation 2018. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information contact: Art Sutley, Phone (212) 620-7247, or asutley@sbpub.com. For Subscriptions, & address changes, Please call (US Only) 1-800-553-8878 (CANADA/INTL) 1-319-364-6167, Fax 1-319-364-4278, e-mail barbusiness@stamats.com or write to: Bar Business Magazine, Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52406-1407. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Bar Business Magazine, PO Box 1407, Cedar Rapids, IA. 52406-1407. Instructional information in this magazine should only be performed by skilled craftspeople with the proper equipment. The publisher and authors of information provided herein advise all readers to exercise care when engaging in any of the how-to activities published in the magazine. Further, the publisher and authors assume no liability for damages or injuries resulting from projects contained herein.
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Bar Business Magazine
September 2018 barbizmag.com
Oer good through September 30th, 2018, Cannot be combined with other oers.
from the editor
From The Editor
The proper union of gin and vermouth is a great and sudden glory; it is one of the happiest marriages on earth, and one of the shortest lived.
- Bernard DeVoto
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Bar Business Magazine
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s you’ll find out in this issue, gin is back in. There are a few reasons for the renaissance of gin, and you can turn to page 10 to learn why your bar is probably serving up more of this spirit. The popularity of gin comes as no surprise to Luke DeYoung, Bar Manager at gin-focused bar Scofflaw in Chicago, who was interviewed for this month’s Behind the Bar. At the time of Scofflaw’s opening about six years ago, gin was an untapped market, but today DeYoung finds himself in the midst of a renaissance that has made it difficult just to choose from the sheer volume of gins now available. “It’s almost to the point now where it’s hard to keep up,” says DeYoung. He has found that as consumers become more educated on the things they like about gin, they form a loyalty with a certain brand. Scofflaw patrons are especially excited about younger brands. But that doesn’t mean that everyone who walks into Scofflaw is a gin fan. Over the years, DeYoung has found ways to introduce the uninitiated to this spirit. “The initial question for me is what do you enjoy drinking currently?” he says. “For whiskey lovers, there are definitely a few cocktails that we end up going towards and a few styles of gin. I find that if people like whiskey cocktails or whiskey in general, then cocktails based around Old Tom Gin really can strike their fancy or make them think differently about gin. We recommend a Martinez using our house Old Tom Gin for someone who would traditionally drink a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned.”
For those patrons who aren’t whiskey drinkers but are looking for an in to gin, DeYoung says to go for refreshing cocktails like a gimlet, a Tom Collins, or a French 75. DeYoung has also found that many people aren’t found of gins that are very juniper forward. “I like using Martin Miller’s Gin because you get some melon and cucumber notes in there too that soften that blow to people,” he says. When crafting gin cocktails, DeYoung also recommends choosing ingredients that complement rather than mask the flavor of gin. “I don’t think squashing the rest of the flavors with something is an improvement,” he cautions. “[A flavor works] when it’s a background note and something that you might not be able to get through standard gin distillation.” At Scofflaw, DeYoung does four seasonal menus a year with a large percentage of gin cocktails on each menu. He includes a variety of gin cocktails—including shaken, stirred, and swizzles. He’s even created a “B-side menu” to help showcase some of those younger, craft brands of gin that have developed a following. “It has been a really awesome way to showcase some craft gins that tend to make a slightly more expensive cocktail,” he says.
Ashley bray, Editor
September 2018 barbizmag.com
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From ON TAP The Editor
ON TAP Southern Distilling Company is revitalizing whiskey distilling in North Carolina.
L
ocal entrepreneurs Pete and Vienna Barger are leading the charge to revitalize whiskey distilling in North Carolina. In 2014, the husband and wife team purchased a 20-acre farm in Pete’s hometown of Statesville and founded Southern Distilling Company. As the Bargers began their adventure, they discovered the deep, rich history of whiskey and brandy distilling that had dominated the Statesville region in the 18th and 19th centuries. “Few people know about the rich history of whiskey distilling that dominated North Carolina in the 18th and 19th centuries making the region one of the largest liquor production hubs in the country,” said Co-Owner and Principal Vienna Barger. “At the time, grain crop agriculture was the area’s lead industry. When crop supply began to overtake demand, local farmers began to distill their excess grains into alcohol. They quickly discovered the distillate sold for ten times that of raw grains and soon stills were popping up all over the county. 6
Bar Business Magazine
“The alcohol trade exploded with the completion of the Western North Carolina Railroad and the Atlantic, Tennessee and Ohio railroad lines in 1858. From that point on, literally thousands of gallons of liquor were
Our mission is to provide the highest quality distilled spirits.
shipped from and through Statesville branding our humble North Carolina home, ‘The Liquor Capital of the World.’” Transformed by what they learned, the Bargers dedicated the next three years to crafting their plan to produce
premium quality bourbon and rye whiskey and bring a piece of history back to the region. “We founded Southern Distilling Company as a way to tap into the authenticity of home and heritage and revive the legacy of the region’s deep distilling roots,” said Co-Founder and Principal Pete Barger. “At our state-of-theart facility, we produce our own awardwinning branded bourbon, rye whiskey, and liqueur products, and we also offer a broad range of contract distilling services for domestic and foreign brand owners, distilleries, and retailers including custom distilling, warehousing, and bottling/ packaging services.” The state-of-the-art destination distillery is one of the largest and most advanced craft distilleries in the nation, and it sets a new standard. Pete added, “Our mission is to provide the highest quality distilled spirits available to both the local region and customers worldwide who desire a sense of truth and place in the drinks they enjoy.”
September 2018 barbizmag.com
Photo: Southern Distilling Company.
Southern Distilling Company Brings Whiskey Distillation Back Home
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From ON TAP The Editor
Get Graphic With Your Aesthetic he décor and aesthetic of your bar can be just as important as the contents of your cocktail menu— especially in today’s photo-centric, Instagrammable culture. Vinyl graphics can be an easy and affordable way to transform your interior or exterior (or even vehicle as the case may be!) into an unforgettable setting for your guests. Here are two recent examples of businesses that transformed their look with the help of graphics.
on track. In fact, with the tight timeline, parts of the graphics were still being designed while other parts were being fitted. The vinyl graphics included window graphics, lettering on the side of bus, and interior graphics featuring wood grain and a wall of glass bottles. “We’ve had a fantastic response to the vehicle,” said Joe Pycraft of Sadler’s Ales. “It had a terrific impact at the city social.”
Sadler’s Ales Sadler’s Ales recently opened its new taproom in the UK. Sign-maker HNS Signs had painted the interior of the venue, and Sadler’s was so pleased with the results that they brought the sign company back to wrap their beer bus with vinyl graphics. The goal of the wrap was to convey the brewery’s image and the taproom experience to a wider crowd at event settings and in a transportable format. HNS proposed wrapping not just the outside of the vehicle, but the inside too, which they felt would significantly contribute to creating a realistic pub ambience. The project had a demanding timeline of just three-and-a-half days since the bus needed to be ready for its first engagement at a city social. The whole HNS team literally got on board with the project and helped wrap the bus, staying late some evenings to keep
America’s Dog & Burger For Manolis and George Alpogianis, Founders of America’s Dog & Burger in Chicago, preparing and serving Chicago’s favorite foods has been a family tradition for three generations. The founders wanted their plain white walls and glass windows transformed into a visual storyboard of the restaurant’s fun and unique history, which included inspiration from a great American road trip. Full-service marketing firm Graphic Alliance set out designing, printing, and installing larger-than-life historic landmarks and family photos for the new-and-improved restaurant interior. Graphic Alliance installed a variety of Mactac vinyl products on the windows, doors, glass cooking counter, and subway tile wall. The marketing firm even created a unique brick finish using the vinyl graphics that replicated the walls of the Alpogianis’
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Bar Business Magazine
other restaurants. “I’ve printed and installed a number of interior restaurant graphics throughout my career, and if you don’t pick the right material, it can be a catastrophe,” warns Eric Grossman, CEO of Graphic Alliance. Grossman notes there were several challenges his team needed to overcome with this project—from finding a material that looked like painted brick to the tight timeframe and the need to install all the graphics in one day, while the restaurant was open for business. “Eric and his team handled and executed the project and our vision beautifully,” says Manolis. “Graphic Alliance has tremendous experience, and the final result fully met our expectations.”
Sadler’s Ale’s beer bus wrap included interior and exterior vinyl graphics.
September 2018 barbizmag.com
Photos (top to bottom): Mactac; Sadler’s Ales.
T
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Behind The Bar: GIN
The versatile spirit makes its way back to cocktail menus. BY Ashley Bray
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F
Gin
ollowing in the steps of Europe, gin is experiencing a renaissance here in the U.S. spirits industry. “The gin renaissance has taken hold, in a big way, in European countries, and now we see a similar pattern starting to evolve in the States as gin increasingly establishes itself as new, different, and exciting,” says Bob Fowkes, Co-Founder and Marketing Director at Brockmans Gin. “As the category evolves, there is a growing interest in new world styles as well as local niche brands and recreations of older styles like Old Tom and genever, all of which are helping to invigorate
the category and dispel the perception that all gins are alike.” With the rise of craft cocktails and a return to classic recipes, gin’s return to the spotlight should come as no surprise. Flip through classic recipe books like Harry Craddock’s The Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930, and you’ll find a majority of the cocktails called for gin (Plymouth Gin in particular!). “We had a rebirth of the cocktail industry, and we followed that a few years later with a desire for people to understand classic cocktails,” says Sebastian Hamilton-Mudge, Global Brand Ambassador of Plymouth Gin. “Gin has always had this relationship—
September 2018 barbizmag.com
Photo: Portobello Road Gin.
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gin is made from a variety of botanicals, but its predominant flavor comes from juniper berries.
Brockmans Dark Night Negroni 1 oz Brockmans Gin 1 oz Blueberry Liqueur ¾ oz Rosso Vermouth ¾ oz Campari 2 dashes orange bitters Build all ingredients in a rocks glass over one large ice cube to chill the drink without diluting too much. Stir and decorate with a wedge of orange (or blood orange in January-February) with the edge dipped in cinnamon and two blueberries, or a thick orange peel with one edge dipped in cinnamon and skewered with blueberries. Brockmans Gin
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Bar Business Magazine
it’s intertwined with—the cocktail.” Jake Burger, Master Distiller of The Ginstitute, Drinks Director of The Distillery hotel in London, and founding member of Portobello Road Gin, agrees. “For many years, gin was the bartender’s spirit,” he says. “If you look at the cocktail books of the late 1800s or the early 20th century, half the drinks would be gin.” History is on gin’s side, but so is versatility. It’s not a spirit typically sipped neat, but it works well in a variety of cocktails. “That’s always been the success of gin—its mixability,” says Hamilton-Mudge. “What’s always been the appeal to bartenders is it’s light and dry so it’s easy to work with. It also has this complexity of flavors from the botanicals that gives you something of interest to work with.” The rise of craft spirits is a third reason for gin’s renewed popularity. The distillation process takes hours versus weeks or months, which has made it easy for craft distillers to release their own expressions. “There are a lot more craft distillers popping up in general, and gin is an easy in into the market beyond vodka,” says Luke DeYoung, Bar Manager at Scofflaw, a gin-focused cocktail bar in Chicago. “There are just so many gins to taste now. I think half of my job is more curating. It’s almost to the point where it’s hard to keep up.” Bartenders now have a plethora of gins to choose from with a variety of botanicals and flavor profiles beyond just the required juniper berries. The brand Plymouth Gin brings with it a long history dating back to its 1793 founding on the docks of Plymouth, England, which was also a British Royal Navy port. “We were the first gin taken on ships, so the origin of Navy Strength gin was with Plymouth,” explains Hamilton-Mudge. Plymouth Gin’s recipe uses seven botanicals: juniper berries, coriander seed, orange peels, lemon peels, green cardamom, angelica root, and orris root. These botanicals are mixed with soft Dartmoor water and a wheat-based pure grain alcohol to
create the spirit. Plymouth offers its original expression as well as a Navy Strength and Sloe Gin. Master Distiller Sean Harrison makes every drop of Plymouth Gin using a nosing glass rather than a flow meter. Brockmans Gin is a brand conceived by two friends—Fowkes and CEO Neil Everett—with a desire to make a gin that is truly different. Brockmans launched in England in 2008 and the States in 2014, and it’s a new world style crafted using 11 botanicals: juniper, blueberries, almonds, blackberries, liquorice, lemon peel, orange peel, coriander, angelica, orris, and cassia bark. Distilled in a 100-year-old copper still, the more traditional notes of gin are combined with the refreshing influence of citrus and aromatic wild blackberries and blueberries to create an intensely smooth taste. “It is not only the gin itself but also the brand persona that helps set Brockmans apart,” says Fowkes. “Brockmans is packaged in stylish and tactile black glass, which stands out on the shelf and back bar. It is a distinctively different, sensuous ‘after dark’ gin.” Portobello Road Gin also comes to the States from England, where it all started at 171 Portobello Road in London thanks to three co-founders: Burger, Ged Feltham, and Paul Lane. Master Distiller Charles Maxwell distills the gin on a Tom Thumb still. Together with English wheat-based alcohol, nine botanicals make up the gin, and the first seven are the typical recipe for a London Dry gin: juniper, coriander seeds, angelica root, orris root, liquorice root, orange peel, and lemon peel. Two additional botanicals give Portobello Road Gin its main points of difference: cassia bark and nutmeg. The cassia bark provides a festive, spicy finish, while the nutmeg leaves drinkers with a whiskey-like long, spicy finish. “We were looking for a versatile gin that worked in all the settings,” says Burger. “We loved the old London Dry-style gins, and we wanted to honor the traditions and the character of that category, but we wanted to create something a little
September 2018 barbizmag.com
Photo: Brockmans Gin.
Behind The Bar: Gin
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more versatile, mixable, and with more depth of character.” Portobello Road Gin is now distilled down the road in The Distillery at 186 Portobello Road. The four-floor headquarters includes, a shop, two bars, the Ginstitute museum, and a small hotel on the top floor. The brand recently released its Navy Strength (coming soon to the US market). It also creates two limitededition expressions each year: The Director’s Cut is a gin curated by one of the three co-founders, and the Local Heroes finds Portobello Road partnering with one of their heroes to create a unique expression of gin. There may be more gins than ever before to choose from, but bartenders can still face an uphill battle in convincing patrons to try a gin cocktail. It can be a polarizing spirit— you probably find that your guests either love it or had a bad experience and hate it. But there are ways to initiate newcomers and reacquaint those who had a negative experience with the spirit. The good news is that the market is primed for experimentation and new tastes. “On-premise operators and
bartenders know that consumers in general, and specifically millennial consumers, are becoming more experimental across several spirits categories including gin,” says Fowkes. “Stock an interesting range of tastes within gin, not only London Dry styles, which are important, but some new and interesting gins. “We want consumers to start to realize that there is more to gin than you think,” continues Fowkes. “We want [bartenders] to experiment, whether offering their patrons a unique twist on traditional gin cocktails or creating new, inspired ways to highlight our unique botanicals and smooth finish to make exceptional cocktails.” For Portobello Road Gin, it’s all about education, especially when it comes to crafting the ubiquitous gin and tonic. “We’re trying a slow process of reeducation—using a nice glass; good tonic water (not on the gun but a bottled tonic water); a nice, fresh garnish; and making sure to get the ratios right,” says Burger, who also recommends bartenders study and master the classic cocktails. Ratios and balance are essential to
a good cocktail, and it’s important to not overpower the gin when mixing it. Rather, DeYoung recommends finding flavors that complement and amplify the botanicals in gin. “Keep it simple—you don’t want to overwhelm the gin because gin has a lot of things going on already. Try to pair it with things that are already present in the botanical list or similar to it—enhancing flavors,” he says. “I think grapefruit oil and juice with gin is really nice. It’s bitterness can mimic tonic. Herbs are generally great—mint, rosemary, thyme, sage—a lot of those things play really well with gin and bring out some of those botanical notes. Cucumber oftentimes can pair well too. “If you want to go out on a limb and get more adventurous, radler beers (grapefruit, lemon) have been popular recently and are also a great thing to add in if people are looking for something a little more unique.” For pairing gin with bigger flavors in a cocktail like a Negroni, bartenders may want to reach for the Navy Strength expressions. “It’s not about making stronger drinks,” says Hamilton-Mudge. “The more alcohol you have the more flavor, so it’s going to be a more impactful gin.”
NGB
The Felix Martini
Fitzgerald
3.5 parts Plymouth Gin 3.5 parts Lustau Vermut Rojo 1 part Mezcal Discarded Lemon Twist Discarded Orange Twist Dried Apricot Stir, served up or on the rocks.
1.5 oz Portobello Road Directors Cut #1 ¾ oz Lillet Blanc ½ oz The Distillery Characterful Vodka 2 Dashes of Truffle bitters
2 oz Letherbee Original Label Gin .75 oz Lemon Juice .75 oz Simple Syrup 1 dash of Angostura Bitters
Serve straight up with a toasted asparagus spear.
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a glass filled with ice.
Portobello Road Gin
Scofflaw
Sebastian Hamilton-Mudge
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Bar Business Magazine
September 2018 barbizmag.com
Photos (left to right): Plymouth Gin, Portobello Road Gin, Scofflaw.
Behind The Bar: GIN
Happenings October 2018
OCTOBER 1 Sports Mania
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The NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB are all in session in October. Are your screens ready to show all the action? Get in the game with some unique projector ideas on page 26.
OCTOBER 21 National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day
OCTOBER 6 Mad Hatter Day
Ready or not, it’s pumpkin season. You can take your pick of liqueurs, beers, and desserts like this one to add to your menu.
This is a day devoted to all things silly, but we think your bar would do better by paying homage to the tea this character is always sipping through teainfused spirits or cocktails.
OCTOBER 20 National Brandied Fruit Day
OCTOBER 28 National Chocolate Day As the weather turns cooler, your guests will pivot to comforting flavors like chocolate. Today’s the perfect day to indulge!
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September 2018 barbizmag.com
All Photos: Shutterstock.com.
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Cherry is a favorite brandied fruit, and we’ve got a full feature on this stone fruit and why you may want to add it to your bar’s line-up on page 32.
Happenings
Upcoming
OCTOBER 12 World Egg Day Break out the egg whites and let fizzes be front and center on your cocktail menu.
EVENTS
October London Cocktail Week October 1-7, 2018 London UK
Nashville Whiskey Fest
19
October 6, 2018 Nashville, TN
OCTOBER 19 International Gin & Tonic Day This is a tried-and-true way to showcase gin, but if you’re looking for some unique gin cocktails (and more information on this trending spirit), turn to page 10.
nashvillewhiskeyfestival.com
cayman cocktail week October 19-26, 2018 Cayman Islands
www.caymancocktailweek.com
Great American Beer Festival October 20-22, 2018 Denver, CO
greatamericanbeerfestival.com
Portland Cocktail Week OCTOBER 22 National Nut Day Amaretto, Disaronno, Frangelico—go a little nutty with these liqueurs!
October 21-25, 2018 Portland, OR portlandcocktailweek.com
APRIL Wine and Spirits WholesaleRs of America March 31 - April 3, 2019 Orlando, FL wswaconvention.org
OCTOBER 30 Mischief Night This day of pranks is a good reminder to make sure you’re covered with all the proper insurance policies.
barbizmag.com
September 2018
Bar Business Magazine
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How To: Name
How To Differentiating between good and bad leases.
Deal or No Deal? 18
Jeff2017 barbizmag.com Grandfield and Dale Willerton – The Lease Coach Bar Business Magazine By March
How To: LEASING
Photo: Shutterstock/ g-stockstudio.
A
s we explain in our new book, Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals FOR DUMMIES, a bad lease agreement may hold you back from making a good profit or even result in the closure of your business. Great bars in poor or mediocre locations will never reach the full potential that a better location may offer. On the other hand, perhaps you’ve picked a great location, but leased too many (or too few) square feet; this can prove to be a problem as well. Combine a poor location with a high rental rate and you have a recipe for disaster. Your bar business will never succeed, let alone sell for a profit. Too many bar owners are shopping for cheap space, but for the most part, get what they pay for location-wise. This isn’t to downplay the need for skillful negotiation—you don’t want to pay too much for a good location—it’s all relative. In many of the larger plazas and enclosed malls, the property may be recognized as an excellent location, but getting stuck in a quiet area of the property may make your bar business less visible than you would like. Another factor can be a lack of adequate parking for your customers. One multi-unit restaurant tenant The Lease Coach worked with for a midterm rent reduction came to the unfortunate realization that their newest location was parking starved. Just when people were hungry and wanted to visit their restaurant, the parking lot was already full of vehicles. Customers parked briefly outside the front door, came in to complain that they couldn’t find a parking space even close by, cancelled their reservation, returned to their cars, and drove away. Brevity in a lease agreement is also the enemy of most bar tenants. A good lease agreement is longer, not shorter. Never assume that what the lease doesn’t say will play out to your benefit later—it won’t. As the bar tenant, you want everything that could possibly be an issue addressed in writing in your lease agreement. Remember, it’s often
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Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals FOR DUMMIES by The Lease Coach
what is missing from a lease agreement that really comes back to haunt the bar tenant. If you have joined a bar franchising concept, recognize that, while franchisor approval is typically required when choosing a location, the franchisor often “rubber-stamps” the location without even visiting it (the franchisor may be located in another city and lacks the money, time, and/or qualified staff to do the work required). Don’t just assume that franchisors automatically know what they’re doing when it comes to choosing a site either. Often these locations are selected for the franchisee by an outside real estate agent who may see an easy commission with little work. Or perhaps the location was selected by an inexperienced franchisee or the franchisor’s area manager or developer based on some weak criteria. While name recognition will help to draw customers and build business, location is king. We remember a major submarine sandwich franchisee that opened near one of our homes. It was a bad location choice as the community didn’t need another plaza—let alone another quick-service restaurant in this particular neighborhood. Sure enough, although this franchise chain had over 10,000 locations worldwide, this one opened and closed within the first year. Making a good lease great means removing, deleting, or negotiating restrictive clauses in the lease agreement
that will hold your bar back. For some bar tenants, the renewal-option clause can be the difference between whether you get to stay in your location for several renewal terms. A demolition clause can force you to move out of your premises if the landlord wants to knock down the building and put up another type of building. A relocation clause can force you into a costly relocation. If a bar owner wants to sell their business and assign their lease agreement to the buyer, the lease must have a comprehensive lease-assignment clause. However, commercial landlords often include conditions controlling or potentially prohibiting the lease assignment (unless suitable wording is added for the tenant’s protection). All of these are scary scenarios requiring proper guidance from a professional who is working for you, being paid by you, and serving only your needs. For a copy of our free CD, Leasing Do’s & Don’ts for Commercial Tenants, please e-mail your request to JeffGrandfield@ TheLeaseCoach.com.
Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield The Lease Coach are Commercial Lease Consultants who work exclusively for tenants. Dale and Jeff are professional speakers and co-authors of Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals FOR DUMMIES (Wiley, 2013). Got a leasing question? Need help with your new lease or renewal? Call 1-800-738-9202, e-mail DaleWillerton@TheLeaseCoach.com or visit TheLeaseCoach.com.
Pro Tip As the bar tenant, you want everything that could possibly be an issue addressed in writing in your lease agreement.
September 2018
Bar Business Magazine
19
How To
How To: bar set up
Setting Up for Success Proper planning can reduce problems.
P
erhaps you’re interested in creating a unique craft beverage establishment that you can call your very own. Or maybe you would like to inject a new concept into the bar business in your community. Whatever the reason, learning about the best ways to establish a bar is paramount to establishing an entity’s brand, engaging customers, and improving the business’ bottom line.
Pro Tip Make sure you understand the placement of equipment and how that impacts the efficiency and experience of the establishment.
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Bar Business Magazine
Full Speed Ahead There are probably few things in life that are as exciting—or as nerveracking—as starting a business. According to Chris Adams, Principal of Ellis Adams Group, when establishing a new bar business it’s important for business owners to always know who their target customer is, as this will help determine the type of beverage program they will establish. “Knowing that information allows you to design and setup for exactly who you are going after,” says Adams. In fact, defining the bar’s concept and incorporating that concept into every detail is vital to its overall success as it helps establish the bar’s brand identity to potential guests. A brand is everything from how your phone is answered to the quality of your customer service to the distinctiveness of your menu boards. A strong brand is the result of good experiences, consistent messages, and positive, reinforcing images.
The easiest way to understand brand is to equate it to a company’s reputation. More specifically, a brand is all the thoughts, feelings, associations, and expectations that the customer experiences when exposed to a company’s name, products, buildings, signs, and employees. Therefore, a bar’s brand includes all visual and verbal elements that are combined to communicate the company’s niche, product offerings, and overall service. Unfortunately, too many bar owners have a limited view of branding. A simple, memorable, and professionally designed logo is step one in branding. Advertising inside the bar—via slapping the logo/theme on everything in sight— is just the beginning. Your customer greeting, the owner’s treatment of all customers and employees, and even the vehicle the owner drives is branding. Location, Location, Location The time it takes to set up a bar
September 2018 barbizmag.com
Photo: Shutterstock/ Aleksandrs Muiznieks.
By Maura Keller
completely depends on if it is a takeover of an existing space, a new build, or a renovation. In addition, permitting is always the tricky part that a bar owner cannot plan for from a timing standpoint. Thoroughly evaluate the zoning and licensing requirements, as this will dictate vital information on when and how you will open your bar. “It will impact starting costs and help to create a better understanding to the team on expectations,” says Eddie Navarrette, Founder and Chief Consultant of FE Design & Consulting. “Remember, zoning and licensing requirements can vary substantially in different municipalities. It’s important to note that the amount of time to permit a bar in one location can be completely different in the adjacent city.” Navarrette says that new bar (nonrestaurant) locations are generally harder to get approved through government agencies. Requirements can drastically change from city to city, county to county, and even state to state. “They all can have their hands in the cookie jar,” says Navarrette. “Estimate anywhere from 12 to 16 months typically to secure initial zoning onsite approvals. 22
Bar Business Magazine
Then consider construction document approvals to follow, leaving you at a solid 24 months. Taking over existing bars can drop this time drastically, but be careful. It may be that the location you are considering to take over never went through the proper permitting channels—leaving you holding the bag once you take over.”
Branding includes all visual and verbal elements in a bar.
That’s why, before anything, Adam Weisblatt, CEO of Last Word Hospitality, advises new bar owners go to the city and make sure what is being envisioned will be allowed by a zoning administrator and the alcohol control board. Next, you want to walk the space with a general contractor and
ask if they have any overall concerns about the structure, the property, or the land itself. “Take a hard look at electrical, mechanical, and plumbing as well as where the trash will go,” says Weisblatt. “Finally, consolidate that information and generate a pre-opening budget to determine how much it will cost as well as an operating projection, so you can assess whether it will be a good investment. Typically, you want to be able to pay back an investment within 36 months.” Adams has flipped projects in days and taken multiple years on others. “Regardless, plan on spending more money than you anticipated,” says Adams. “The longer this process gets stretched, the more it is costing you with zero dollars being generated. Go into it with a good strategy, and plan on road blocks popping up along the way.” In Navarrette’s opinion, a bar’s design should adjust to or be cohesive with the location. This can range from where the sun sets and where entrances and exits are or need to be, to how noisy and active the street is outside. “However, demographic and
September 2018 barbizmag.com
Photo: Shutterstock/ Taras Atamaniv.
How To: bar set up
How To: bar set up
operations play the biggest role when considering a setting or location,” says Navarrette. “For example, a live music or entertainment component may not be the best idea when designing a sportsforward neighborhood bar. Or a craft cocktail concept may not be right if the
demographic doesn’t want to pay over $10 for a cocktail, but it could work if it was a Tiki bar.” Adams believes the old saying “location, location, location” plays less of a role now than in the past as the industry sees so many highly successful
concepts in areas you would least expect. “The reason is simple—the new customer is yearning for an experience,” says Adams. “Create an experience, and they will come.” And while establishing a new bar’s brand and designing the overall experience of the bar is paramount, there are a wealth of other considerations that need to be addressed to ensure a streamlined, efficient process that will enhance a bar’s bottom line. Adams says the top “must haves” that are often overlooked are the functionality of equipment setup, spirit location and storage, glassware storage, cooler space, placement of a freezer behind the bar for an elevated ice program, and a firm identity for the concept while remaining true to who you are. According to Navarrette, poor bar construction in general can be a big issue. Examples include: • Bar heights to accommodate
BUILT BY BARTENDERS FOR BARTENDERS • Built with lightweight and durable aircraft aluminum • Folds to 5 Inches wide for storage and transport Photo: Eddie Navarrette, FE Design & Consulting.
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4/5/18 12:11 PM
September 2018 barbizmag.com
How To: bar set up proposed underbar equipment • Knee clearance at bars • Logistical reach ranges for bars • Building a bar without a scupper rail • Proper durable construction of the low wall supporting the bar • Getting the refrigeration behind the bar before the front bar is finished (a very common mistake). “Make sure there is a well thought-out ice plan,” says Navarrette. “That includes enough ice, where you are storing ice, and locations of ice machines.” Keep in mind, ice machines generate a lot of heat. If possible, try to consider a well-ventilated location for ice machines. Navarrette says it really comes down to bringing in experienced professionals to assist. “Hiring a design professional is vital,” says Navarrette. “You need to create a place people feel comfortable spending time in. If it is too bright, or the customer area is too large, it may make a patron feel uncomfortable or uneasy, and therefore more inclined to leave.”
Mistakes to Avoid When setting up a bar for the first time, one of the biggest issues facing bar owners and operators includes understanding the placement of equipment and how that impacts the efficiency and experience of the establishment. “This is so important and oftentimes is overlooked,” says Adams. “Thinking about every step that is taken behind the bar and how to minimize or reduce those steps is a major moneymaker. We are in an industry of small margins, so many times those details make a big difference.” Weisblatt also sees owners who let their excitement and passion override their business sense. As he explains, people fall in love with a location or a concept and then commit before really thinking about whether it is a good fit for the space or neighborhood. “A general lack of flexibility in hospitality is dangerous, so you need to be able to adapt and not let your ego get
in the way of making good business decisions,” says Weisblatt. And remember, parking in the city is overlooked because, in many cases, people depend on ride shares, but for the happy hour crowd or the earlier drinkers, parking does play a big role. “Another thing to consider is the importance of your relationship with neighbors,” says Weisblatt. “You want the community to want you to be there, and if they fought against you but you were able to get through permitting, there will be a neverending stream of issues.” The first thing Weisblatt always tells his clients is that when you determine how you want to develop your bar, it is imperative that you do not expect to be “the first, best, or only.” “Those are very subjective labels. You want to focus on creating a business that is complementary to those already in the community,” says Weisblatt. “Rather than going in and taking away business, the goal is to share business and bring new people into the community.”
Stream live TV to your phone.
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Visit www.audioeverywhere.com/hospitality-venues/ Or call: 1.877.760.9271
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Audio EVERYWHERE
September 2018
Bar Business Magazine
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Tuning Up
How To: PROJECTORS
HOW TO
Future Projections Taking projection to a whole new level. n the bar industry, owners need projection systems that can engage customers, create immersive experiences, and improve the bottom line. But projection technology has been fairly stagnant— until now. The newest projection technology is changing the way the bar industry provides memorable
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Bar Business Magazine
experiences for patrons. The concept of “customer engagement” has evolved and grown over the years due to today’s digital environment. Bar and restaurant owners can leverage projection technology to create more informed, personalized connections with their customers, which allows them to consistently engage customers and
improve in-house experience. Consistent, thoughtful engagement via projection technology will not only increase loyalty and long-term value among existing customers, but also help to attract new customers. According to Brian Rhatigan, Director of Business Development for Almo Professional A/V, in recent years,
September 2018 barbizmag.com
Photo: Shutterstock/ faak.
I
By Maura Keller
How To: PROJECTORS
laser-based projectors are virtually maintenance-free for up to
20,000 hours The quality of projected images matters especially to patrons of
sports bars some projector software allows for the creation of
playlists 28
Bar Business Magazine
projectors have become brighter, smaller, and less expensive with added high-end features like edge blending and geometry correction for irregular surfaces. “With these changes, high-end bars and restaurants are transitioning from a traditional, dimly lit projector and screen showing the football game to large, high-resolution bright images on many screens,” says Rhatigan. “Some also offer non-traditional immersive experiences for their clientele.” The biggest shift in technology with projection has been the change from lamp-based systems to a laser-based light source. As Rhatigan explains, this is particularly important for bars and restaurants that don’t have an AV staff on hand to maintain equipment like changing lamps and replacing air filters as these projectors are virtually maintenance-free for up to 20,000 hours. “The bar and restaurant market is extremely competitive, and owners are looking for ways to differentiate,” says Rhatigan. “For many patrons, especially in the sports bar category, the quality of the projected images will impact their likeliness to return and recommend the establishment.” Remi Del Mar, Senior Product Manager at Epson, says that today’s projection technology has evolved considerably in recent years. “What has evolved is advancement not just in projection technology, but a collection of technologies that when combined have a profound effect in how we visually consume information,” says Del Mar. “The introduction of laser light source projection technology has opened doors for new applications and experiences that were not practical before.” Projection allows for the display of information on non-planar surfaces and on any fabric or material to create an experience that pushes visual displays beyond just providing information. Projection technology displays also deliver a memorable imprint on customers and can change how they experience brands. The most successful companies are those who understand that an emotional connection to a brand means brand loyalty, and it is important to deliver unique brand experiences that connect, and last, with the customer.
Epson recently introduced its LightScene EV-100 series, a new type of 3LCD laser projector that offers a unique experience for end users within the bar and restaurant environment. The series incorporates 3LCD laser technology light engines that provide up to 20,000 hours of operational life. The projector has 2,000 lumens of color and different input options such as HDMI, LAN, and WiFi. Integrators can daisy chain LightScene products with edge blending technologies to create large, seamless images. “The software and direct playback function enables the creation of playlists that can play different types of media such as video, still images, and or filers/ masks,” says Del Mar. “LightScene can be used as a stand-alone product or managed on a network depending on the size and scale of the implementation and the experience that needs to be created.” For bars and restaurants that are utilizing projection technology to deliver informative, practical, and engaging content, being able to easily change, adapt, and deliver content to fit the needs of its users is highly relevant. The goal of this new projection system by Epson is to offer an innovative experience that will attract customers by bringing displays to life and enhancing the customer experience. What’s more, Epson’s laser-based projectior discreetly blends into the environment thanks to its streamlined design and the availability of an array of configurations as well as mounting and programming options. Users control it remotely via a computer or smart device using the Epson Web Control program, so it can be mounted in out-of-sight, hard-to-reach areas without a problem. “LightScene can be used for many applications, from creating an interactive, themed ambiance to projecting live social feeds, sporting scores, promotions and deals, and other information around the room,” says Del Mar. Some examples of ways Epson sees bars and restaurants using LightScene include: • Display directions, instructions, menus, etc. on walls • Special announcements for birthdays and anniversaries on tabletops • Projection mapping on bottles or ceilings for a unique ambiance • Display last call announcements, live
September 2018 barbizmag.com
inventory management
has never
been easier
How To: PROJECTORS
T
5 Ways to Score this NFL Season
he NFL regular season started this month, and football fans everywhere are looking to grab a table at your bar to watch their favorite team. But is your venue ready and able to show all of the action in every game? If not, you may want to consider a subscription to DIRECTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket. The package includes every live game as well as the Red Zone channel (showing “every touchdown from every game”), the Fantasy Zone channel (designed to help viewers dominate their fantasy leagues), and two game mix channels. Still not convinced? Here are five ways the package can benefit your bar. 1. Marketing. If customers don’t know you offer NFL Sunday Ticket, they won’t come in, so DIRECTV
offers a free marketing kit as part of your NFL Sunday Ticket package. “The kit comes with a poster, banner, coasters, and window clings,” says Mark Rogers, Associate Director, Marketing and Communications for DIRECTV. “In addition, log onto your directmvp.com account and order beer buckets, glassware, and more. Once you get patrons in to watch the games, be sure to utilize every TV you have to show the most games. If you need more receivers, just give us a call and we’ll take care of it!” 2. Sports Bar Finder. This app is available for both Android and Apple, and it lists your bar/ restaurant as an establishment that is showing all of the NFL games. This enables anyone—especially out-of-town visitors looking for a place to see their home team play—to easily find your bar.
3. Web Banners. DIRECTV will provide you with banner ads that you can use on all of your online platforms. 4. Sunday’s NFL schedule. DIRECTV provides the NFL schedule for you to print out and give to your customers as they walk in. 5. DIRECTVMVP.com. Log on with your customer number and order NFL Sunday Ticket-branded bar items to give away to customers or use for in-house promotions to let your customers know that you carry the package. The more football fans you bring into your bar, the more profit you score during the NFL season. Get in the game today and contact DIRECTV FOR BUSINESSSM. directv.com/DTVAPP/content/ directv-for-business
social feeds, or scores from the big game around the room • Manage inventory by doing impromptu drink promotions • Provide advertising opportunities for products and brands • Host theme nights (i.e., For Tiki night, project beaches from around the world onto the wall for a compelling experience) • Optimize space by projecting a “reserved” sign on tabletops • Create holiday signage that can change via playlists While the new Epson LightScene projection system will revolutionize the interactive customer experience within the bar environment, Rhatigan recommends bar and restaurant establishments embrace laser projection overall. Here’s why: This type of projection provides very crisp, bright images only reaching half brightness at 20,000 hours versus 2,000 hours on a traditional lamp. “Larger bars will typically have a mix of projection systems and flat panel displays with the projection systems being the ‘marquee’— all of which needs to be augmented by a quality audio system,” says Rhatigan. Also, with laser projectors, bar owners and operators are not limited to traditional projection as they have full 360-degree mounting flexibility, allowing you to do things like shine on a floor for an interactive-style arcade game. Rhatigan has seen examples of venues using projection to provide a unique environment using graphical content and effects instead of traditional video. In many cases, customers may not even realize they are looking at projection systems. “Inherently, the high-end technology should bring bigger crowds,” says Rhatigan. “This, in turn, can increase profit, however, additional revenue opportunities are available through custom advertising in small portions of the projected image.” 30
Bar Business Magazine
September 2018 barbizmag.com
Your Answer To Sangria On Tap What makes Jam’N Sangria so popular for restaurants? Simply put, this “Garnish and Go” sangria is a finished product and can be served right over ice with a simple fruit garnish! No more time consuming recipes, Just one consistent JAM’N sangria that can be dispensed through any pre-existing tap system or even through a soda gun! Jam’N Sangria comes in two flavor profiles, a Red Sangria - Simply delicious and refreshing this ruby red sangria is filled with aromas of fresh berry and citrus fruits! A juicy entry leads to a fruity, medium body of strawberry, apple, and orange flavors with a crisp clean finish! AND a White Sangria - Infused with fragrances of Peaches and Pears. A perfect balance of fruits with a crisp, yet sweet finish! Bottle format coming spring 2018
ONE WAY DISPOSABLE KEG CONVENIENCE
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Also Available: Hamptons Rosè Tasting Notes: Bright pink in color. The bouquet is characterized by red fruits. In the mouth a lively citrus and grapefruit give it an extra lift. Food Pairing: Pairs perfectly with duck confit, lobster roll, and oysters.
#vinetotap #cwdistributing #jamnsangria
www.cwdistributing.com For Inquiry’s Please Email orders@cwdistributing.com
Cherry Trend
A Cherry (BACK)
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Bar Business Magazine
On Top
September 2018 barbizmag.com
Cherry Trend
This mighty little stone fruit is a year-round gift of flavor and substance. By Elyse Glickman
Photos: (left) Shutterstock/ AnjelikaGr; (right) Shaker + Spear.
T
hough the 2018 cherry harvest has passed, it leaves behind fruits whose appeal lasts all year with rich color, sweet and tarty flavor nuances, and even a host of health benefits ranging from antioxidant content to better sleep to pain relief from arthritis and intense workouts. When used at craft cocktail bars, they can also boost creativity among bartenders and healthy curiosity among customers. Veteran William Grant & Sons Brand Ambassador Charlotte Voisey, in fact, has been espousing the return of the cherry. In 2017, she led an entire seminar at Tales of the Cocktail (“Eat, Drink, & Be Cherry”) on its many uses. Topics covered included how-to’s for harvesting, freezing, juicing, and fermenting cherries in house; popular cherry cocktails and how to match your cherry syrup to the base spirit (not just for brown spirits!); and historic tidbits, such as the fact that George Washington’s favorite drink was Cherry Bounce, according to a recipe found among the papers of Martha Washington. “You can take a cherry in a lot of different directions--sweet, savory, herbal, or medicinal,” says Michael Huebner, Beverage Director at Zeppelin Station in Denver. “You can make a bright and effervescent cocktail or something layered, dark, and brooding. They are also just about anywhere, [especially as] cherry is something that the American palate is conditioned to gravitate towards. You find it in pastries, candy, on top of your sundae, in your cough drops, and in your sodas. It’s a flavor that is comforting and familiar to people.” “I work with cherries all the time, and I am constantly coming up with different ways to brandy them by using different ingredients to do this whether its brandy, rum, or Amaro,” adds
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Eirikur Hallsson, Bar Director at Gloria in New York City. “Cherries are such an integral part of any good bar program, whether used as a garnish or an ingredient in the actual cocktail recipe. You can use tart cherries in some recipes or go for overripe sweet ones that will play up a recipe’s vanilla or bitter elements to balance sweetness. With amaro and bitter recipe components becoming elevated in the bar world right now, I predict we’re going to be seeing cherries playing a heavier role than in the past.” Planting Seeds of Inspiration While most of America’s cherries are grown in Michigan and Washington State, Door County, Wisconsin was “Cherryland USA” from the 1920s through the 1960s. Today, with boutique orchards growing tart Montmorency cherries in demand with secondary producers nationwide (including distilleries and fruit wine producers), Door County Distillery is an appropriate place to start exploring the enduring power of cherries.
“Cherry varieties feature both sweet and tart flavors that pair well with many foods and dishes,” says Marketing Director Beth Levendusky, who also credits cherries’ growing popularity to drinks and food integrating locally made and sourced items. “They easily fit with summer cocktails and salads as well as hearty fall and winter dishes like pork. In fact, the tartness of the cherry allows it to marry with so many different spirits and cocktails. While overly sweet fruits overwhelm or clash with deep warm flavors found in whiskeys or subtle notes found in lighter spirits, tart cherries compliment and elevate both oak and floral notes.” Levendusky says the state’s signature cocktail, Wisconsin Old Fashioned, reveals how cherries can make the simple and familiar extra special. While most people are familiar with the traditional recipe of bitters, sugar cubes, and whiskey, the Wisconsin variation involves muddling cherries and citrus, bitters, whiskey, or brandy. And when cherry-based bitters or brandy is involved, watch out!
Charles Atlas Song 2 oz Di Angeli Amaretto 1¾ oz lemon ¾ oz tart cherry syrup 2 dashes Scrappy’s Firewater Bitters skewered cherries Shake, double strain into Irish glass. Garnish with skewered cherries. Karen Johnson, Shaker + Spear, Seattle
September 2018
Bar Business Magazine
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Cherry Trend
Sunnyvale, Then and Now
1½ oz Tullamore D.E.W. Irish whisky ½ Cherry Heering ½ sweet vermouth ¼ Oloroso Sherry Cherry Add ingredients to a shaker and shake. Pour into a glass with ice. Finish with a cherry. John Tran, AC Hotel Sunnyvale Cupertino
Moonshine Margarita 1 oz cherry moonshine 1½ oz triple sec 3 oz sour mix 1 oz tart lime juice Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Pour into a salted margarita or rocks glass. Door County Distillery, Door County, WI
Sakura Cola
1 oz dehydrated cherry-infused Suntory Toki ½ oz Leopold Bros. Michigan Tart Cherry Liqueur ½ oz Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth 2½ oz Topo Chico sparkling soda Dash Angostura Bitters Three picked cherries Add all ingredients except soda to a Collins glass. Top with ice. Make a quick stir. Top with sparkling soda. Finish with the three picked cherries. Michael Huebner, Big Trouble at Zeppelin Station, Denver, CO
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At Mott St in Chicago, cherries are a go-to ingredient because they stand as a happy medium among fruits. During the winter months, cherries find their way into cider cocktails with whiskey, sage, and lemon. Ben Harris, Lead Bartender at Shaker + Spear in Seattle, meanwhile, observes an important adjective has accompanied the recent cherry boom: “tart,” which is something that perfects a cocktail when used in its most honest form. “For a long time, I feel we have forgotten the wide range in flavor from cherries,” says Harris. “In the ‘dark ages’ of cocktails, the only cherries you saw were bleached of not only their color but also their flavor only to have both replaced by neon red and ‘natural flavoring.’ With the resurgence in craft spirits culture, we are always constantly rediscovering obvious flavors we may have passed over. The tart cherry flavor is the antithesis to the bright red and overly sweetness of the cherries in ye olde garnish tray.” Joanne Weir, an Owner and Chef at Copita Tequileria y Comida in Sausalito, likes the sweet side of cherries and the fact that they are perfectly balanced with acidity. Also, unlike other stone fruits, they adapt well to being dried, frozen, pickled, jarred, and canned. “Cherries are incredibly versatile and pair with many flavors from chocolate and ginger to almond and coconut. They work well with allspice, cinnamon, and even black pepper. They are great in cocktails matched with bourbon, Armagnac, rum, Kirsch, port, tequila, cassis, maraschino, and of course, brandy and cognac.” Cherry Blossoms Hallsson explains that before industrialization and the advent of the mid-century bright red cherry (which some bartenders say are indistinguishable from cough drops), candying and brandying cherries provided an opportunity for bartenders to show off their skills through developing the right balance of sugar and spirit to preserve cherries at their peak of natural flavor. Today, he likes to experiment with different spirits and
types of sugar to create different variations of cherries. “It’s about playing with proportions as well as having a certain drink recipe in mind,” he advises. “When I make my own cherries, I put them in a jar and leave them out in a room temperature setting for 24 hours or more as it helps infuse the flavors together more completely. One also needs to be careful to keep the jar away from direct sunlight or out in the cold as it will slow the infusion process too much. [Furthermore], candied cherries made for different kinds of drinks can be presented on the bar top as a conversation starter.” Chris Fredrickson, Owner of Traverse City Whiskey Co., a distillery near Traverse City, Michigan, which is ranked as the current cherry capital of the world, agrees not all candied cherries are created equal. He also believes doing candying the old fashioned way makes sense when customers are demanding more craft in their craft cocktails. “Now that the classic cocktail has been elevated and made popular again, today’s customers are demanding a proper cherry—one that tastes more like fruit and less like candy,” says Fredrickson. “Most mixologists will tell you that maraschinos never belonged in cocktails in the first place.” Chicago-based Doc B’s has supported that theory through its partnership with Traverse City Whiskey Co. with a successful kegged cocktail program at the majority of its locations. Beverage Director Dustin Durrenberger points out its Cherry Old Fashioned and Cherry Whiskey Sour, both using Traverse City Whiskey Co. American Cherry. “The cherry knows how to be the perfect supporting actor without stealing the show,” says Fredrickson. “The mixologist can use the cherry as a garnish, a self-contained fruit that doesn’t dominate the overall cocktail flavor. He can control the sweetness of a drink by muddling the fruit or drizzling cherry syrup for taste.” Cherries also naturally complement whiskey or bourbon. “Tart cherries are bright and effervescent yet round and
Bar Business Magazine September 2018 barbizmag.com
Thank you! Thanks for all your help in growing my American Vodka. Could you please put my favorite cocktail on your menu? Thanks!
Tito’s All-Time Favorite This is our man Tito’s signature spin on a classic “Vodka Soda,” and it’s become a company staple. The orange adds a bit of sweetness, the lime adds a bit of tartness, and mixed together it tastes fresh and clean.
Cherry Trend rich,” explains Harris. “When describing the flavors in an American whiskey, especially bourbon, the flavors from the charred oak barrels are almost always described with the words, ‘notes of cherry.’” Karen Johnson, a member of Harris’ bartending team, finds that cherries’ distinct flavor can be distinguished even when combined with powerful dark spirits. “The Charles Atlas Song is an ode to the traditional sour or sidecar,” she says of her creation. “Cherries always pair well with nuts, so amaretto is a great addition. Adding the heat of firewater bitters brings a little extra kick to the cocktail.” Cherries also bring with them a sense of nostalgia, even in bars known for their innovation. Beverage & Food Manager John Tran of the AC Hotel Sunnyvale Cupertino in Northern California embraces cherries not only for their versatility but also their historic ties to the area. “Since we’re located in an area that
once was full of cherry orchards, it’s a way for us to pay homage to the local area’s rich culture,” says Tran. “Every time I have something with cherry in it, I get taken back to a time where things were simpler. It reminds me of running through cherry orchards and picking cherries off the trees here and eating them. For me, cherries were always available year-round because of the area I’m from.” Tran says the cocktail “Sunnyvale, Then and Now” is a great example of tapping into the past while satisfying the curiosity and tastes of the presentday customer. “We wanted a cocktail that celebrates Martin Murphy, Jr., who founded Sunnyvale after migrating here from Ireland. We choose Irish Whisky as our base. Sunnyvale was once known for its cherry orchards, which is why we incorporate the Cherry Heering and garnish. The AC Hotel brand has roots in Spain, so we had to use sherry. We went with an
Oloroso Sherry because we wanted the rich nutty flavor to go with the vanilla and spices of the whisky and the cherry that we’re using. We plan to develop more cocktails that celebrate the area we’re in and you’ll see this through the year as we unveil new cocktails.” Cherries can even blend with more international flavors. “At Zeppelin Station’s Big Trouble, we created Sakura Cola, which is essentially a cross between a Manhattan and a classic cocktail called the Brain Duster,” says Huebner. “We take Suntory Toki Japanese Whisky and infuse it with freeze-dried cherries from Rare Tea Cellar in Chicago. The cherry-infused whiskey is then mixed with Carpano Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth and a tart cherry liqueur from Leopold Bros. Distilling here in Colorado. The idea was to get a concentrated flavor of cherries from a couple different sources then brace it with the vermouth and bitters.”
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1 36 BB_WebsiteAd_Half.indd Bar Business Magazine
2/21/18 3:32 PM September 2018 barbizmag.com
SAV E MARCH T H E 25-27 2019 DAT E ! SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!
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The secret
to to good good website design The key to unlocking a website that works. By Erik Shellenberger
Y
our bar’s website is a tool to increase business and help new customers find you—plain and simple. I read a statistic a few years back that said by 2020 websites will be obsolete. Here in the latter part of 2018, we aren’t quite there yet, but we’re slowly closing in on this. These days, almost everything the customer is looking for can be found on Google’s Knowledge Card—you know, that box to the right of a search that has all of your info in it? Pictures, contact info, reviews, menus, pretty much anything that your website offers is here as well. Only Google’s information is a bit better because it offers a non-biased view and includes user-generated pictures and reviews. Your website only shows the highlight reel of what you have cherry-picked for the public to see. You absolutely need a website though, as Google needs a source to pull information from. A website’s cost is all over the board, and just like a used car, it’s worth whatever someone is willing to pay. The clients I’ve talked to have all for the 38
Bar Business Magazine
most part either overpaid considerably or went entirely in the other direction and tried to pull it off themselves with results that look similar to a Myspace page circa 2003. I’ve been in the web design business for a decade and am now retired for one reason: Trying to pry the content from a client is next to impossible. The web designer’s job is to put the building blocks of a website together in an attractive and user-friendly way. When the client refuses (or forgets, or doesn’t have any content, or doesn’t understand) to give the designer these building blocks, one thing happens almost every single time. We wait. And wait. And then the client inevitably asks how the progress is going, and the designer replies with something like, “Well, I’ve been waiting for your content for a few months and have followed up a few dozen times without a response.” There are two different schools of thought when it comes to web design: The designer who needs to get the content from the restaurant owner before they can begin, and the guy who creates it themselves. The guy who creates it themselves usually has a photographer, a PR firm, a copywriter, and an Internet marketer on staff. What does this equal? Big bucks. If you have unlimited funds and zero content of your own, then this is a great option. Creating content isn’t cheap, and a full service firm like this may be your best bet. These guys will charge north of $10,000 so be
ready for some sticker shock. I’m the other guy for a reason. My approach, which is also the most common approach by far, is realistic for almost any restaurant on any budget. A website these days should cost you about $1500, keeping in mind that the content is on you, the business owner. You need to hire the photographer. You need to supply the copy and the contact info. The $1500 designer is arranging the building blocks you provide. If you want a website designed for a new concept that doesn’t yet exist, keep this in mind when hiring a web designer. You can’t hand him or her building blocks that don’t yet exist, so manage expectations accordingly. A designer cannot give you a finished product when all he has to go off of is a logo and an empty building. In cases like this, the website is the final step, not the first step. You can by all means have a “coming soon” page with an email collection tool and some basic contact info at this point. Just remember to send an email out when you open as promised. While in the planning stages of a website, business owners will inevitably do one thing 100% of the time: They look up their competition or similar concepts in bigger cities and say they want their site to mimic one of these examples. They aren’t looking at the architecture of the site or the readability. They definitely aren’t referring to how easy they are to find in an online search. Like a high school kid searching for a prom date, they are shopping looks and looks alone. A website should be attractive, yes. But remember your website is there to inform your customers and to drive business. The most important thing is definitely not looks. It’s visibility. You could have the most beautiful work-ofart website in the world, but if people can’t find you online, then you’ve created the online equivalent of an idiot supermodel. Online search visibility and search engine ranking is at an all-time high level of competition and only getting more intense moving into the future. These days, the undecided customer will find you through either Google, Yelp, or TripAdvisor. People don’t go to social media to search for a new
September 2018 barbizmag.com
Photo: Shutterstock/ Symonenko Viktoriia.
website design
website design
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website design restaurant or bar to visit when in unfamiliar territory. If your competition ranks higher than you do, then chances are the customer making a “right here, right now” search may not even see you as an option. In today’s world of attention spans equal to those of toddlers, ranking well in an online search is absolutely crucial. There’s an old joke that bears repeating. Where is the best place to bury a dead body? On page two of Google because nobody will ever look there! When I refer to Google, I’m really referring to the map section and not the organic results. You want to be the restaurant or bar that shows up when the customer is zoomed way out. You will, of course, show up when you zoom way in on your exact location, but what consumer is going to do that? Very, very few of them. Your map pin marker has to be accurate. You must be easy for an Uber driver to find. You need to show up prominently in the GPS systems on the newest cars. Everywhere that the new, undecided customer is looking, you need to be there. This all comes from a website and online presence that is “correct” from a search engine perspective. This is all the stuff you can’t see on the surface. Your regular customers likely won’t ever go to your website. The people who have been in the door before don’t really care either. Your social media followers have no reason to go there as they get all of the info they need from your posts or Google. Your website should be aimed at new customers and should be structured for these new customers to discover you
before your competition. Here is a quick list of website do’s: 1. Spend about $1500 on a website, no more. 2. Spend the majority of your budget on SEO (search engine optimization) and getting found (go to barmarketingbasics.com for more info on this). 3. Have a professional photo shoot done. This should cost about $300-$400. 4. Get all of your content together before hiring a web designer. The website is the last step, not the first step. 5. Supply all of your contact info, including your email address(es) and phone numbers. Don’t be afraid of being found. 6. Keep it simple. Four or five pages is all you need. Home, About, Menu, Events, Contact. 7. Keep your domain name and hosting account in your own account, not the web designers account. If (when) something goes south, you don’t want this info being held hostage. Here is a list of don’ts: 1. Don’t focus on looks. Great photos are a necessity, but when everything else goes out the window, your online presence will suffer. 2. Don’t spend a lot of money. Google will do the heavy lifting. 3. Don’t cheap out too bad and try to “learn as you go” with a cheap website builder. Certain elements have to be in certain places to appeal to Google. 4. Don’t get bad online reviews. Your star ratings will appear all over your search results. These days, your search ranking is tied to your star ratings, so if your star ratings aren’t good, you won’t rank high either. 5. Don’t oversell yourself and create an unrealistic online presence. 6. Don’t use stock photos. Ever. Seriously. We’ll see by 2020 if any of this still applies. In an online world that moves as fast as the one we’re in now, it may not. Google is not going anywhere, so we have to do everything in our power to try and influence Google’s ranking. The rule of thumb with Google is to be as thorough and accurate as possible. The guy doing the bare minimum gets ranked accordingly. The guy putting in the work and filling out every online profile as complete and thoroughly as possible will beat the competitors every time. Hire the right professionals and know your weaknesses. Your web designer probably can’t make a decent burger to save his life. Don’t attempt to design your own online presence.
Erik Shellenberger has been in the restaurant and bar industry since he was 13 years old and worked for his mother in the food and beverage department at a ski resort. Since then, he has held every position from dishwasher to bartender to marketing director and everything in between. With a decade of corporate marketing experience, he has gone from student to teacher and now runs Bar Marketing Basics (barmarketingbasics.com). He has quickly grown his client base from his hometown of Scottsdale, AZ to across the nation with clients as far away as Caldwell, NJ. His book, Restaurant & Bar Marketing, will be released on Amazon soon. 40
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September 2018 barbizmag.com
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Inventory
Sebago Lake Distillery Debuts Range of High-End, Craft Rums
Celebrate Friendship with this Limited-Edition Whiskey
Sebago Lake Distillery is proud to announce the official opening of their Maine-based distillery and the successful launch of three distinctly different and innovative, handcrafted rum brands, with another set to debut later this year. Original Rum is an extra-dry rum made from molasses blended with five carefully selected aromatics for subtle complexity. KOPI Coffee Flavored Rum features a blend of handcrafted molasses-based sipping rums and 100% custom roasted Sumatra coffee. Spider Island Rum is a dark amber, molasses-based rum blended with aromatics. Spider Island’s rich color is attained through a Belgian-inspired molasses caramelization process. “All of our rums are 100% pot distilled in small batches using only the finest, all-natural ingredients and each step of the process—mashing, fermenting, and distilling—is executed from scratch right here at the distillery,” says Sebago Lake Distillery’s Co-Founder and Head Distiller Dan Davis.
Born from the streams and blue peat smoke of Islay, Laphroaig® is a Single Malt Scotch Whisky with a distinct taste. It is one of only a few distilleries that still uses traditional malting floors and dries and infuses its own malt with the thick blue smoke from old peat-fired kilns. Each year, Laphroaig Distillery Manager John Campbell crafts a limited-edition malt to celebrate friendship (“Cairdeas” in Gaelic). Released in limited quantities stateside, the 2018 iteration, Laphroaig® Cairdeas Fino Cask, features notes of toasted almonds, dried fruit, and sea salt, all of which perfectly complement the whiskey’s peaty, unmistakably Laphroaig flavor. Laid to rest in Warehouse 8 and 10, Cairdeas Fino Cask showcases an especially unique double maturation process in first-fill bourbon casks, followed by Fino Sherry Casks. The result is a fullbodied, peaty whiskey that’s unmistakably Laphroaig. Bottled at 51.8% ABV, Cairdeas Fino Cask is available for a limited time at a suggested retail price of $79.99.
Original Rum, KOPI Coffee Flavored Rum, & Spider Island Rum
Laphroaig® Cairdeas Fino Cask
laphroaig.com
sebagolakedistillery.com
Shiner Launches Two New Brews
Shiner Wicked Juicy IPA & Shiner Day Quencher Session Ale Spoetzl Brewery, Texas’ oldest craft brewery and brewer of Shiner, announces the addition of two new beers: Shiner Wicked Juicy IPA and Shiner Day Quencher Session Ale. Wicked Juicy IPA is dry hopped, unfiltered, and bursting with Citra hops for a deliciously full-bodied brew. It’s bright and juicy with a kick of citrus, incorporating tropical hops in all phases of brewing to result in an IPA with tremendous flavor yet minimal bitterness. Clocking in at 5.7% ABV and 60 IBUs, this is a robust yet very approachable IPA, available in 12-ounce and 19.2-ounce cans as well as on draught. Day Quencher is an easy drinking, dry-hopped session ale brewed with Mosaic hops for a fruity aroma and a crisp, clean finish. With notes of freshly cut citrus, yellow flowers, and soft pine, Shiner Day Quencher has an ABV of 4.6% and a moderate hoppiness of 18 IBUs. It is available in both 12-ounce and 19.2-ounce cans in a cheerful mosaic pattern inspired by the versatile hops used to brew this refreshing ale. shiner.com
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Inventory
The First Ultra-Premium French VSOP Cognac Café Now Available Grand Brulot
Grand Brulot, the ultra-premium French VSOP Cognac café, has launched in New York and Georgia. Grand Brulot revives an 18th century French tradition through a unique and masterful infusion of premium VSOP Cognac with rich Robusta coffee. Handcrafted by the Tardy Cognac family on their estate in the Cognac region of France, Cellar Master Christoph Tardy—a fifth-generation Cognac producer—selects the finest ‘eaux de vie’ with a blend of Ugni Blanc & Colombard grapes from a singleestate to craft a unique VSOP Cognac. The cognac is then blended with 100% Robusta coffee beans sourced from Guayas, Ecuador and aged for up to six years in French Oak barrels, which allows the melding of flavors to blend over time. The result is a uniquely dry and smooth blend of VSOP cognac and coffee that delivers notes of nutmeg and vanilla with a subtle honey aroma combined with the rich, roasted and dark flavors of the Robusta Espresso beans. Grand Brulot will be imported and distributed by Lauber Imports for New York and United Distributors in Georgia.
NEW Wine-Based Cocktail Shots LIQS Wine-Based Shots
LIQS, maker of premixed cocktail shots, introduces lower-proof, winebased shots. A trade-only, citrusbased wine takes the place of a base spirit and is mixed with real fruit juice and natural flavors. The shots are ideal for on-premise accounts that only hold a beer and wine license. The 1.7-ounce shots are available in Kamikaze and Margarita flavors and are low in sugar and calories. Offered 12 sleeves per case (three shots per sleeve), they come in recyclable plastic shot glasses. LIQSshot.com
Featured
PRODUCT
grandbrulot.com
Boston’s First Craft Distillery Expands Portfolio With an Innovative New Gin Bully Boy Distillers Gin
Bully Boy Distillers has launched Bully Boy Distillers Gin, a bright and exotic spirit with a nuanced flavor profile. While most gins are typically crafted with a neutral grain base, Bully Boy draws inspiration for its gin from its acclaimed White Rum by using a cane base. This provides the spirit with a mild tropical and honeysuckle undertone, which is then enhanced by a collection of carefully selected herbs and botanicals: Italian Juniper, fresh ginger, blueberry, and grapefruit. To add complexity, the gin also features flavors of coriander, cardamom, chamomile, and cinnamon for a unique herbal balance. Priced at $29.99 for a 750ml bottle, Bully Boy Gin is 45% alcohol by volume. “After opening our second production facility and tasting room last year, we turned our original distillery into a gin-specific innovation area, so we’ve had the ability to try new things, push boundaries, and ultimately figure out what works and what doesn’t,” says Dave Willis, Co-founder and Head Distiller of Bully Boy Distillers. “The new gin represents the best of what we’ve discovered.” bullyboydistillers.com
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Ad Index
Company
15 1849 wine company 7 2touchpos
Contact
Inventory COMPANIES
1849wine.com
bully boy distillers bullyboydistillers.com
2touchpos.com
grand brulot grandbrulot.com
40 2wire technologies
2wiretech.com
30 BARRITT’S GINGER BEER
bermudasgingerbeer.com
21 brockman’s gin
brockmansgin.com
31 cwd
cwdistributing.com
13 directv
directv.com
Laphroaig laphroaig.com liqs LIQSshot.com sebago lake distillery sebagolakedistillery.com shiner shiner.com
5 floh vodka
flohvodka.com
C2 knob creek
knobcreek.com
25 listen technologies
listentech.com
To Advertise in Bar Business Magazine, contact Art Sutley
37 NIGHTCLUB & BAR
ncbshow.com
212-620-7247 Asutley@sbpub.com
29 paradise pos
paradisepos.com
9 perlick corporation 27 pernod-ricard 11 RUMCHATA 23 sunkist foodservice 3 taffer dynamics inc
perlick.com pernod-ricard-usa.com rumchata.com sunkistequipment.com JonTaffer.com
41 tiki tonga sangria
TikiSangria.com
35 tito’s vodka
titosvodka.com
24 ultimate bars
ultimatebars.com
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45
Q&A with Scott Meek
1
What do you think has led to the growth of organic spirits?
80% of consumers shop or buy something organic in food, beverage, or beauty. So you’ve got a whole bunch of consumers that already have been trained effectively to look for organic. I think it’s that coupled with the fact that we certainly believe it’s really important to take care of this planet.
2
VP of Marketing at Phillips Distilling Company
S
cott Meek joined Phillips Distilling in 2016 and leads efforts on the full Phillips Portfolio including Prairie Organic Spirits (which just debuted new packaging), Mezcal Marca Negra, Douglas & Todd Bourbon, UV Vodka, etc. Prior to joining Phillips, Meek spent four years at Miller Coors and six years with Unilever. Meek seeks to continue to challenge and transform Phillips, which has a long track record of being pioneers in the industry. “The last several years we’ve been on a journey to ‘premiumize’ our portfolio and really focus on brands like Prairie Organic Spirits that have not only really interesting and unique points of difference, but also are certainly square on trend to today’s market with what consumers are looking for,” he says. “Consumers are really interested in the stories behind these brands. They want to know where their products come from.”
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What led to Prairie Organic Spirits’ new packaging design?
They say 100% of your consumers typically interact with your packaging, so making sure that you’ve got a package that also helps reinforce the story and what makes the brand unique is really critical to us. As we’ve continued to hone in on what makes Prairie Organic so unique, one of things that we’re the most proud of is we know all of our USDA-certified organic corn comes from family-owned, organic Midwest farms. We really felt like we needed a package that lived up to that positioning a little bit more strongly. We wanted a package that looked like you would have found it on a farm. So it’s got a hammered finish and wooden cork cap. We’ve made the neck longer so it’s easier for bartenders and mixologists to pour and handle. We’ve given our gin it’s own structure that I think is more in line with what consumers expect to see from a gin brand—it’s squatter, it’s got some nice squared shoulders inspired by grain silos.
3
You entered the bourbon category with Douglas &Todd Bourbon? Why?
American whiskey is one of the fastest growing categories in the industry. It didn’t make sense for a company that’s been around for 150 years to not have a whiskey or bourbon. So there was an opportunity within our portfolio. We wanted to make sure that if we were to come out with a bourbon that it was something that had a unique point of view or something that made it different so that it wasn’t just another bourbon on the shelf. We collaborated with Panther Distillery up north in Minnesota, which was the first legal craft distillery in Minnesota. We launched Douglas & Todd, which is named after the two counties where all the grains come from. It’s all Minnesota made—the ingredients, lake water, etc.
We have very harsh climates here, and our temperatures fluctuate quite dramatically over the course of the year, which makes the aging process a little unique. When it’s really cold, the barrels constrict, so you have a lot of that bourbon sitting and maximizing its exposure to the wood. And then it opens back up again in warmer weather. We think that it really allows you to get the most out of your barrels.
4
Have you observed an increasing interest in mezcal?
I think what makes mezcal so interesting is that it’s still very much a small batch craft process so there’s a lot of uniqueness. There are interesting stories behind the product itself. And then of course mixologists are having a lot of fun with that product right now. I think that’s one of the reasons why the mezcal category has taken off—it’s really being driven by bartenders and their creativity in finding ways to use such a unique spirit and flavor profile. It makes really interesting cocktails.
5
Any advice for how to choose spirits to bring in-house?
Know your consumers and what they might be looking for. If you know that consumers are interested in brands with stories, experimenting with different flavor profiles, and in the environment and the planet—all big trends going on across consumer products— I would recommend bartenders go after products like that.
Prairie Organic Spirits debuted new packaging that reinforces the brand’s organic roots.
September 2018 barbizmag.com
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