Bar Busines Magazine April 2012 by Bar Business Magazine

Number 03

Welcome to the April 2012 issue of

Toys & Tools:

The latest in bar products, both practical and playful.

The How-To Publication

BAR BUSINE$$ April 2012

M A G A Z I N E

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Bar Business Bar Business Magazine

This digital edition is brought to you by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation

Focused Females

women Make Their Mark Behind the Bar

AP RI L 2012

how To: wEB BRANDING BIX SIX: NY SpoRTS BAR LIquID ASSETS: EXoTIc SpIRITS

BAR BUSINE$$

On Tap APRIL 2012

CONTENTS

Innovative Bar props come to life

web presence

22 19

Tech and Toys

Weave your Web

A new crop of innovative bar products for your consideration vary from the very useful to the very unusual. 2

HOW TO Building your bar brand and marketing events and specials has never been easier—or more important—to address using the Web.

A Bar build-out

The Inside fight

It’s not often you get to see the bare bones of a bar being built from the ground up, but we sneak you inside a new venue for a peek.

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

Workplace violence is a growing issue in America, so we look at ways to avoid blowups and incidents on-premise. www.barbizmag.com

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On Tap

BAR BUSINE$$

CONTENTS

Features

32 Departments 6 Bar room drawl 8 Booze News

Captain Morgan introduces its new Black Spiced Rum; Belvedere boosts AIDS awareness; Meet The Beatles on TouchTunes jukeboxes; James Beard’s best bar programs.

12 liquid Assets

However you define them, exotic spirits are hard to categorize, but easy to enjoy if you know how to utilize them. We’ll show you how.

16 Tuning up

Keeping your customers entertained with celebrity appearances requires some know-how and etiquette.

32 SPRING Spirits Our quarterly report on seasonal cocktails continues with a look into some springtime concoctions.

36 Women win

While we know that’s typically the case in general, behind the bar, female mixologists are truly shining.

42 Big six

A New York City sports bar in its second iteration brings the hybrid notion of an athletic lounge to life at Bounce in lower Manhattan.

46 Inventory 48 holiday happenings 52 supplier spotlight

Lucas Bols’ Master Distiller looks back at ways bar owners can build brand loyalty with suppliers.

ON THE COVER:

(Left) Mia Sarazen, bartender at Black Market and Areal in Los Angeles. (Right) Mia Mastroianni, bartender at SoHo House in West Hollywood. Photo courtesy of Lush Life Productions.

“Bar Business Magazine” (ISSN 1944-7531 [print], ISSN 2161-5071 [digital]) (USPS# 000-342) is published monthly except combined in January/ February, July/August, and November/December for $45.00 per year by Simmons-Boardman, 345 Hudson Street, 12th Floor, New York, NY 10014. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offices. Copyright © 2012 Simmons-Boardman. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. No part of the magazine may be reproduced in any fashion without the expressed written consent of Simmons-Boardman. Qualified U.S. bar owners may request a free subscription. Non-qualified U.S. 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 and 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 each. Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only. For Subscriptions, address changes, and adjustments, write to: Bar Business Magazine, PO Box 10, Omaha, NE 68101-0010. Instructional information in this magazine should only be performed by skilled crafts people with the proper equipment. The publisher and authors of information provided herein advise all reader to exercise care when engaging in any o 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. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Bar Business Magazine, PO Box 10, Omaha, NE 68101-0010.

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

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Bar Room Drawl By Chris Ytuarte Editor-in-Chief

The Bar Business From the Ground Up Every once in a while, everything lines up just right. Whether it happens organically, or via the most methodical planning, sometimes all the pieces fit, and the big picture is a mosaic of the little bits you compiled. And this month, that just happens to be the case. From my completely objective perspective, I think this edition of Bar Business has got it all, from the ground up. It’s one of those issues where we seem to have touched on a little bit of everything you need to know to better your business. And whether this was the result of hours of painstaking, deliberate editorial design, or whether a higher power played a role (Tim Tebow did arrive in New York this week, after all), what matters is that we’ve got it all covered. And it’s all here for you. Starting with a “How To” article on building a bar from scratch, we look at some Brooklyn owners who put their personal touch into a new venue, with detailed photos of the build-out. It’s a rare look into the bare bones of a bar before it even exists. From there, we look at some new bar products and technologies you can bring onboard; how to book celebrity appearances in our Tuning Up column; and how to promote all of this great stuff via the Internet in our third instructional piece.

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

(Disclaimer: The fact that our article on avoiding workplace violence runs just before a feature on female bartenders and mixolgists is a complete coincidence, I swear.) And finally, we always keep you in the loop when it comes to that key bar component—booze. Several new spirits are revealed in our Inventory section as well as in Booze News, and our always in-depth Liquid Assets column examines exotic spirits this month. On top of all that, we offer up some seasonal cocktails perfect for you to “Spring” on customers this month. So if you take a good hard look, you’ll see we’re truly taking you from the ground, up: A brand new build-out; products to purchase; spirits to sip; talent to hire; working with women; branding your Web presence; and avoiding the workplace meltdowns that can ruin it all. At the end of the day, this issue of Bar Business is like a walk along the path of bar ownership. Take it slow, do it right, and enjoy the ride.

BAR BUSINE$$ MAGAZINE

March 2012, Vol. 5, No. 3 Bar Business Magazine (ISSN 1944-7531) is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 345 Hudson Street, 12th floor New York, NY 10014 executive offices

President and Publisher Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. Associate Publisher Arthur J. Sutley 212-620-7200; fax: 212-633-1863 asutley@sbpub.com editorial

Editor-in-Chief Chris Ytuarte 212-620-7223; fax: 212-633-1863 cytuarte@sbpub.com Assistant Editor Sara Kay 212-620-7220; fax: 212-633-1863 skay@sbpub.com art

Corporate Art Director Wendy Williams wwilliams@sbpub.com production

Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers mconyers@sbpub.com

circulation

I want to give some special recognition this month to our good friends at The Joynt, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Obviously big fans of Bar Business, the folks at The Joynt took the time to send us a postcard extolling the virtues of our editorial coverage, in particular our commentaries on music, jukeboxes, and classic venues. Thanks for your note, guys, and I look forward to stopping by The Joynt someday for something other than a light beer (they don’t serve any). Cheers.

Circulation Director Maureen Cooney mcooney@sbpub.com

advertising sales

Art Sutley 212-620-7247; fax: 212-633-1863 asutley@sbpub.com Vanessa Di Stefano, E-media 212-620-7263; fax: 212-633-1863 vdistefano@sbpub.com circulation department

800-895-4389

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Booze News

Captain Morgan® Introduces Black Spiced Rum

aptain Morgan Black Spiced Rum is the brand's newest offering, crafted from the finest Caribbean Blackstrap rum and select ingredients, including rich clove spice and premium cassia bark, and is finished with double charred blackened oak for a taste as legendary as the Captain himself. The bold, dark spiced rum is best enjoyed on the rocks. Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum is inspired by the true story of Captain Henry Morgan’s burial on the shores of Port Royal Harbour, Jamaica in 1688. Shortly after his burial, an earthquake rocked the shores of Jamaica, washing the Captain’s casket out to sea, never to be seen again. Legend has it that his restless spirit lives on to this day, sailing the Caribbean seas in search of his mortal remains. And his newest spirit certainly captures that romantic notion. With hints of cinnamon, clove and dried fruit carrying the exotic flavors of the Caribbean, Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum is broad, bold and sweeping on the palate. Delicious waves of spice and oak roil on the tongue for a taste as bold as the legendary buccaneer. Following the fullbore flavor, nuances of warming spice and vanilla combine for a deliciously smooth finish.

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

Intricate details such as a full wrap-around label created from vintage parchment paper with hand drawn ingredients, copper foil accents and a cork stopper give Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum an authentic, bold look and feel. As the liquid leaves the bottle, the story of the Captain’s casket washing out to sea and his skeleton are revealed inside the bottle on the backside of the label. Captain Morgan Black Spiced Rum is the newest member of the brand’s robust spiced rum portfolio, which includes Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, Captain Morgan Private Stock, Captain Morgan 100 Proof Spiced Rum, Captain Morgan Lime Bite, Captain Morgan Long Island Iced Tea cocktail, Captain Morgan Silver Spiced Rum and Captain Morgan Tattoo Spiced Rum. www.barbizmag.com

A Starry Night Before The Grammys

he stars came out in full force for a preGrammy party on February 9, 2012 to celebrate the partnership of Belvedere Vodka with (RED). Last year, Belvedere started their partnership with (RED) and launched a special edition bottle to raise proceeds for the Global Fund, one of the world’s leading financiers of programs to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa. This year, to celebrate the continuing partnership, Mary J. Blige performed at the pre-Grammy party and was accompanied by several celebrities in support of the cause. “Belvedere feels it is important to make an impact on a Global scale, and through (RED) we are able to do so,” said Charles Gibb, President of Belvedere Vodka. “We activated (RED) in 35 countries in 2011, and will seek to expand further in 2012. (RED) and Belvedere share many core values, and both have a commitment to working with the coolest brands to really make a difference. We believe it is vital that brands are valued not only for their quality and image, but also their impact on the environment and how they give back in today’s world.” Other stars that made an appearance at this year’s Belvedere (RED) party were Chelsea Handler, Forrest Whittaker, Skrillex and Paris Hilton. Belvedere is staying committed to (RED) until 2015, when they hope that with the efforts put forth by the Global Fund, the mother to child transmission of the HIV virus in Africa can be eliminated. “I very much hope that we will raise in excess of $5 million in that period to support this amazing objective,” continued Gibb. “Today, 1,000 babies per day are born with AIDS…imagine that being zero within three years!”

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Meet The Beatles on TouchTunes

pple Corps Ltd., EMI Music, and TouchTunes Interactive Networks, the largest out-of-home entertainment network in North America, announced that the music of The Beatles, the most iconic band of all time, will now be featured across their network of over 50,000 digital jukeboxes. Starting April 1, 2012, TouchTunes will add The Beatles’ 13 legendary studio albums to its catalog. “It is a privilege to partner with EMI and Apple Corps Ltd. to make available the sound recordings of the most celebrated band of all time,” said Charles Goldstuck, CEO of TouchTunes Interactive Networks. “The important addition of The Beatles to our network represents a milestone, not only for our company, but for our industry.” “We are very pleased to make this iconic catalog available on TouchTunes,” said Roger Faxon, CEO of EMI Group. “TouchTunes has been a great partner of ours, and their network offers a unique listening experience for fans to enjoy the incredible music of The Beatles together.” In addition to the studio albums, TouchTunes will also make available The Beatles’ two-volume ’Past Masters’ compilation, the classic ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’ collections, the ’1’ hits collection, and the ‘LOVE’ album. April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

Booze News Salud to

The Best Bar Programs Campari®, the legendary one-of-a-kind red spirit, congratulates the five final nominees of the first-ever James Beard Foundation “Outstanding Bar Program Award” that were announced at a press brunch in Las Vegas earlier today. The distinguished nominees are The Aviary (Chicago), Bar Agricole (San Francisco), Pegu Club (New York), PDT (New York) and The Violet Hour (Chicago). Campari is the presenting sponsor of this new award category that recognizes excellence in cocktail, spirits, and/or beer service. The Award winner will be announced at the James Beard Awards Ceremony on Monday, May 7, 2012 at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in New York. This is the first year that bar programs will be recognized along with restaurants and chefs by the renowned Foundation. The five nominees were selected from among 24 semi-finalists that were chosen by their peers from over 2,200 online entries in this new category. “Campari, a bartender's brand for more than 150 years, is proud to honor these five nominees that represent the present and exciting future of bar programs across the country,” said Jason Daniel, Campari Brand Director, Campari America. “Their commitment to their craft is an inspiration to us and is a level of achievement for all bars and restaurants to emulate.” “When I began my work with Dale DeGroff in the 1990s, we had a collective vision in which the craft cocktail would gain acceptance as a true, culinary endeavor. We hoped that each progressive sip by a guest would not only be enlightening, but also truly inspire them to appreciate a well-crafted cocktail as they would a fine-dining experience,” said Audrey Saunders of Pegu Club. “I am deeply honored to have the Pegu Club nominated for this ground-breaking James Beard Award. Back then, I had always dreamed of a cocktail revolution, but never imagined that it would ever take place, much less become reality at today's scale. In 2012, I see the Award itself not only as recognition of those who aspire to excellence, but equally important, as an acknowledgement of those establishments who both dare to dream and stand firm in their convictions.” “Coming originally from the restaurant world, it's a huge honor to be recognized by such a prestigious culinary organization as the James Beard Foundation,” said Jim Meehan of PDT. “The cocktail world has drawn inspiration from chefs and great restaurants. Hopefully, this is a turning point not only in cocktail history, but in culinary history as well. It's a thrill to be nominated.” “As bartenders, we're honored the Beard Foundation is including us along with so many great food and wine professionals,” said Thad Vogler of Bar Agricole. “We think it's indicative of a change. People appreciate when the same thoughtfulness goes into a beverage program as a food menu or wine list. What a privilege to be a part of such a great event!” “This nomination means so much to us,” said Jason Cott of The Violet Hour. “We’re standing on the shoulders of the bartenders and mixologists who revived the craft of the cocktail to its former glory, often without the recognition they deserved. Without their hard work, passion and ingenuity, we wouldn’t be here today. We share this honor with our colleagues and mentors.” Founded in 1986, the James Beard Foundation is dedicated to celebrating, nurturing, and preserving America’s diverse culinary heritage and future. 10

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

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Liquid Assets

Exotic Spirits: Experiment With the Mysterious

By Sara Kay

he word “exotic” is a truly thought provoking word. It’s sexy, it’s different, and above all else, it is mysterious. In the culinary world, the word “exotic” is usually used to describe foreign foods that are unfamiliar to those in this part of the world, and in the spirits world it is no different. Exotic spirits are some of the most exciting and enticing spirits on the market, as they are ones that don’t really fall into one specific category. They have remarkable flavors and colors, and many of them can’t even be produced in the United States because of their ingredients. Because of the versatility of these exotic spirits, you will be hardpressed to find any bartender worth their weight in 12

martinis not experimenting with some of these exotic spirits in their day to day cocktail making. Across the sea in Italy, native Italians start their day just like most people in America do: wake up, grab a coffee, go to work. However, when it comes to that coffee, a special ingredient is added to it to give it a satisfying sweetness that is much more enjoyable than sugar. Sambuca, specifically Molinari Sambuca Extra, a liqueur made from star anise and several other herbs and spices, is this ingredient. And while some may find it a little bold to be having a drink that early in the morning, Italian culture doesn’t see it as an attempt at getting drunk—rather it is simply a means of giving their morning joe a little something extra.

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

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“Sambuca consumption starts early in the morning. We are not alcoholics, it’s just a tradition,” said Luigi Massetti, Export Area Manager for Molinari. “It starts withicoffee and continues throughout the day. After dinner is where you drink it neat, but when you go out of Italy the consumption changes completely. For others, consumption starts and ends after dinner.” Massetti and the rest of the team at Molinari has started to experiment with their family-owned brand on the cocktail side of things, designing several signature shots and cocktails that shine a light on the versatility and flavor profile of the spirit. By tasting Molinari combined with a variety of different mixers, they were able to come up with a creative list of drinks that show off Molinari Sambuca without taking away from its unique flavor. “We are changing the way the brand is presented to the consumer, presented to the trade. We found out that the

“Sambuca consumption starts early in the morning. We are not alcoholics, it’s just a tradition . . .” product can be mixed, but in order to mix Sambuca you need to be careful. You don’t want to change the tastes of the product. We are ready to propose some interesting and simple cocktails because we want to keep it simple.” Pisco is another spirit that, like Sambuca, is made with a mixture of ingredients that not only makes the spirit incredibly mixable, but also can be used as a sweet substitute for normal sugar. And like Sambuca, pisco brands are starting to really amp up their

SAMBA SANGRIA 1 oz Leblon Cachaça 3/4 oz Cedilla 2 oz Rioja wine 1 oz Passion fruit juice 1/4 oz simple syrup 2 dashes Scrappy’s Lavendar Bitters Apple, orange, pineapple, cut into small slices Combine all ingredients in a stemless wine glass. *Can also be make punch-style.

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Bitters are a product that bartenders nationwide are starting to use more in their cocktail creations. A few drops of Jamaican Jerk Bitters or Memphis Barbeque Bitters from The Bitter End, or a few drops of Hopi Tea Bitters from AZ Bitters Lab, and a cocktail goes from ordinary to extraordinary. cocktail interest, making the life of the bartender a lot more exciting. Timothy Childs, the CEO of ORO Pisco, has been working on making ORO one of the more exciting Pisco brands available today. While most Pisco brands can boast one, possibly two expressions in their portfolio, ORO has a whopping 11, all of which exude different flavor profiles and tastes, making them incredibly versatile when it comes to cocktail construction. “Pisco is made from grapes, so it has this inherent sweetness, and the aromatics are so forward and present that you can make cocktails with half the amount of sugar. We’re really pushing for infusions right now; nothing infuses better than Pisco.” What separates ORO Pisco apart from other competitive brands in the industry is their use of infusions. Because of the purity of pisco, it lends itself to being infused with a multitude of flavors without going overboard. “When experimenting with ORO, bartenders often find the mixability of the spirit and the range of flavors achievable through the base spirit, and it far exceeds any other spirit they’ve worked with.” When it comes to flavor experimentation, Cedilla açai liqueur, a liqueur made from the South American açai berry known for its antioxidant properties, is an excellent spirit to play around with. Unlike most liqueurs, Cedilla is not overly sweet, making for a delightful hint of sweet berry, without being overpowering. Whitney

April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

Liquid Assets brand that has incredibly unique expressions, is very similar. With just a few ice cubes and an aromatic garnish, a glass of any of the SX 1 oz Senior Rio Tequila expressions will take you to just about any 1 oz ice flavor town you want to go to. Samba Sexy-rinha 1/4 oz lime juice David Knight, CEO of SXLiquors, has a 1/4 oz Fresca background in working with packaged goods, 2 oz SX Samba 2 oz diet lemonade so when it came to developing the proper 6 chunks of lime flavors for SX, it was simple for him and his 2 spoons brown sugar Garnish with one fresh red business partner to come up with innovative 1/2 cup ice pepper. *Only 80 Calories. ways to appeal to their audience. Coconut foam “My learning was that you really need to have a complexity of flavor, so using a Muddle all ingredients in a harmony of ingredients to delight the palate cocktail shaker. Shake with ice and all the different taste sensations is and pour into a rocks glass. really important,” said Knight. Garnish with a sprig of mint. The expressions from SX, while all made from well-known base spirits, infuse remarkable flavors making a tequila not just a tequila, a vodka not just a vodka, and a rum not just a rum. The expressions include SX chachacha (reposado tequila with lemon and honey), SX cafedoble (reposado tequila with coffee, honey and cloves), SX Negro (vodka infused in anejo Brown-Cross, Brand Manager for Cedilla, has seen bartenders casks), SX Azul (Azul vodka with berry, vanilla and rosemary), working with the new product already, and has seen them SX Verde (Verde Vodka with apple, lemon and basil), SX Calypso produce some really inventive ideas. (aged rum with lemon and mint), SX Samba (rum with sweet lime “There really aren’t any other products like this. There are and vanilla), and SX Blanco, which is their un-flavored vodka. By some starting to launch açai flavors, but it is an extremely giving each expression a variety of flavors, making a simple difficult berry to harvest and cultivate and use in a product drink is truly a no-brainer. unless you have the capabilities in South America.” “The taste is unique and different, that was our discipline Cedilla, while it just launched in the beginning of February, going in. There’s so much activity in this industry but there’s has already proven to be a desirable alternative to sugar as a nothing really exciting from an innovation standpoint, either sweetener. While Cedilla is not overly sweet, it does have just they had cool bottles and the liquid tasted awful, or they had enough to give any cocktail that ideal balance. ordinary bottles and the liquid was good. We wanted to make “The flavor is different from anything else people have sure everything we do was in the exotic, sexy play, which tasted before, and the sweetness isn’t overpowering to the defines the brand we have.” point where you have to be careful about the sugar content,” When it comes to finding exotic said Brown-Cross. ingredients for cocktails, flavor is The beauty of a spirit like Cedilla is “It’s all about flavor, and adding always the first factor to consider. that it can be used with minimal other Sometimes the flavor is meant to be ingredients, making for an excellent flavor and adding mystery. the main event, while other times it is and simple cocktail. SXLiquors, a

SKINNY RITA

I love adding mystery

to drinks.” — Warren Bobrow

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

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Pineapple Pisco Sour 2 oz ORO Pisco Italia infused with pineapple 1/2 oz fresh lime juice 1/2 oz simple syrup or Gomme 1/2 oz egg white 3 drops of Angostura or Orange bitters Combine pisco, lime juice, simple syrup, egg white and ice in a shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into a short glass. Garnish with a lime wedge. Drop the bitters on top of the froth.

useful in a more supporting role. The use of Bitters in cocktails is perfect for the role of supporting actor. Bitters are not only incredibly alcoholic, they are intensely flavored, therefore making them ideal for a hint of serious flavor without overpowering a cocktail. Warren Bobrow, an expert on Bitters and just about everything else in the food and spirits world, has found that his true passion is in finding new and exciting flavors to work with. And where did he find the best of the best? In Bitters. “It’s all about flavor, and adding flavor and adding mystery. I love adding mystery to drinks. The drinker isn’t drinking to get drunk, they are drinking for flavor. They’re looking for something that differentiates what they have in their hand from the guy down the street who has just a beer and shot place.” The unique aspect of bitters is that because of their intense flavor and high alcohol content, using only a few drops or dashes is all that’s really needed to take a cocktail from one side of the globe to another. A drop of Thai Bitters or a few drops of Jamaican Jerk Bitters, and a cocktail will go from runof-the-mill, to exotic thrill. “When a bartender uses bitters, it shows that the bartender cares, and that’s important to me. That brings out my passion. I can visit bars all over the place and when they are making their own bitters, all the bitter. But when they don’t have time to do that but they want to establish a way to take their cocktails to the next step, there are all different varieties. In the summer I like nothing more than a seltzer water with a few drops of Angostura Bitters.”

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With all these new and exciting exotic spirits to incorporate into a cocktail list, it may be difficult to decide just what route you want to go. That’s where experimenting comes in: try new things with new flavors and see what happens. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it won’t kill the cocktail.

April 2012 Bar Business Magazine 15

Tuning Up

Spotlight on

CeleBriTies By Chris Ytuarte

Bringing in celebrity talent to entertain and draw a crowd can involve live music or DJs, and sometimes it can be a pretty face or a funny guy. Either way, we can tell you how to find ‘em, book ‘em, and best utilize ‘em to make your club more money.

you don’t know who Wee Man is, you probably don’t know his crew of Jackass friends, and in that case, I probably don’t want to know you. They are a funny bunch of guys, who do some crazy things for a living, both on TV and in the movies. And I can think of nothing better than hanging out with Wee Man over a couple of cold beers at the local bar. If you have even a percentage of clientele that knows what I’m talking about—or perhaps is similarly focused on other famous folk from modern culture—then you have an opportunity to draw them into your bar by bringing such talent in for a night. But how does that happen? How do you promote it? And how do you benefit most from it? Christopher Furst has a few suggestions. “We own and operate nightclubs and bars around the country, 16

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

and I get tons of emails from general managers who say, ‘Hey, we’d like to have an anniversary party, and we’d like to get some celebrities to show up,’ says Furst. “And my question is always: ‘What’s your budget?’ Because they have to make that money back, and if they have a small venue, sometimes I have to tell them it just doesn’t make sense. They’re not going to be able to recoup the cost of it. Some of these celebrities are so expensive.” Furst is the Director of Sales and Marketing for The Cordish Companies, which owns and operates multi-venue nightlife centers around the country such as Power Plant Live! in Baltimore, Maryland. Since its inception, Power Plant Live! has been one of the most visited destinations both in Baltimore and the state of Maryland, drawing over three million visitors per year, with annual sales in excess of $35 million. The site hosts www.barbizmag.com

Celebrity appearances can vary, from fringe entertainers to top-tier DJ’s to Hollywood names that draw crowds.

over 40 public concerts and events per year in its outdoor plaza, featuring the best of local, regional and national talent. “You have to know the capacity of the venue, know your crowd, know what is going to draw,” says Furst. “Sometimes a general manager might like something personally, but they might have very different interests than the general consumer or their customer base. So I always tell them to ask around. Don’t just say, ‘I think it’s funny.’ Ask some of your customers, ‘Would you come? Would you pay to see so-and-so?’ Do some research before you just jump into something. Think it through.” The traditional mistake in booking celebrity talent is the club owner trying to leverage the talent as hard as they can to draw people in, when that is only one side of the task. “Make it a hot topic in your community so other bars are talking about you,” says Jeff Hoover, National On Premise Marketing Manager for Monster Beverage Company, who constantly works with celebrities in throwing events nationwide. “When you bring someone special in, it’s actually better to have all the other bars and all the other bartenders from different venues talking about your bar and how you have this hot celebrity coming in. I think people miss that sometimes. They think they’ll just bring in the www.barbizmag.com

celebrity and alert the public and put it on a flier. But I think the best kind of thing is a combination of the two: 80% public, and 20% locals, and more importantly local industry people. Because when they leave, all the other staff folk are going to be talking about your event. Whether they like it or not, they’re actually promoting your club by doing that.” “And you have to have realistic expectations,” adds Furst. “I get requests all the time for A-list celebrities to make appearances, and it’s mostly not in their interest to do bar appearances. It’s more likely reality TV stars will do these appearances. They can be cheaper. And while they might not be a huge draw, they can bring in more people than a usual night.” Once you’ve analyzed the needs and requirements for your talent appearance, you need to get them booked. “I would say the best avenue to book celebrities is for owners to talk to their direct suppliers,” says Hoover. “They should talk to their regional supplier rep about what they have to offer, and specifically ask about talent. There has to be a warranted combination. In other words, the guy who sells 20 of my [Monster] cases down the street is not a guy I’m just going to hook up. They have to look at their business and look at it proportional to what their request is.” Furst suggests another approach, slightly more hands-on and direct. “It usually takes doing some research on talent agencies,” he says. “There are several large agencies that April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

Tuning Up

represent celebrities, so it just takes some legwork. I’d recommend CEG Talent, who we have worked with for general celebrity appearances. You might have to go through a lot of random Twitter and Facebook accounts and visit celebrity Web sites just to confirm their representation and get good contact info. Sometimes celebrities will use four or five different agencies to book appearances for them.”

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Bar Business Magazine April 2012

“You don’t want to book celebrities who are just going to sit behind a velvet rope all night and have bottle service.” Now that the talent is booked, it’s time to make your customers aware and promote the event. “Good promotion today is a combination of things,” says Furst. “I always recommend layering the event. Don’t just rely on the draw of that celebrity, but layer in contests and such. We had Snooki do an appearance two years ago and we did a pickle eating contest, because she’s always saying how much she loves pickles. Things like that can incorporate something about that celebrity into the event. “And after you’ve booked the celebrity, get off on the right foot. They’ll do a great job for you, but don’t come in expecting them to get down on their knees for you. Sometimes these celebrities have been pulled and pushed all over the country. Be extremely friendly and welcoming, ask if they need anything, etc. Get off on the right foot. I have instances where we had one celebrity booked in multiple cities, and some appearances went great and some didn’t. It all depended on the managers and how they interacted with the celebrity.” Hoover suggests that the best bookings are those who are willing to mingle. “Some people think it’s all about the number of hours the celeb is there,” he says. “It’s not about time in the club, it’s about utilizing them in the best way. Make sure they’re seen, get them to the DJ booth and announce them, and don’t necessarily have them involved with a bunch of games and corny stuff. When they come to your club, you want them seen and you don’t want them behind a rope. That’s the biggest thing. No one should book talent that wants to sit behind a rope the whole time. You don’t want celebrities that just sit around and have bottle service sent over all night.” www.barbizmag.com

How To:

ar Stock the B With Tec hn

ology

Toys & Tech While this bar scene may be a bit far in the future, new products are crucial to keeping patrons around, and it’s important to know how to implement these tools to keep your bar exciting and your customers coming back. By Sara Kay As experts in the bar industry, we try to keep our bar owners informed about new products, so here is the latest collection of unusual and exciting items to make your bar a true talking point amongst customers. Get Charged Up Any bar owner will be hard pressed to find a patron at their bar without some sort of electronic device in their hand. The iPhone has gone from being a cell phone, to a

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computer, to a device that seems to be surgically attached to one’s hand or face. However it’s used, it is a way to not only connect with others, but to get information about new places and things. And while phone technology has figured out how to geo-track our location, tell us about specials at the latest bar or club, and give us the weather 3,000 miles away, it can’t seem to keep the battery alive for more than a few hours. That is where Jeffrey Maganis comes in, with his all-inclusive ChargeAll. April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

How To: An idea that started from a group of friends sharing a hotel room on a vacation with not enough chargers to go around, it quickly turned into an innovative way to give bar and club patrons a reason to not only come to the bar, but to stick around for a while, and not just for the drinks. The ChargeAll (www.buychargeall.com), a compact cell phone charging dock that houses chargers for eight different types of cell phones, is the kind of product that has people asking themselves, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Well, Maganis did, and now his product is sitting in bars and hotels, bringing in people who need a phone charge and want a drink as well. What a perfect combination. “If a customer knew that your bar had a cell phone charger, they would come in and charge their phone and then get a drink,” says Maganis, the brains behind ChargeAll “It’s really the bars and restaurants that see the value because of the fact that you can monetize it. In terms of attracting more customers and generating more revenue, the longer you’re willing to keep a customer there and cater to their needs, the more comfortable they feel in your establishment.” The beauty of ChargeAll is that not only is it incredibly inexpensive for a bar owner to purchase, it extends a service to the patron that is like an added bonus for sitting at the bar. Care for a drink and a free charge? For many, it would be hard to say no. “People are always complaining at the end of the night that their phone died,” continues Maganis. “Bar owners could charge for this, but I want to take the free charging station approach. I want to have fun with it; the fact that I can cover the station in snakeskin or zebra print? The creativity factor is the fun part about this product.”

The animatronic talking heads and characters from Garner Holt Productions can provide a unique experience for unexpecting customers. 20

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

Want to heat things up? Try a fire-breathing dragon, or perhaps a universal phone charging station.

Tally Up Without Saying a Word Just as Maganis has used the power of the cell phone to create a product that enhances the experience for bar owners and bar patrons alike, Rick Orr, inventor of TabbedOut (www.tabbedout. com), used the same mindset when coming up with his product for the iPhone and Android. An app that allows patrons to order drinks and pay their tab without ever having to wait in line at the bar is something that many others have tried to develop, but could never quite get to the point that Orr has. By providing consumers a way to open and even split checks and pay for them in a convenient and secure fashion, the notion of waiting at the bar and getting more annoyed by the minute becomes a moot point. “It’s great for a bar environment, especially during peak hours where it could take a bartender five minutes to close a check,” says Orr. “They could make eight drinks in a minute, and the efficiency is letting the consumer pay the check while they are walking out to the cab line. To be able to serve more custsomers during the most valuable peak hours with the same amount of staff and overhead makes it easier for everyone.”

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The app is simple: Merchants are charged a monthly fee for access to the platform. Once the bar is part of the TabbedOut community, patrons looking for bars that are a part of the program can launch the app, store their credit or debit card information safely through their phone, and then safely access the tab whenever they want. By keeping the tab on their phone, they also limit access to other drinkers, i.e., friends who decide to use their tab instead of opening their own. Once the patron opens a tab, a code is sent to them from the bar that they can show to the bartender, the bartender checks the tab, and can add drinks on from there. At the end of the night, the check can be paid, with tip, without ever having to flag down the server or bartender. “At the end of the day to be successful, we have to make it better, quicker, and faster for the bar to generate more revenue.”

The TabbedOut app allows bar owners to store debit or credit card information for customers who can pay their bill via their smart phone. “We provide a service that allows people to stretch their imagination and come up with different products,” says Holt. “The parrot is a unique, off-the-shelf example, but one of the things we emphasize is that we make custom products as well, so we're only limited by your imagination.” Products like these are an incredible way to boost revenue in the bar, as well as boost interest in what you have to offer. A cell phone charging station, talking animals, and cell phone apps to pay the bill? Sounds like the trifecta to us.

Give Your Bar Some Character(s) Perhaps your bar has great music, a killer cocktail menu, and massive flat screen TVs that show all the greatest sports games. But does it have an animatronic parrot that welcomes guests as they walk through the door? Garner Holt, CEO of Garner Holt Productions (www.garnerholt.com), found that the more animatronic characters that showed up in nightlife venues, the better. While many of Holt’s characters are more accustomed to the theme park lifestyle, Holt saw a thriving market in the bar and nightclub industry, and has seen a fantastic turnaround. “Our products are expensive, high-end items that are used in the theme park industry, but we have a lot of different clients,” says Holt. “We decided that if we could get the price down to give people a theme-park quality product at a reasonable price, it could be a unique thing that nobody has ever had for their bar or nightclub. We can assist anybody in enhancing the theme in any bar or restaurant to make it punchier and put a little entertainment in there.” While a product like a talking buffalo or a fire-breathing dragon seems a little out of the realm of the nightlife industry, Holt finds it to be something that a bar or nightclub can really benefit from. By providing an entertaining aspect that goes beyond the drinks and music, there is a sense of creativity that not many nightlife venues are willing to offer.

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April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

How To:

Bxaxr x x r x u x o Y X d x x n x a r x B X XxxxOxnX lixnxexxxx

Connecting the Web

ouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard it all before, but itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a new day and age, even in the nightlife industry. A killer drink

menu and all the amenities are a perfect way to keep your patrons happy throughout the night, but what about before they arrive? Making yourself attractive on the Web is just as important as it is in your venue, so Bar Business Magazine sat down with Tarun Gehani, an expert in Web branding and marketing, to see just what it takes to stand out online. By Sara Kay

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

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Bar Business Magazine: How did you get into strategic Web marketing?

Tarun Gehani, Director, Freshtight Designs: I’ve always had an interest in how psychology and technology intertwine themselves in this digital age. I used to work for a large advertising and marketing agency, and our local office specialized in PR, new media and social media. During this time I worked with one of the Big Three automakers in Detroit, many household product brands, restaurants, and creative institutions. It was interesting to see the early developments of sites like Twitter and Facebook, and we as a community management team would be in charge of strategically marketing new products and campaigns for our clients. Eventually, I went out on my own to start Freshtight Designs.

BBM: In your opinion, what does it mean to have a business reach its “true market potential,” and what is needed for that to happen? TG: Businesses today, especially small businesses or those that rely on a local market, need to take advantage of the tools and resources available to them. Set up a Web site, and don’t do it yourself. It’s better to have no Web site at all than to have one that hurts your business. It’s a small investment at first, but the long-term revenue you’ll enjoy because of it will be worth its weight in gold. Use that Web site as your central hub. Make it work for you. Set up a blog on your site and begin publishing unique and industry relevant content. Expand your network using email marketing, geo-location apps, and social media. Set up an email marketing campaign so you can convert onetime customers into returning and loyal customers. Engage in social media sites like Facebook, and direct visitors back to your Web site. And don’t forget tried and true marketing— with all this new media hype it’s easy to forget what already works.

BBM: How does Web marketing in the nightlife industry differ from other businesses? Is there anything that a bar

owner needs to do to improve their Web presence compared to non-nightlife businesses?

TG: Web marketing in the nightlife industry differs from other businesses in a few ways. Think of your targeted demographic: Most people who visit your site will fall into one of two categories: local and non-local. If they are local, what do they want? They might be looking for a quiet jazz club to relax and have a drink, they might want to know what happy hour specials you have, or they might want to know what artist is performing there on Saturday night. Your Web site should address all these concerns. To the nonlocal customer, a map or driving directions might be the most important piece of information. Or they might want to check out your Web site to make a first judgment about your establishment. First impressions are huge. Bar owners should consider being active on social media sites to retain customer loyalty. Update your fans and followers with “drink deals of the week” or special, exclusive coupons for Facebook fans only.

BBM: A bar owner comes to you, hoping to increase Web traffic and improve branding. What are the steps you would go through to help them achieve their true Web potential? TG: If you are a bar owner hoping to increase Web traffic or improve your brand recognition you have a few different options. You could do what is called “content marketing,” whereby your team creates blog posts or press releases that link back to your Web site and can begin to attract new Web traffic when people search for those topics. You could also create a search engine marketing campaign where you hire an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) specialist to do research on keyword targeting and optimization. Whatever you decide to do, know that each business is unique and therefore so are its customers. In order to reach a unique customer base, it takes a strategic approach. www.barbizmag.com

April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

How To:

BBM: What do you think are the most important elements a bar or nightclub Web site should have?

Take photos and videos of your events, of your facilities. Use these in your promotions, and encourage fans and customers to upload their own rich media content.

TG: Photos of the exterior of the building, photos of the interior, specials or promotions, an "About Us" page briefly explaining the company history, mission and culture, contact details, event calendars, and an email sign up.

BBM: Why do you think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so important for bar owners to put effort into their Web site design? TG: Bar owners need to put a proper effort into their Web

BBM: What are some social media avenues that you find to be really beneficial to the nightlife industry?

TG: Facebook, YouTube and Twitter would be the best social media avenues to utilize for the nightlife industry.

site design and online marketing efforts for a few simple reasons. For one, your competitors are already online. Second, your customers expect to find you online. And third, your Web site has the potential to become your best salesperson. Make it work for you.

Caorunn

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Bar Business Magazine April 2012

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How To:

Space r a B a e t a e Cr from Scratch

Build-a-Bar

By Chris Ytuarte

given the opportunity, designing and creating a new bar space from the ground up provides the chance to create exactly what you want. We recently followed some Brooklyn bar owners who did just that.

hen Henry Lopez and Darrel Lucey decided to open Lucey’s Lounge in an up-and-coming area of Brooklyn, New York, the two men—along with third partner Evelyn Dahab—had a vision, for both the bar and what it would serve. For these two gentlemen, the drinks came easy. The focus is on the classic cocktail spanning from the earliest days of spirits

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

to the present, while re-inventing and tweaking certain classics for the modern era. They have crafted barrel-aged cocktails, featuring house drinks aged for at least five weeks in charred, American, white oak barrels and then decanted before being served. All of their syrups, purees and juices are made from scratch. Fittingly, so is the bar. www.barbizmag.com

Painting to provide a "distressed" look makes the bar feel worn-in and cozy.

Nothing could be more important than making sure you have a level bar.

Once installed, the bar is sanded and smoothed. Old light fixtures found in storage will be repurposed.

A dark stain is applied, immediately creating the feel of a traditional public house. www.barbizmag.com

April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

How To:

The finished product: The finished product: Opening Openingnight nightatatLucey's Lucey'sLounge. Lounge. Behind the bar, the allimportant liquor license hangs next to an antique cash register and below the decanted, house-made cocktails.

A selection of house-made bitters and syrups. (top). Repurposed stools, lighting fixtures, and mirrors throughout. (bottom). 28

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

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How To:

Avoid Workplace Blow-u

Seek & DEFUSE By Mike Staver, CEO of The Staver Group

In the wake of a recent incident in Florida, we look at how to prevent workplace violence and stop it before it escalates.

y now you’ve heard the tragic news: A Spanish teacher fired from the Episcopal School of Jacksonville, Florida, returned to the school, shot and killed the school’s headmistress, and then himself. It’s another chilling reminder that workplace violence in the U.S. is a persistent and dangerous problem. How bad is it? A statistic from the U.S. Department of Labor indicates that homicide is the fourth-leading cause of occupational injuries. And it is the leading cause of death for women in the workplace. But the real tragedy, says Mike Staver, is that so many of these violent incidents could be avoided if employees and leaders understood how to recognize violence triggers and how to defuse them in the workplace. “Most people who act out violently at work indicate what’s going to happen through their words and behavior beforehand,” says Staver, creator of the audio and video series 21 Ways to Defuse Anger and Calm People Down (www.thestavergroup.com). “And while that may not have

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been the case in the Jacksonville incident, when people can recognize the warning signs, they can do more to prevent these terrible situations.” Through his materials and workplace seminars, Staver trains organizations on how best to handle conflict resolution and defuse violence in the workplace, teaching employees and leaders what they should and shouldn’t do in these high-stress situations. Most people believe that violence occurs when someone is angry about certain circumstances. The truth is, they get angry over what they believe about the circumstances. When a person gets angry, says Staver, it’s because at least one of three primary triggers is in place. They feel: A) This is unfair. B) This is out of my control. C) This is personal; it’s happening to me. Note that when these factors are present they can manifest themselves in many ways. The angry employee might simply have a drop in performance level. He might April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

How To:

"All organizations should make sure that they have workplace violence policies in place, and that all employees have a clear understanding of them and how to take action." make threatening comments to another employee or about the company in general. Or in extreme circumstances, he may resort to serious violence, as the Florida teacher did. “The more intensely the person feels these factors, the worse the violence can get,” says Staver. “Naturally, if you see these triggers in a co-worker or employee, you should be very concerned. It might seem unusual that this violent act occurred at a school between a teacher and principal when so much of the violence in our schools seems to be perpetrated by students. But this situation is proof that these incidents can happen in any workplace.” Of course, the key to preventing workplace violence is knowing what to do when you see that a co-worker might be susceptible to these triggers or is displaying other warning signs—such as bullying you or other co-workers, substance abuse, frequently discussing marital or other nonprofessional problems, making idle threats, etc. “First and foremost, take all warning signs very, very 30

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

seriously,” says Staver. “Second—and this is just as important—report it right away. Let me repeat that: Report it right away. Far too often, co-workers don’t report these incidents. It happens for many reasons: They believe the popular myth that people who make threats don’t act on them; they don’t want to seem like alarmists; they fear they’ll become a target; or there isn’t a sufficient workplace safety and incident reporting system in place. But when you suspect something is wrong, you should report it right away. If the leadership at your organization isn’t taking it seriously, then go to the authorities. “That said, companies should not place the burden fully on employees,” Staver concludes. “All organizations should make sure that they have workplace violence policies in place, that all employees have a clear understanding of the policies, and that all employees know how to take action and what to expect when they do report an incident. Managers and leaders should also be well trained in how to defuse

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Stay Sane Yourself Beyond maintaining a non-violent workplace, bar owners also have to stay mentally healthy themselves. Dave Mischler, President of Inner Circle Chicago, has a few suggestions.

* Clarify your direction Initially, it is critical to clearly understand where your business is headed. Look at your current situation with a fresh set of eyes and then establish goals for where you would like it to be. Do not be constrained by what you think is likely to happen. Consider what you want—what you really want—first.

* Create accountability Once you have decided upon your goals, it is crucial to build in accountability for yourself. How will you ensure that these things will happen? What systems, processes, or people are you going to put in place to drive them to completion? If you are not willing to put such checks and balances on your own actions, re-examine your goals. Without true accountability, you may be setting yourself up for mediocre results. However, if you are able to create these assurances with meaningful deadlines, you have taken an important step to improving your business.

your work/life balance * Monitor Running your own business is complex, and the strain it puts on your personal life can be counterproductive for the business in the long run. All too often, business owners become so consumed in their businesses that they forget to enjoy important events and everyday moments in their personal lives. Letting life pass you by can have a huge impact on how you run your business. An unhappy business owner has greater difficulties becoming a successful business owner because a person’s mental outlook can negatively or positively affect how everything else falls into place.

anger in the workplace, and also what kinds of situations are out of their control and demand that law enforcement be involved. There is simply too much at risk to avoid taking these actions.” Mike Staver is CEO of The Staver Group, a national team of strategic business advisors and coaches. He is the creator of the audio and video series 21 Ways to Defuse Anger and Calm People Down, and he is the author of Do You Know How to Shut Up? His focus is on helping people move from where they are in business and life to where they want to be. Mike has a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s degree in psychology as well as more than 25 years of experience.

INCREASE YOUR

LINE BOTTOM GIVE AWAY

VACATIONS

GIVE AWAY VACATIONS TO Bahamas Puerto Rico Las Vegas Aruba Cancun Jamaica

This year, take some time to examine your business time and your personal life to identify those areas that are not working as well as you would like. Understand that sometimes you need to let go of control, trust in others and, importantly, trust in yourself. Also, be mindful of your stress levels. Just because you own a business does not mean you need to be there 24 hours a day.

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April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

SEASONAL DRINKS: SPRING

Sunglasses

Cocktail &

Glasses By Sara Kay

With the right spirits, mixers and ingredients, your spring cocktail menu is sure to shine.

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

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fter spending approximately 88 days putting up with cold, wind and the occasional snowfall, it is finally spring, meaning that spring cocktails are in full bloom. Because it is such a transitional season, meaning it can still be chilly but can also have some seriously sun-shiny days, it’s important to implement a few different things into your spring drink menu. Fresh ingredients with bright colors and flavors, and above all else, seasonal ingredients, are what will transform your cocktails from cozy and warm for winter, to clean and cool for springtime. With the right spirits, mixers and ingredients, your spring cocktail menu is sure to shine.

Brighten Your Spirits The tough part about designing a seasonal cocktail menu is tuning out the stereotypes that different spirits tend to carry around when it comes to seasonality. The “usuals” might

include: whiskey is only good for cold weather cocktails, all spring cocktails should have clear spirits, the more juice the better, etc. As our cocktail palates improve and we realize the different flavor notes that different spirits have, it’s more evident that any spirit can really be transformed into a cocktail, depending on the type of ingredients that you pair it with. A whiskey cocktail that incorporates fresh and seasonal fruits with a touch of sweetness can be just as spring-friendly as anything else. While using the familiar spirits is a good way to have a solid spring cocktail list, it’s always good to throw in a curveball. The best such approach for spring this time around is, without a doubt, Cachaça, the fermented sugar cane juice that comes from Brazil. The best known way to enjoy Cachaça is in a Cairpirinha, a mixture of Cachaça with muddled fresh lime and sugar, similar to the traditional Margarita. But, since this is the season for keeping it fresh, there’s no reason to not throw in a few twists to the traditional Caipirinha that will showcase the Cachaça in the best possible way. Cachaça lends itself to a wide array of mixable ingredients because of its slightly sweet flavor and smooth finish, so why not change it up this season?

Ingredients: • 1.5 parts Canadian Club • 3 one-inch chunks of fresh mango • 1 half-moon slice of orange • 2 sugar cubes • 2 to 3 dashes of orange bitters • Soda water • M araschino cherry for garnish

Kilbeggan Dubliner Ingredients: • 3 parts Kilbeggan® Irish whiskey • 2 parts sweet vermouth • 1.5 parts cherry syrup • 1.5 parts cranberry juice • Dash simple syrup (optional)

Directions: In an Old Fashioned or double rocks glass, muddle the sugar cube with the bitters, add fruit and muddle again, insuring the release of oils from the orange peel. Fill glass with small, cubed ice, add whisky and stir. Add splash of soda water, stir once more, drop in a cherry for garnish.

To Serve: Combine all ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake for 60 seconds. Strain neat into a martini glass. Garnish with a black cherry.

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Mango Smash Cocktail

April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

Spring Mixin’s and Fixin’s

The Kiwi Caipirinha Ingredients: • 2 oz Leblon Cachaça • 1/4 oz Pernod • 1 oz apple juice • 1/4 oz fresh lime juice • 1/4 oz simple syrup • 1 kiwi-peeled and chopped To Serve: Muddle kiwi and simple syrup in a shaker. Shake vigorously with remaining ingredients and strain into a rocks glass over crushed ice. Garnish with kiwi slices.

A spring cocktail won’t be much of a drink without some seasonal mixers and ingredients to compliment your spirits. Like any good couple, it’s sometimes hard to appreciate one without the other, so make sure to take into account the kind of spirit you are using and what flavors it will mix best with. Some spirits, like rum, have flavor profiles that lend to a lot of fresh citrus, and since limes and lemons are in their prime during the spring, this is an excellent way to implement these crisp and clean flavors together. Juices are also a really important part of spring cocktails, as long as the fruits they come from are seasonal as well. Fruits to look for include grapefruits, cherries, and navel oranges, as they are all at their peak during the spring months. The better the fruit, the better the juice, so be sure to use as many seasonal fruit juices as possible (and make the juice in-house to really go above and beyond), rather than ones that may have already made their seasonal appearances.

Spring also leans toward sweet cocktails, but to make sure that the cocktails are not full of sugar and nothing else, it’s important to look into different kinds of liqueurs that will compliment the drink with a sweet element without making it a sugar bomb. Cedilla açai liqueur, a new brand made from the açai berry, is an excellent addition to consider for this kind of cocktail construction. Rather than muddling tablespoons of sugar and completely shocking your patrons palate’s, a slightly sweet and bright spirit like Cedilla is a perfect alternative. While it is a very deep and complex flavor, Cedilla is incredibly mixable with a variety of spirits and other flavorforward ingredients. To finish off a perfect spring cocktail, there is nothing better than an aromatic garnish to complement each sip. The key to a good garnish is to use one that can also be incorporated into the liquid itself; i.e., don’t make a drink with a sprig of lavender without bringing that flavor in another way, such as with lavender bitters. For spring, the best way to go is herbaceous, so keep an eye out for fresh mint, basil and tarragon. These herbs can be mixed easily with a lot of different fruits and even vegetables, and can be very complimentary to fresh juices as well. For all ingredients that you bring into your spring

Kumquat-ginger • • • •

2 oz Leblon Cachaça 5 kumquats Pinch of grated ginger 2 tsp superfine sugar or 1 oz Simple Syrup

Cut five kumquats in half. Muddle the kumquat halves, ginger, and sugar in a shaker. Fill the shaker with ice and add Leblon Cachaça. Shake vigorously. Serve in a rocks glass. Garnish with a kumquat slice.

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

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Tulipe de Lis By Marshall Altier • • • •

Trini Cherry Shandy By Marshall Altier

2 oz Denizen Rum ¾ oz fresh lime juice ¾ oz St Germain Elderflower Liqueur ½ tsp granulated sugar

• • • • • • •

Place sugar and lime juice in a mixing tin and dissolve sugar. Add remaining ingredients and ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a wedge of lime.

Lady Lavender By Aisha Sharpe • • • •

1.5 oz Denizen Rum 0.5 oz St. Germain Elderflower liqueur 0.5 oz lemon juice 1 tsp Maraschino liqueur Cherry Lambic Hefeweizen Lemon wedge, for garnish

Pour all ingredients, except beer, into a mixing tin. Add ice and shake. Strain into a tall glass.Top with equal parts Cherry Lambic and Hefeweizen. Garnish with a cured cherry and lemon wedge.

1.5 oz gin 1 oz Cedilla 1 oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth 3 dashes lavender bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice. Stir well, and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with an edible flower.

Cedilla Sunset • • • • • •

1 oz gin (or vodka) 1 oz Cedilla ¾ oz lemon juice ½ oz simple syrup soda, to top spring of terragon

Combine gin, Cedilla, lemon juice, a few terragon leaves, and simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Top with soda, and garnish with a spring of terragon.

cocktail list, try to keep them as local and seasonal as possible—more often than not if you are using an ingredient that is out of season and not from around the area, it won’t be as fresh and may not bring the best results in terms of flavor and appearance. The best (and easiest) way to find these fresh and local fruits? Peruse your local

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farmers market. Some farmers will even let you sample the goods before you buy, to make sure they are exactly the flavor you want to incorporate with your cocktail. Springtime is meant for warm weather and good times with friends over some great drinks, so even if you can’t control the sun, you can always control the spirits.

April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

d e s u s c e o l F ma e F By Sara Kay

“A woman is like a tea bag—you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

Bar Business Magazine

April 2012

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leanor Roosevelt, a pioneer in the women’s movement throughout history, makes an excellent point with that quote. At face value, a woman may be able to show her skills in whatever she does and truly shine, but when she is faced with adversity, a difficult task, an unfamiliar environment, that is when she is truly able to go above and beyond. The alcohol service industry, full of incredible talent, has for a long time been dominated by mostly incredibly talented men. But women are slowly and

recognize the amazing women behind the stick nationwide. While SpeedRack (www.speed-rack.com) started as a joke between Mix and Marrero over drinks in New York one day, it turned into a sensation that has put a spotlight on the incredible talent that is gracing the bars of Los Angeles, Denver, New York, D.C., Boston, Portland, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston and Las Vegas. “I started to think about the way I was brought into the cocktail community,” says Mix. “I bartended for years and I acquired a skill set that was all about tequila and mezcal, and

The females who enter SpeedRack are fierce and fiery, but are all there together to celebrate the art of bartending.

surely rising up in the ranks in all sorts of ways; they are head bartenders, bar managers and bar consultants, chief mixologists, world-renowned spirits experts and bar owners as well. While the men in the bar industry are no doubt some of the best talents the nightlife world has ever seen, it’s time to recognize that females are doing some amazing things as well, and are coming together to give props to their fellow women whom they respect the most. In the cocktail and spirits world, there is no shortage of groups and clubs that people can join in order to learn more about their craft and discuss it with others. In an effort to bring together the drink-mixing females in the industry, Lynnette Marrero and Ivy Mix, two hugely successful female spirits professionals, started an all-female touring cocktail contest called SpeedRack (double entendre duly noted) to

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when I moved to New York, that was the thing. When I decided I wanted to do cocktail bartending, I was not really welcomed with open arms. It was more like, ‘You’re a woman, you don’t really care about this, you should work in Coyote Ugly.’” After thinking about all the great females she knew in the industry who weren’t getting the recognition they deserved, Mix thought it was time to pull them all together to show off just how skilled they were. And to really step it up a notch, Mix and Marrero decided to have all proceeds from the competition go to breast cancer research. Now, with its incredible success, SpeedRack hits the trifecta; charity, education, and female empowerment. “We wanted to make it something about promoting women in the industry,” says Mix. “We developed this unique

April 2012 Bar Business Magazine 37

r e?

“I have to say, I think some of the best bartenders in the country right now are women.”

Bar Business Magazine

format that is totally unique about cocktail competitions, and now we are living the rockstar life and going on tour.” Marrero, president of New York’s chapter of LUPEC (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails), had a heavy hand in the creation of SpeedRack along with Mix. Her involvement in her LUPEC chapter had her meeting some very influential women, and having the opportunity to showcase female talent nationwide, it was a perfect way to continue with her support of cocktails, as well as strong females in the industry. “Women are definitely focused, and you can see a lot of this in every bar, where you see women learning and taking the time and coming up through the ranks,” says Marrero. “A lot of us started as cocktail waitresses and then moved up. It takes tenacity to move up to the top.” The strength and genius behind SpeedRack has been

noticed as it continues its tour of the United States, with the finale to be held in New York City in May. As more people begin to realize that bartending is a lifestyle and not just a job to make a few extra dollars, organizations like LUPEC and SpeedRack will be able to get greater numbers of women involved, and make some huge steps in the cocktail industry. “There’s a stigma that needs to be changed, and now it’s changing,” says Mix. “Bartending is a career now. We have the power to be the Danny Meyer’s of the spirits industry. There’s this notion that women can’t be behind the bar because they look ridiculous with suspenders and moustaches. There’s a stigma that has carried over, that in the cocktail community we just need women for sex appeal, and I hope that stops. As much as I want women behind the bar, they need to be professional and know their game.” Aisha Sharpe, a world-renowned cocktail consultant and

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respected professional in the spirits industry, finds that the implementation of competitions like SpeedRack is perfect for shining a light on not just female bartenders, but women in the industry in general. “I have to say there are a lot of women in the industry— wonderful women—who are not bartenders,” says Sharpe. “But, I have to say, I think some of the best bartenders in the country right now are women.” When Sharpe got into the industry 16 years ago, she was fortunate enough to do a lot of work with King Cocktail himself, Dale DeGroff. By learning from him and other influential professionals, she made a name for herself as a go-to source for any and all things cocktail. With the evergrowing popularity of the bartending industry and the implementation of SpeedRack, the females who have always been dong great things are now in the spotlight that they have always deserved. “[SpeedRack and LUPEC] are celebrating women in the industry, nothing else but celebrating and bringing them all together,” says Sharpe. “I think it’s fantastic.” Elayne Duke is one of these incredible women in the industry that Sharpe is referring to; not a bartender, but still a talent when it comes to cocktails. Starting out on the marketing side of things for Diageo, Duke found that her true calling was in representing the liquid itself in cocktail form. After doing the reading, the training, and taking advice from some of the biggest names in the cocktail world, Duke was named Chief Mixologist for Diageo’s luxury brands. While her climb to the top was one that was very much due to her own dedication to the craft, programs like LUPEC and SpeedRack surely helped when it came to having the confidence to rise above the talented men that were striving for the same job. “It’s an interesting time for women,” says Duke. “Things like LUPEC and SpeedRack are great, but some people argue against them. Men say, ‘You wouldn’t let us have an all guys thing,’ and that’s true, but you already have the all guys thing.

“SpeedRack is great because it showcases how awesome women are behind the bar, and how fierce they are competing.”

“In the bar world, girls have just been eye candy. Any girl that made a break, she had to work her ass off more than you did. Guys had bar jobs, manager jobs, and we were the window dressing behind the bar. That’s an intimidating place to start, and thanks to people like Julie Reiner and Audrey Saunders, we see that women can own a bar and be a woman who is respected and who the press talks about. SpeedRack is great because it opened the door for a lot of girls who didn’t even know possibilities in this industry existed.”

Females may be the only ones competing in SpeedRack, but their male counterparts are a huge asset to them as barbacks and cheering squads during the competition.

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April 2012 Bar Business Magazine 39

THE LADIES HAVE THE LAST WORD: Name: Lindsay Nader Head Bartender, Pour Vous, Los Angeles “Women are doing really well right now. You have women like Aisha [Sharpe] and Audrey [Saunders] and great pioneers that set the stage for the younger generations to come up and be successful. I think every pocket in the U.S. has really talented females at the forefront right now, and SpeedRack is an amazing platform to show off those women. It’s for women, by women, supporting women, and I don’t think we need to be singled out, but it’s cool that we have a really strong network right now. It’s brilliant.”

Name: Lynn House Chief Mixologist, Blackbird, Chicago

Name: Natalia Cardenas Bartender, Balena, Chicago

“This is such a male dominated industry that it’s very easy for a woman—a talented, driven woman—to get swallowed up in it because you are dancing on two sides. LUPEC has a tremendous social aspect; it’s people gathering together with the same interests and we’re not having to compete with our male half. I run a beverage program and 90% of the people I deal with are men, and now I’m known in the city and people understand that I know my stuff, but that was a process. SpeedRack is great because it’s fun and it showcases how awesome women are behind the bar, and how fierce they are behind the bar. It’s amazing, super positive and high energy, and we’re celebrating women.”

“I love that our community of bartenders around the country and around the world is so close. We participate in a number of events that not only create friendships but unite us for good causes. It’s so important for females to unite and support each other in this industry. Fortunately, we have organizations like SpeedRack and LUPEC that help cultivate a greater sense of sisterhood behind the bar.”

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

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A Little BOUNCE in Your Step A New York City venue heads downtown to expand upon its original outpost and continue the co-ed evolution of the sports bar: Less fanatic, more fantastic. By Chris Ytuarte

here are some sports bars meant to serve one purpose: Provide men a room, filled with beer and TV’s, in which they can stare at the game, occasionally yell at the screen, and drink with their fellow fanatics. As noble a cause as that may be, sometimes there needs to be a bit more of a social component to the big game or the casual Friday night event. Sometimes, we might even want the women around. And for that, there is Bounce Sporting Club in New York City. The evolution (and possibly the maturation?) of the sports bar continues, both in New York and elsewhere around the country. A hybrid of sorts, the lounge/club/bar feel, 42

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

surrounded on all sides by the biggest TVs possible, is a way for bar owners to appeal to both sides of the sporting equation: the man who watches, and the woman who waits for the game to end. Bounce is “a different breed of sports bar, where the dive around the corner has been replaced by the player’s clubhouse.” This completely renovated, 4,000-square-foot venue is a hybrid of a full-scale restaurant, sports bar, and event space. On any of the 30 large flat screen TVs throughout, you can view a daily variety of live sporting events, games, shows, and news. Since opening in midSeptember 2011, Bounce Sporting Club has hosted events for www.barbizmag.com

Bounce's "library" lounge area makes customers feel like they are watching the big game at home.

prominent fashion designers, non-profit organizations, liquor companies, corporate cocktail receptions and birthday parties for music executives, socialites, and former professional athletes. Celebrities in attendance have included Mario Lopez, Q-Tip, Kris Humphries, Scott Disick, Neyo, Olivia Munn, Kellan Lutz, Jessica Lowndes, Adrienne Bailon, among many others. “We first opened up Bounce on the Upper East Side eight years ago,” says Bounce co-owner Cole Bernard. “It was one of the first high-end sports bars that had the flat screen TVs and plasma TVs. It was a high-end sports bar with a high-end menu, so it’s not your typical bar food of just chicken wings and burgers, etc. It was taking a high-end menu as well as a nicer room—for a sports bar—and integrating it with the plasmas, and that’s how we first came up with the bounce concept uptown some eight years ago.” Seeing success uptown, and knowing full well that a strikingly different demographic awaited tapping downtown, www.barbizmag.com

Bernard and his team opened the second location at 55 West 21st Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues, this past September. “We decided to take the Bounce uptown model and tweak it a little bit, to format it around the downtown crowd a little bit more,” he says. “And what I mean by that is we integrated the downtown DJs you might see at SL or Catch or Avenue, like Dalton, Brooklyn Dawn, Calcutta, etc., and brought them in here on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.” Thursday through Saturday, the DJs go on between 7 and 8 pm, and they spin until closing. This addition is not lost on the female clientele targeted by the business plan of a hybrid sports bar. “We do play the game sound on the TVs when certain games get close or for very big games; but for the most part it’s usually just the music that’s audible,” says Bernard. “Because the one thing about our concept is that we want to make it female friendly. And women aren’t typically intrigued by the sports, for the most part, so you have to keep their attention. Where the women go, the men go. And there is the April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

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A rotating seasonal cocktail menu features eight signature drinks to avoid confusing the customer.

Bounce formula: Keeping the females happy on two ends— keeping them entertained and giving them great food offerings that are not just typical fried foods and bar food.” Like the uptown location, Bounce’s downtown venue offers a food and drink menu well beyond the typical sports bar pub grub fare. This is a key component, says Bernard, in both getting the female customer through the door, and keeping her happy long enough for the guys to be satisfied— from tip-off to the final buzzer. Currently up for imbibing on the spring cocktail menu, and clearly geared toward the female palate (both in name and in taste), are the Kiss and Cry (Grey Goose Le Poire, Pear Brandy, Cointreau, pomegranate juice), the Trophy Wife (Belvedere Pink Grapefruit, Domaine de Canton, lemon, Champagne), the Yard Sale (Earl Gray Infused Stolichnaya, Aperol, lemon); the Dirty Double Crosser (Double Cross Vodka, olive juice, blue cheese stuffed olives), the Slumpbuster (Jameson, Kahlua, Baileys, Espresso), Just the Tip 44

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

(Stranahan’s Whiskey, St. Germaine, peach puree, pink grapefruit juice), the Parlay (Sailor Jerry’s Rum, lemon juice, ginger beer, candied ginger garnish), and the Hot Streak (jalapeno-infused El Jimidor, Cointreau, blue agave nectar, passion fruit puree). “The cocktails were designed by Chelsea Dunkel, who is our house mixologist,” says Bernard. “We typically have around eight cocktails, because you don’t want to have too many choices to the point where people get lost. It’s going to be a seasonal cocktail menu, rotating again this summer and then again in the fall. We also have a varied selection of beer for the guys to choose from.” Likewise, Bounce’s food menu is perfectly proportioned to keep the ladies content while the game is on. Five substantial salads (Sesame Chicken, Caesar, Nicoise, Sporting Club Chopped, and the Steak Panzanella) round out a full menu of flatbreads, gourmet burgers, and varied appetizers. “The difference between the two venues, at least foodwww.barbizmag.com

An open floor plan and comfortable banquette seating make Bounce a place the ladies like to be.

wise, is that the downtown menu is larger, and it’s a little bit more detailed and up-to-date,” says Bernard. “The uptown location has more of a neighborhood feel to it. Fridays and Saturdays it has a party atmosphere, and during the big games it has a party atmosphere, and we have Sunday Funday during football season, of course. But the clientele is a little bit different between the two. We get much more of a Wall Street crowd downtown on Thursdays and Fridays for Happy Hour, and during the week in general. Uptown is more full of people who work in the neighborhood who come around after work for a bite to eat and to watch the games.” Of course, beyond the food and drink, attracting women to a sports bar requires the venue itself be attractive. And while it’s a fine line to straddle between macho athletic and vogue femininity, Bounce has managed to find a gray area to work with that keeps both customer bases content. “There are multiple aspects to attracting women to a sports bar,” says Bernard. “The room is designed so that it's not just your typical high-top tables and stools like a lot of sports bars. Usually it’s either standing or just stools. We have comfortable banquette seating. So when you first walk into the room, there are six horseshoe banquettes that fit anywhere between eight to 12 people. In the back, there’s more banquette seating in our library section, and then we have 16 high-top tables and stools

on the main floor. It’s more communal-friendly, for when groups are going out together and coming in for dinner.” Bernard and his team see an ever-growing crowd of men and women enjoying Bounce’s atmosphere, and expansion to a third venue (and beyond) always remains an option. “We’re only six months into the new property, so we want to have that running smoothly,” he says. “And when the right opportunities come along, we look at them all case-by-case. So we’re not really seeking; it’s more of when the right opportunity for us as a group arrives, we’ll be ready.” Game on.

Your Personal Bartender in a Bottle!

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April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

Inventory Appleton Estate Rum Gets a New Look

Self-serve Dispensers, Double-digit Sales

Appleton Estate 21 Year Old Jamaica Rum has received a package upgrade in keeping with its luxury positioning. Appleton Estate 21 Year Old’s signature royal blue colour cues have been retained in the canister, the neck and foot labels and the cartouche, however the new decanter now has a painted label in keeping with the luxury profile of the brand. The new label highlights unique aspects of Appleton Estate’s manufacturing process with the inclusion of signature phrases such as “estate distilled” and “handcrafted since 1749”. It also draws attention to the some of the brands unique qualities such as the fact that this rum is minimum aged for 21 years and that it is a rare limited edition. The new label also features an updated version of the Appleton Estate Jamaica Rum logo. The Appleton Estate’s 260+ year history and heritage is showcased on the neck label which features the brands iconic artist’s impression of the Appleton Estate scene and the 21 years minimum ageing is again highlighted on the cartouche. For more information, visit www.appletonestate.com.

Two keys to a successful bar business are driving traffic and increasing sales of high margin drinks, like draft beer. Bar and restaurant owners are finding the answer to both in Beer Tubes™ beverage dispensers from DJ Beverage Innovations. Beer Tubes were conceived as a “fun way to drink draft beer,” and while the fun aspect is still there, Beer Tubes have developed into a sales booster for bar businesses worldwide, getting credit for increased draft beer sales and sparking the “Beer Tubes experience” – the chain-reaction that sweeps through the bar when the first Tube is carried to a table. Beer Tubes, made of state-of-the-art BPA-free Eastman Tritan™ co-polyester, keep beverages cold longer than pitchers and allow patrons to serve themselves at their table. A 128-ounce Super Tube is also available. The simple three-piece design of Beer Tubes (tube, base, tap) makes them easy to fill, clean and maintain, and the parts are all modular – all tubes fit all bases and all taps fit all tubes. The company has developed a complete “system” for bars using Beer Tubes, including specially formulated cleaning powder, brushes and drying racks. For additional information, visit www.BeerTubes.com.

First Reggae, Now Rum: Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum

Cliq.io: Never Ask for a Business Referral Again!

The first thing to come to mind when thinking of Jamaica’s greatest exports is usually reggae. But that is about to change as music industry legend Chris Blackwell, the man who introduced the world to Bob Marley and other reggae greats, introduces Blackwell Fine Jamaican Rum. Highly sought-after, yet previously only to be found in Jamaica, Blackwell’s eponymous rum is now available in New York and New Jersey, and will be launched in California and Florida on September 1, and in Illinois on October 1. Seeking to create a spirit that would blend effortlessly with other ingredients and mixers, yet could also be enjoyed neat, Blackwell and Kirshenbaum deliberately took their time tasting and tweaking recipes and formulas until they achieved perfection. The result, produced by J.Wray & Nephew at Appleton Estate in Jamaica, captures the essence of the island in beverage form. For more information visit www.blackwellrum.com.

This is the smartphone app that will finally organize your business: Cliq.io makes it easy to manage all the people you hire around the bar—from plumbers to accountants to distributors. Cliq. io also makes it easy to share referrals among your friends, family, and neighbors. With Cliq.io you can easily keep all your service providers in one place—separate from your personal or professional contacts. You can use Cliq.io to easily contact providers, schedule appointments, and set reminders. And everything sync’s with the contacts and calendar on your phone. Need a great carpenter or repairman? Share Cliq.io with your friends and you’ll never have to ask for a referral again. Visit www.cliq.io for more information.

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

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Arkansas Hickory Smoked Whiskey Now Available

Hiram Walker® Adds Juicy Flavor With Watermelon Schnapps

Distilled by Rock Town Distillery, Arkansas’ first “legal” distillery since prohibition, “Arkansas Hickory Smoked Whiskey” is now available throughout Arkansas. Packaged in 750ml bottles with a distinctive light-brown label, the beautiful golden whiskey is sure to be a favorite in any whiskey drinkers collection. Arkansas Hickory Smoked Whiskey” is artisan distilled in Rock Town Distillery’s handmade traditional American copper pot still. Each batch is made from a mash of the finest Arkansas soft red winter wheat and aged in ex-bourbon casks at the distillery in Little Rock. To achieve the hickory smoked character in the whiskey, prior to mashing; the grain was steeped in water and then slowly dried over a hickory smoked fire in our own smokers. Arkansas Hickory Smoked Whiskey is handmade in very small batches and only about 58 cases were bottled Visit www.arkansaslightning.com.

Hiram Walker, the classic, diverse line of allnatural premium liqueurs, schnapps, brandies, and triple sec, is pleased to announce the launch of its second new permanent flavor addition in the past six months, Hiram Walker® Watermelon Sour Schnapps. Hitting retail shelves in February 2012, Watermelon Sour is a 30 proof watermelon schnapps that can be uniquely combined with a wide range of spirits and mixers to create cocktails, mixed or straight up, that are easy to drink and bursting with juicy watermelon flavor. Flavored cocktails continue to gain traction in the on- and off-premise, making Watermelon a natural selection as the next permanent addition to join the wide and wonderful array of cordials in the Hiram Walker portfolio. Like all Hiram Walker flavors, Watermelon Sour Schnapps is made with all-natural flavors, adding a fun and palatable twist to a range of mixed drinks and shot recipes. For more info, visit www.HiramWalker.com.

New Malibu® Sunshine Heats Up Summer Sales

Platinum 7X Vodka Has A Bold New Look

Malibu®, the number one selling Caribbean Rum with coconut liqueur, is adding a splash of sunshine to its family of tropical flavored rums to welcome the summer. The brand announces the launch of Malibu Sunshine, a new permanent addition that marries the brand’s signature smooth coconut flavor with a hint of sun kissed lemon-lime citrus fruit. Malibu Sunshine packaging boasts a vibrant solar design that captures the energy of the sun and is a great stand out on any shelf or back bar. Malibu is supporting the launch of Sunshine with an aggressive digital and social media marketing plan. On-line, a custom built tab on the Malibu Market Facebook page will build awareness and interest in new Malibu Sunshine and drive consumers to download the Malibu Sun Lens app, a summer fun app that adds a unique Sunshine filter to any photo. Posters, table tents and static clings on-premise will be available to spread the Malibu Sunshine message and encourage trial among consumers. www.malibu-rum.com. www.barbizmag.com

Platinum 7X has raised the bar on what it means to be an ultrasmooth vodka. Distilled seven times, Platinum 7X Vodka makes a bold impression, delivering purity, smoothness, and an attractive price point. The Sazerac team has crafted something truly exceptional, unveiling a stylish, contemporary new look for this fast-growing brand that clearly reflects the superpremium experience of the spirits inside. Proudly American-made from high-quality grain, Platinum 7x is a remarkable vodka that delivers a memorable drinking experience every time.The experts agree: The San Francisco World Spirits Competition awarded Platinum 7X a Gold Medal in its vodka category and The Beverage Testing Institute rated it “Best Buy” and “Highly Recommended.” . On premise accounts can find a variety of recipes for Platinum 7X cocktails at www.platinum7x.com.

April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

Holiday Happenings

May 2012

May 1: Save the Rhino Day. Did you know the leading killer of humans in the African safari is the hippopotamus? So ignore that big grump and serve up Charging Rhino cocktails: 1.5 oz vodka 0.5 oz Campari® bitters 0.5 oz dry vermouth Shake with ice. Strain, garnish with lemon.

May 5: National Hoagie Day. What the hell is a hoagie, anyway? Is it a sub? A hero? I don’t know. How is it different from a grinder? Is anybody listening to me?

May 7: Astronomy Day. Ok Galileo, drag your patrons out into the night and challenge them to pick out and name at least one constellation to earn a free drink. There’s an app for that.

May 8: No Socks Day. More importantly, no socks with sandals. Anyone who violates this life-law should be banned from you bar forever.

May 9: National Train Day. To honor the great trains of America, offer discounted rail drinks all night. And of course, check out www.railwayage.com.

May 11: Twilight Zone Day. Rod Serling was Don Draper-cool before there was a Don Draper. Show some respect. Serve up some extra dirty martinis on this night, Mad Men style.

May 13: Frog Jumping Day. The Fat Frog: 1 bottle Smirnoff® Ice 1 bottle Bacardi Breezer® Orange 1 bottle WKD® Original Vodka Blue Get 2 pint glasses, pour one half Smirnoff Ice into one pint glass and the rest in the other; do the same with the orange breezer, then the Blue WKD. Mix, and the drink should turn green. Add ice as desired.

May 18: National Pizza Party Day. It’s easy enough to cook up some DiGiorno pizzas and call it a party. Customers always love free food, and this is your perfect excuse to put it on the menu and keep them drinking just a little bit longer.

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

26 May 26: International Jazz Day. Two words: Gregory Porter. Upload this guy’s two CDs to your digital jukebox ASAP and hit repeat on this day. In particular, the title track on his album “Be Good” is killer, as is "Real Good Hands."

28 May 28: National Hamburger Day. Two more words: Five Guys. ‘Nuff said.

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Lefty O'Doul's World Famous MIxers

www.BestBloodyMarys.com

Manhattan Cocktail Classic

www.manhattancocktailclassic.com

McCormick Distilling Company

www.mccormickdistilling.com

Modern Line Furniture

www.modernlinefurniture.com

New York Bar & Restaurant Show, The

www.thebarandrestaurantshow.com

Pernod Ricard

www.absolut.com

Roaring Lion Energy Drink

www.roaringlionenergydrink.com

Sheff Imports

www.wirconusa.com

Ultimate Bars

www.ultimatebars.com

Vacation Adventures

www.vacationadventures.biz

Wood Seating, Inc.

Inventory Companies Appleton Estate Rum Arkansas Hickory Whiskey Beer Tubes Blackwell Rum Cliq.io Hiram Walker Malibu Sunshine Paltinum 7X Vodka

www.appletonestate.com www.arkansaslightning.com www.beertubes.com www.blackwellrum.com www.cliq.io www.hiramwalker.com www.malibu-rum.com www.platinum7x.com

To advertise in Bar Business Magazine contact, Art Sutley, Ph: 212-620-7247, e-mail: asutley@sbpub.com

www.barbizmag.com

April 2012 Bar Business Magazine

Supply Side Spotlight

The Good Book of Bols

As the Master Distiller for Lucas Bols, Piet Van Leijenhorst consults a series of antique, hand-written journals containing the secrets of Bols Genever and other company spirits. Piet recently spoke with Bar Business about bringing his unique, venerable brand to the attention of modern bar owners and building relationships between supplier and end-user.

BB: As a master distiller who helps shape a brand, what are some of the most important things you think a supplier/brand needs to know about bar owners and managers to best cultivate a relationship and build brand loyalty? PVL: Suppliers should have a solid understanding of stock at the bar they're working with, in terms of the levels, the limited space, and the need for rotation. BB: Likewise, what do bar owners need to understand about suppliers and brands and the way they operate that might help them open a better channel for incorporating new products on-premise? PVL: Bars owners should realize that new products can elevate the status of the bar, in terms of customer satisfaction and experience. They should never be afraid to bring new flavors to their patrons. BB: What is the best approach for a supplier to get a brand message across to busy bar owners who have heard it all before?

Bar Business Magazine April 2012

PVL: Make them a partner in it. Don't 'push' the product in, but find a common ground as to why the bar would benefit from having a product like yours, and vice versa. BB: From the supplier side, what does new technology mean in terms of brand reach, and is social media an effective new tool? PVL: The Internet has given brands a real-time opportunity to express the brand values in both a controlled way on Web pages, and in an uncontrolled wayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;social media is the best example of that. And if you have good proposition, the users will acknowledge that and awareness will increase with speed and in numbers. BB: How can bar owners benefit most from a healthy relationship with suppliers and brands in general? PVL: By knowing the brand values and the activities surrounding the brands, the bar owner can accommodate these brands with marketing opportunities in all kinds of forms through their business.

www.barbizmag.com

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A natural fit in lounges and alcoves, as well as patios and alfresco areas, Haiku’s stunning design makes a strong statement about your bar’s unique character. Consider it performance art for the ceiling. Big Ass Fans® have been recommended by more than 4,000 design professionals. After a decade of engineering innovative air-movement solutions for large rooms, we heard your request: to make a small fan worthy

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May be covered by one or more of the following U.S. Patents: 6,244,821; 6,589,016; 6,817,835; 6,939,108; 7,252,478; 7,284,960; D587,799; D607,988, D612,476; D614,757, and other patents pending. ©2012 Delta T Corporation dba the Big Ass Fan Company. All rights reserved.

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