musician Daryl Hall talks about opening his new live music venue. Daryl’s House: Legendary The How-To Publication
BAR BUSINE$$ December 2014
M A G A Z I N E
Modern Look
Reinvesting in your on-premise furniture design
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BAR BUSINE$$
On Tap DECEMBER 2014
CONTENTS
10
vodka Passion
HOW TO
15
15
21
26
The finer furnishings
Hands off your online
It’s all in the numbers
One of the best ways to bring a new look and feel to your venue for 2015 is to reinvest in your on-premise furniture concept.
Cyber security, especially around the holiday spending season, is more important than ever in bars and nightclubs.
It may sound dull, but bad accounting practices and flubbing the numbers can be disastrous for bars both big and small.
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December 2014 Bar Business Magazine
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On Tap
BAR BUSINE$$
CONTENTS
Features 30 SIA Soon
Departments 4 Bar room drawl 6 Booze News Sean “Diddy” Combs and Diageo hip-hop into the tequila market; The first robot cocktail shaker from the future; Space Ibiza shifts continents with a move to New York City; On the prowl with TapHunter.
10 liquid Assets In the ever expanding world of the vodka category, sometimes it pays to step back and take a look at the passion behind some of the brands that make up this booming spirits segment around the globe.
40 Big six
40
Just north of New York City, musical legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Daryl Hall has opened his first live music venue. Step inside to Daryl’s House.
44 Inventory 46 holiday happenings 48 OWNING UP
In a world of surly Scottish gentlemen who age their whisky for decades, one woman has stepped into their realm to create her own NAS blended Scotch called SIA.
34 Star Service Some of the most celebrated (and celebrity) chefs in America have taken note of the modern mixology craze and offer some tips for creating crafty cocktails.
ON THE COVER:
Design pieces from Modern Line Furniture provide a sharp look at the club Above Rooftop in Staten Island, NY.
We may never truly be rid of them, but there are ways to minimize the impact of the scourge of the service industry — the cockroach.
34 “Bar Business Magazine” (ISSN 1944-7531 [print], ISSN 2161-5071 [digital]) (USPS# 000-342) is published February, April, June, August, October, & December for $45.00 per year and January, March, May, July, September, & November will only be offered in a digital format at no charge by Simmons-Boardman, 55 Broad St 26th Fl., New York, NY 10004. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offices. Copyright © 2014 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 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172. 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 of the how-to activities published in the magazine. Further, the publisher and authors assume no liability for damages or injuries resulting from projects contained herein. All rights reserved. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Bar Business Magazine, PO Box 1172, Skokie, IL 60076-8172.
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Bar Business Magazine December 2014
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Bar Room Drawl By Chris Ytuarte Editor-in-Chief
It's Been a Banner Year "Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." — Benjamin Franklin And by banner year, of course, I mean it has been a year full of banner headlines for the nightlife industry in 2014, some better than others. But no one can argue that the bar business didn’t make waves this year. First of all, there is the success of barcentric entertainment like Jon Taffer’s Bar Rescue television show (and its imitators) as evidence enough that the inner workings of this interesting industry of ours is not as insular as one might think. Both bar owners/operators and the customers who love them are tuning in to see how it all works. There aren’t many professions that can say the same; check your local listings for that hot new reality show, “The CPA’s of Orange County.” It may be tough to find. And across the country, state and local governments all year have been clamoring for legalized casinos to open in their area, hoping for new revenue streams that even the biggest, baddest gaming floor in Las Vegas will tell you is, these days, all about the clubs and restaurants and not so much about blackjack. The bar scene is where the dollars are flowing in.
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Let’s face it, the bar business is becoming a backbone of the U.S. economy. Just look at some of those aforementioned banner headlines: The U.S. Department of Labor reported that 214,000 new jobs were created across the nation in the month of October, of which roughly 42,000 (or 20%) were bartending positions and other food-service and “drinking places” opportunities — the most job growth of any measured sector. Surely this success, growth, and interest in the bar industry is all tied together. More people are curious about the industry so they watch TV shows and read magazines about it, then apply for jobs in it; those jobs become more available because business is good based on the continuing interest. This is the kind of circular flow we like to see. Of course no industry is without its blemishes. In November we saw a headline about the owner of a gentlemen’s club in Manhattan who was ordered to pay $10 million in damages to his dancers after illegally withholding their tips and classifying them as independent contractors rather than in-house employees to avoid paying minimum wages. And then there is the Manhattan restaurant owner being fined $5,000 for placing “gender-biased” want-ads seeking “waitresses” and “hostesses.” Be careful, folks. All in all though, I would say 2015 is shaping up to be a great one for the bar business. Let’s keep the positive headlines coming.
BAR BUSINE$$ MAGAZINE
December 2014 Vol. 7, No. 12 Bar Business Magazine (ISSN 1944-7531) is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 55 Broad St 26th Fl., New York, NY 10004 executive offices
President Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. 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 art
Creative Director Wendy Williams wwilliams@sbpub.com Art Director Sarah Vogwill svogwill@sbpub.com production
Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers mconyers@sbpub.com circulation
Circulation Director Maureen Cooney mcooney@sbpub.com advertising sales
Art Sutley 212-620-7247; fax: 212-633-1863 asutley@sbpub.com circulation department
800-895-4389 Bar Business Magazine is published monthly. All rights reserved. Nothing herein may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher. To Purchase PDF files of covers, layouts or hard copy reprints, please call Art Sutley at 212-620-7247 or email asutley@sbpub.com.
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Booze News
Sean "Diddy" Combs, Diageo AND DeLeón® Tequila Hip Hop into Luxury Tequila Segment
D
iageo and Sean Combs unveil a newly-expanded portfolio from the luxury brand, DELEÓN® Tequila, that brings the extraordinary product to a broader group of consumers through new Platinum and Reposado variants. This marks the first release from the Diageo and Combs Wine & Spirits joint venture since the DELEÓN Tequila acquisition was announced in January. “Consumers are embracing ultra-premium and luxury tequilas, and the exceptional new DELEÓN line will find an expanded audience of believers,” said Larry Schwartz, President, Diageo North America. “With Sean as our joint venture partner, I am confident in DELEÓN’s potential to succeed and believe that it will play an increasingly important role in achieving Diageo’s tequila ambition.” Leading the DELEÓN Tequila line-up is the new Platinum. Un-aged and unrivaled in finish, DELEÓN Platinum Tequila is a provocative Blanco with a rich, complex agave honey that is slow-fermented and twice-distilled. During the second distillation, the head and tail of the distillate are cut to preserve only the most sought-after liquid. This allows the DELEÓN Tequila brand to achieve Platinum’s remarkable smoothness and retain its depth of character. The complete DELEÓN Tequila collection delivers six distinctive variants – three ultra-premium and three luxury
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– made from the finest, handselected 100% Blue Weber agave sourced from the rich earth of the Los Altos region of Jalisco. The DELEÓN Tequila Ultra-Premium line achieves a high level of smoothness and exceptional quality with Platinum, Reposado and Añejo (coming Summer 2015) expressions. The DELEÓN Tequila Luxury line, priced between $150-$850 MSRP per 750ml, boasts the complex profiles of Diamante, a joven, Extra Añejo – and the exquisitely bold and refined Leóna – selected from the DELEÓN private reserves, long-aged and rested in both American Oak and French Sauternes casks. “True luxury is about pushing boundaries to boldly define a way of life,” said Sean Combs, Chairman of Combs Wine & Spirits. “With the creation of DELEÓN we accepted nothing but the best because we know DELEÓN drinkers desire and expect the best tequila on the market – and that’s exactly what we’ve delivered. I fell in love with DELEÓN when I first tasted it and I hope you will too.” DELEÓN® Platinum and Reposado are available now. For more information on DELEÓN, visit www.deleontequila.com. www.barbizmag.com
ROBOT COCKTAIL SHAKER LANDS ON EARTH
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agnified Self, an innovative food and beverage technology company, has introduced the industry’s first connected cocktail shaker, B4RM4N. Available on Kickstarter, B4RM4N features a revolutionary smart shaker along with a custom smartphone app, which are designed to help anyone mix the perfect cocktail quickly and every time. “I love cocktails but I’m refrained by the complexity and time required to make one. I know from experience that I’m not the only one in this situation,” stated Raphael Terrier, CEO and Founder of Magnified Self. “More and more, consumers are wanting to craft the perfect cocktail at home. Our focus was to design a versatile, easy to use and innovative device that will allow each and every person to create on their own.” B4RM4N technology is a new way of mixing, creating and enjoying cocktails. Simply place the cocktail shaker on a flat surface, launch the app (iOS /Android), touch the connect button (Bluetooth 4.0) and you are ready to pour. Once connected, the shaker’s sensor sends data to your smartphone as you pour. The app analyzes, in real time, the amount inside the shaker, and sends the percentage of completion back to the shaker. This lights up the LED bar to give you instant feedback and let you know when you are done pouring, thus eliminating the need for jiggers or other measuring tools.
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B4RM4N has been in development for over a year. With the help of many passionate individuals, these cocktail shakers will release in June 2015. B4RM4N will be available for as low as $99 for early-bird pricing. “For the past year-and-a-half our team was dedicated to inventing a ground-breaking design and application. The result is a smart shaker that helps you mix perfect cocktails every time. No scale, measuring cup or skills needed. Just pour, shake and serve,” said Terrier.
Features include: • • • • • • • •
Three-piece shaker Stainless steel body with mirror finish RGB LEDs Precision sensors Accelerometer Bluetooth 4.0 low energy Li-Poly battery iOS 8 and Android 4 compatible app
For more information, visit http://get.b4rm4n.com.
December 2014 Bar Business Magazine
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Booze News IBIZA jumps continents, lands in NYC
T
he World’s Most Awarded Nightclub has finally made its way from the shores of Ibiza into the heart of Manhattan with the opening of Space Ibiza New York earlier this Fall. Since its opening, Space Ibiza New York has quickly become the go-to spot in New York City with headliners such as Tiesto, Diplo, Skrillex, A-Track and Duke Dumont and celeb clientele like Madonna and Leonardo Dicaprio. With a lineup of electric DJs, a state-of-the-art sound system and nightly artistic performances, Space Ibiza New York offers a one-of-a-kind nightlife experience.
Managing partners Antonio Piacquadio and Carlo Seneca, along with Michael Geniton and Rob Toma (Director of Talent Procurement), have come together to create a dream team to bring Europe to the shores of New York for the first time ever through music, entertainment, performances and themed parties giving New Yorkers a taste of European culture, EDM and the dance music movement that surrounds it. “We are excited to finally be expanding the Space Ibiza brand in New York City. The electric crowds that New York is known for will be a perfect fit for the high-energy experience we offer. We are excited to bring a little bit of Ibiza to the city,” said Piacquadio and Seneca. Step into Space Ibiza New York and be transported to the electric feel of Ibiza. The 20,000-square-foot venue marries the care-free sensuality of its Spanish origins with the urban, artistic roots of New York City’s nightlife, featuring a one-of-a-kind sound stage and lighting system that are often used at music festivals but never before seen in a nightclub environment. Cutting edge technology in sound, lighting and effects include a custom imported Funktion One sound system, oversized sequined disco balls, unique UFO spheres, potent strobe lights and penetrating lasers providing the perfect backdrop for world class themed performances and parties. Paying homage to Ibiza, legendary Ibiza dancers, scintillatingly dressed performers, electric costumes and aerialists are incorporated into the DJ’s performances.
TapHunter Is Better Than Ever
T
he air is getting colder, ushering in the season of mulled cider and a hot toddy by the fireplace. And just in time for the holidays and these delicious seasonal offerings, TapHunter has a new look and an enhanced set of tools to better promote establishments’ beverage offerings, and bring bar owners, breweries, and restaurant owners and their patrons together with increased ease and efficiency. The craft beer locator now finds more than just craft beer—users can locate spirits and cocktails, too. The app offers a custom activity stream which notifies app users when drinks that they follow—not only specific beers and spirits, but also beer and spirit styles, and also cocktails—are being served somewhere nearby or at their favorite establishments. Geo- locator technology makes it easy for consumers to find out where a favorite drink is being served, even when they are in a new city. For bar managers, this means more unique visits from new Hunters. TapHunter makes it easy for business owners to communicate with customers, leaving them with more time to spend choosing the perfect beverages to feature this holiday season. The enhancements to TapHunter mean that there are more ways for users to find drinks they love, and for bar owners to maximize visibility to customers through improved promotion. www.GetTapHunter.com.
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Bar Business Magazine December 2014
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Tobin Ellis, Founder and CEO of BarMagic. barmagic.com
Imagine bar equipment conceived by a renowned bartender, and built by Perlick Perlick’s new Tobin Ellis Signature Cocktail Station is a breakthrough achievement in underbar design resulting from an ambitious collaboration between 6-time national bartending champion and celebrated bar designer, Tobin Ellis and the award-winning engineering team at Perlick.
“Together, we’ve built a cocktail station that’s perfect for everything from craft cocktail bars to high-volume nightclubs and 5-star/5-diamond hotel environments. It’s the tricked-out station every serious bartender has dreamt about and every savvy operator has hoped for.”
Tobin Ellis To learn more and see live demonstrations by Tobin Ellis, visit Perlick in Booth #5834 at the 2015 NAFEM SHOW.
Exclusively from Perlick Contact Perlick today to learn more. perlick.com • 800.558.5592
Quality & Innovation that inspires
Liquid Assets
3 Owners, 1Passion, 3 Spirits. This is the story behind three standout vodkas, representing a wealth of diversity and significant accomplishments within the liquor industry. By Deborah Harris
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Bar Business Magazine December 2014
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The Fifth Element cocktail recipe with Corbin Vodka can be found on page 12.
A
ccounting for 34% of all spirits sold in the US, vodka generates billions of dollars in revenue for distillers and dominates the back bar and cocktail lists across the country. It is the bar world’s most popular hard alcohol by far. Often deemed the white bread of liquor, vodka is the ideal mixing base and simultaneously the perfect standalone spirit. Bartenders, managers and mixologists worldwide are familiar with the ease of handling this clear liquor. Formidable, it holds up to strong flavors while maintaining the adaptability to harmonize with fresh and light companions. But this popular liquor is often misjudged, because, the qualities that differentiate the elite from the well are not always clear (pardon the pun). Why would one “tasteless, colorless, odorless, un-aged” spirit be better than another? Unlike scotch or cognac, vodka distillation is mostly unencumbered by stringent rules and regulations. Freeing? Yes! Allowing greater room for error? You betcha! With no aging process to impart flavor or balance character, vodka is the simplest sum of its www.barbizmag.com
parts. Ingredients plus yeast plus water plus filtration equals spirit. This formula necessitates careful attention to sourcing, recipe and filtration. You see, as base ingredients run the gamut (a variety of grains, molasses, beets and potatoes) it is a “world is your oyster” scenario. Each quality, award-winning vodka has undergone years of research and development. From ingredient sourcing and fermentation to distillation and bottling, every step in the process has been painstakingly established. As we travel across the world in vodkas Bar Business Magazine will look at three distinct companies who set out with the same goal in mind…to create a refined, spirit with a flavor and finish that sets it apart. They have clear ideas of where the industry is and where it is going and have decades of combined distilling experience. Instead of running with the trends, the owners of each of these three brands communicate a desire to do instead what they do best. Make the finest vodka they can put on the shelves. Interestingly enough each company gets there in completely different ways. And that is what makes vodka…well, vodka. December 2014 Bar Business Magazine
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Liquid Assets
Vodka: Ketel One Date of Creation: 1983 Distillery: Nolet Location: Holland Base Ingredient(s): European wheat Distillation: Column & Copper Pot Stills
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oannes Nolet established the Nolet family distillery in Schiedam, Holland, in 1691. Though the family maintained a “deeply rooted history in producing Dutch genever,” this skill translated to the careful creation of Ketel One Vodka in the 1980’s and it’s brethren Citroen and Orange at the turn of the 21st century. One of the most widely regarded super premium vodkas on the shelves today, Ketel One, has earned its place at the top, producing a spirit with flavor and consistency to be admired. No doubt this is somewhat attributable to Nolet’s over three hundred years of distilling experience. “We have always been driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence and unwavering pride in craftsmanship,” states Carl Nolet, 11th generation family distiller. The Nolet family, “has perfected its skills in pot still distillation and developed an outstanding sense of taste thanks to records, recipes and techniques handed down from generation to generation.” He continues, “A principal
that has remained a core value in all those years is crafting great, quality tasting products that survive the test of time.” “Before bottling, each batch of Ketel One is tasted and approved by a member of my family assuring our standards of distilling are maintained.” As for his audience, Nolet states, “People are always looking for great quality and great taste. Consumers want to support authentic brands that have deeply rooted heritage…” A bright and seductive spirit, Ketel One’s bouquet gently envelops you with warm hints of citrus and honey and a grainy lushness. The liquor grabs spritely at your tongue imparting an unmistakable crisp coolness while finishing smoothly with more of a prickle than a burn. As for the best way to drink his spirit, Nolet recommends, “bartenders create Ketel One Vodka cocktails using the freshest, most flavorful ingredients.” But, he also asserts serving Ketel One Vodka on the rocks will allow customers to “truly appreciate the smooth taste.”
RECIPES The Fifth Element
Zyr Cocktail
1½ oz Corbin sweet potato vodka ¾ oz St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur ½ oz Cocchi Americano (aor Lillet Blanc) ¼ oz fresh squeezed/strained lemon juice 2 dashes Peychauds bitters
2¼ oz Zyr ¾ oz Elderflower Liqueur fresh lemon juice Few dashes of orange bitter Club Soda Mint Leaf
Shake ingredients with ice and strain into chilled cup. Top with 2 more dashes of bitters.
Ketel One Rosemary’s Baby 1½ oz Ketel One Citroen® ½ oz Meyer lemon simple syrup 1 oz fresh lemon juice 1 rosemary sprig Club soda Muddle rosemary and lemon simple syrup in a mixing glass. Add remaining ingredients and shake with ice. Double strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Top with club soda. Garnish with a lemon wheel and rosemary sprig.
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Combine Zyr with Elderflower, lemon juice and bitters. Shake with ice, top with club soda and garnish with a mint leaf.
Ketel One Banker’s Highball 1 oz Ketel One Oranje® 1 oz Aperol ½ oz Elderflower liqueur 1 oz fresh lemon juice Tonic water Combine first four ingredients in a mixing glass. Shake with ice and strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Top with tonic water. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
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Vodka: Zyr Date of Creation: 2002 Distillery: Zyr Beverage Co. Location: Russia Base Ingredient(s): Winter wheat and rye Distillation: Column Still
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is every word colored with passion and excitement, it is hard to not get bitten by the vodka bug when interviewing David Katz, founder of Zyr Vodka. Katz spent five years living in Russia, digging to uncover the secret of creating exquisite vodka. “Every town has a vodka much like beers dominate the craft scene here in the US. The bottles were just so delicious in Russia,” states Katz. “I had no doubt the best vodkas I had tasted were from there but none were represented stateside.” And Katz set out to solve this problem. “Initially I was seeking to bring a brand to the states but couldn’t find one.” Instead, he made his own. Awarded a 96-100 rating from Wine Enthusiast and an
Vodka: Corbin Date of Creation: 2010 Distillery: Sweet Potato Spirits Location: California Base Ingredient(s): Sweet Potato Distillation: Copper Pot Still
elusive five star review from the F. Paul Pacult Spirit Journal, Zyr was only the 7th vodka in 13 years to be bestowed this high honor. Zyr vodka is crafted from a blend of winter wheat and rye offering a crisp, fresh liveliness, distilled with a proprietary 9-5-3 (filtration – distillation – tasting) formula in which even the clean naturally filtered water from Russia’s North West is filtered five times prior to marrying the fermented grain blend. A final four birch tree charcoal filtrations remove any impurities while rounding out the flavor and softening the nose. “The huge key was we wanted flavor without adding anything,” states Katz. “I’m such a purest.” Zyr is well equipped for mixing, but “a couple of ice cubes just open a vodka up.”
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The result? A San Francisco World Spirits Competition haring his family’s inventive drive and passion, Double Gold medal winner. Creamy and clean with hints entrepreneur David John Souza started the Sweet of roasted nuts and caramel, Corbin Vodka is a complex Potato Spirits distillery in his garage in 2007. From spirit with more viscosity than traditional vodkas. makeshift still accessed by garage door opener Though their techniques differ as greatly as their to a 4000 square-foot facility, this distillery produces a backgrounds - a centuries-old distilling family, a farming handcrafted product set to satisfy modern sensibilities. family and a Russophile - the owners have one thing in “We find that people really do want a flavorful vodka common…passion for creating the purest, tastiest vodka. to brighten a martini but one that still plays well enough with others to integrate into the most complex modern cocktails,” states Souza. To answer the desires of the market Souza created Corbin vodka, a spirit made exclusively of California • Increase Profits estate-grown sweet potatoes. He believes, “sourcing the right varietals • Customer of sweet potatoes is one of the key Convenience elements to our vodka, but it doesn’t • Programmable stop there. We use a small, pot column Happy Hour & Free still, which is often associated with Play Periods brandy or bourbon. This allows more flavor and aroma to come through, • Wide Range of Table while softening some of the bite Models Available people associate with vodka.” 800-987-6040 • www.globalbilliard.com
Does Your Pool Table Accept Bills?
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December 2014 Bar Business Magazine
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How To:
r Update You On-premise Furniture
2015:
The Finer Furnishings Success at the cash register in 2014 allows the smart bar owner to reinvest in the venue for 2015, and there's no better place to start than with your furniture design.
W
hen it comes to differentiating your venue from the competition, sometimes the numbers can be intimidating. After all, how do you separate yourself from the estimated 65,000 other establishments in America, where more than 360,000 employees work, and more importantly, where some 19 million customers go each year (all based on 2012 numbers collected by Statista.com). Yes, that’s 19 million people annually who go in and out of clubs and bars, taking in every little aspect in order to decided if they like and if they’ll be back and if they’ll bring their friends and if they’ll spend — get this — some $23 billion, as in the total revenue of the bar, tavern and nightclub industry in 2012, according to an industry report by IBISWorld. And if you want your venue to have a slice of that pie, you need to look sharp. As 2014 comes to an end, there’s no better time to consider where you should reinvest some of last year’s profits
to ensure next year’s success. And in order to keep up with Jones’ — all 65,000 of them in the U.S. — you might want to consider putting some capital towards your furniture design, aesthetics, and functionality. “As I tell our customers all the time — the investment they make in their furniture is going to pay itself off in the long run because their clients are going to see that it creates a great atmosphere for them which relates to more people visiting their establishment,” says Alexander Vays, Director of Operations for Modern Line Furniture (www.modernlinefurniture.com) in Rahway, New Jersey. With orders from nightclubs in all 50 states and beyond, Modern Line Furniture has been a leader in on-premise design and furnishing since opening its doors in 1999. As one of the nation’s leading providers of indoor and outdoor modern, modular, contemporary and custom made furniture providing exclusive styles in modern contemporary furniture
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How To: at factory-direct pricing, Modern Line has captivated a nightlife market hungry for great design, functionality, and most of all, flexibility. “The modular components are really a big hit,” says Vays. “They add a lot of versatility. A special events company can basically use the same pieces to design an event for many different clients using the same pieces. As far as nightclubs, they can also reconfigure and reposition them at any time. It adds a lot of versatility to the designs they can create, because we might have an armless chair unit and then a corner unit, and out of those two components, or sometimes four, you can build any kind of configuration. We also have curved units that have grown in popularity, like our 8004 models [a line of contemporary leather curved chaise].”
“We use some Modern Line modular products but also have some pieces that they made based on designs of our own,” says Dennis Gromov, a partner at LaVue Restaurant & Lounge in Brooklyn, New York. “We took some of the steel chairs they had on their show floor and we just customized them with vinyl. Between their finished products and the customized options, they have a lot of designs and choices that nobody else has.”
For outdoor furnishings, Modern Line now offers Sunbrella® fabric, which is weatherproof and water-resistant marine-grade material that comes with a 10-year warranty. “We highly recommend it to all of our customers as it will keep your outdoor products looking brand new.” Indoors, it’s the ability to change your floor design on the fly that draws customers to the modular designs, adds Vays. But he also notices that as the nightlife industry continues to see more success each year, demand for custom orders and specialty pieces has grown.
“We’ve started getting more inquiries in terms of custom designs,” Vays explains. “A lot of people go with our quickship items that we have in-stock and ready to go, but other people do want custom furniture, which we’re now able to offer because we have a manufacturing facility on the East Coast under our roof in New Jersey.” Modern Line opened the doors of its brand new production facility in New Jersey in November, featuring state-of-the-art equipment that allows the company to offer its growing roster of commercial and retail clients an
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Bar Business Magazine December 2014
"Modular components add a lot of versatility. They can be reconfigured and repositioned at any time to create various designs and with various pieces."
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At Studio Square Beer Garden in Astoria, New York, Modern Line Furniture created a dynamic events space upstairs (right). Modern Line's leather modular seating options are ideal for opening up tough corner spaces on-premise (bottom left). Sunbrella速 weather-resistant fabric is now available on Modern Line's outdoor pieces with a 10-year warranty (bottom right).
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December 2014 Bar Business Magazine
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How To: enhanced level of quality control, production efficiency, shipping options, and “Made in USA” products at factorydirect prices. “In our new facility, we can now design and manufacture products and fulfill custom orders of any size, while we offer clients complimentary AutoCAD services, much shorter lead times, a massive variety of leather and fabric options, and rapid nationwide shipping,” says Vays. “And of course, our locally-made products comply with all U.S. standards and fire-resistant requirements.” While Vays acknowledges that product from the new plant may come at a slightly premium price because of the domestic labor force that creates it, Modern Line’s commitment to New Jersey workers and the U.S. job force in general is something of which the company is quite proud. “For decades, quality manufacturing jobs have been disappearing from economically hard-hit places like New Jersey, and in tens of thousands of cities and towns across the country,” Vays points out. “We believe in supporting American workers and communities. We hope that our move to invest locally and hire sewing machine operators, manufacturing plant managers, quality control inspectors, upholstery technicians, carpenters, and other skilled and hard-working Americans will start a trend that sees even more companies follow our lead.”
Bob Johnson,
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Bar Business Magazine December 2014
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How To:
ect Cyber-prot Your POS and More
Online Cocktail:
Don’t Get Mixed Up About Cyber Security
F
ood and beverage businesses have hit a rough patch lately when it comes to cybersecurity. National headlines are full of data breaches affecting bars and restaurants of all sizes. From P.F. Chang’s to Jimmy John’s, millions of customers’ personal data, including sensitive credit card information, has been jeopardized, putting not only patrons at risk, but the businesses themselves. In light of this news, businesses of all shapes and sizes should be rethinking cybersecurity, and bars are no exception. There’s no time like the present for small and large-scale bar operations to look at security as a necessity rather than an option. Bars in particular handle a high
By Andrew Bagrin volume of payment card transactions, making them unknowingly vulnerable to data breaches. When combined with customer Wi-Fi networks, emerging trends in point of sale (POS) systems, and inconsistent business cybersecurity practices, bars can actually be making it easy for cyber criminals to take exploit their weaknesses. According to the Trustwave Global Security Report, food and beverage businesses account for 18 percent of all worldwide breaches the organization investigated in 2013, second only to retail. That number jumps to 73 percent when examining data breaches in the United States alone, according to a Visa report, up 29 percent from just three years ago.
Cybersecurity IS a Small Business Issue Why are these numbers so high? One can reason that the fast-paced bar life causes cybersecurity to fall by the wayside, sliding further and further down the priority list as owners and managers focus instead on running the business. The problem is further compounded by a lack of budgetfriendly security options, as well as a feeling that there’s no immediate need for cyber protection. But the volume of recent breaches making headlines proves that this issue isn’t going away anytime soon. Business owners used to believe that only large
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How To: operations were at risk of cyber theft, but that theory doesn’t hold water anymore. According to Visa, small businesses represent more than 90 percent of payment data breaches reported to the company. That statistic includes bars. When taking into account that a single data breach can cost a small business as much as $300,000, bar owners are beginning to open their eyes to the importance of data security, particularly as the headlines continue to break. It’s easy to get mixed up about cyber security. There are a lot of options out there, although most of them seem incredibly complicated and far too pricey for smaller bar operations. However, combatting cyber threats and intrusions can be an easier task than most bar owners think. Thinking about cybersecurity strategically and implementing cyber best practices can protect company data, customer information and business reputation.
Create a Company IT Policy Many bars, even those with multiple locations, don’t have a strong IT policy in place, making them more vulnerable to a data breach. This includes simple items like delineating how employees can use POS terminals (entering orders, completing sales), which employees have access to what information and which IT solutions are recommended for use.
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While these might seem like a basic best practice, many breaches that occur across multiple locations are often the result of franchise business practices. Hackers will often replicate their success at one location across a franchise. Creating and implementing a strong IT template, whether for one bar or 20, is critical to protecting company and customer data.
Avoid Web Browsing on POS Terminals POS systems have changed dramatically in the past decade. Where systems of old used to simply be a means of processing orders payments, today’s POS terminals are often tablet-driven, enabling employees to do much more than enter in drinks and appetizers. Unfortunately, this also creates a vulnerability for a cyber breach. POS terminals that access the Internet can introduce a number of threats such as viruses and malware to the system that also houses payment information. An employee browsing the web can easily expose POS software vulnerabilities by accidentally downloading malware through a malicious website or a phishing scam. While Internet access is required to process payments and perform other tasks, a company best practice is to prevent employees from accessing the Internet – especially social networks or e-commerce sites – via POS systems.
Even better is to perform all web work, such as placing supply orders or answering company e-mails, on an entirely separate computer to further reduce the risk of introducing a cyber threat directly to the POS system.
Create Strong Passwords A surprising number of data breaches happen because business owners fail to use a smart password. They either use default passwords, which almost always get revealed and exploited as the years pass, or they use passwords that are weak and easy to guess. According to the Trustwave report, weak passwords enable 31 percent of data breaches to occur. Passwords that are single dictionary words without varied characters can be easily cracked by even novice hackers. The best passwords are alphanumeric, a mix of capital and lower case letters, and contain varied symbols. To prevent data breaches after a physical store break-in, don’t write down the password and leave it in the open, which is what appears to have happened in the recent Jimmy John’s data breach. If a break-in does occur, immediately change all passwords to reduce the chance that a cyber breach will also take place. And don’t forget to change passwords often. While it can be an inconvenience, it’s a good rule of thumb to help reduce the risk of information being compromised.
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How To: Protect Public Wi-Fi Access With the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets, public Wi-Fi access at bars is becoming a standard perk. However, that little amenity can paint a target on a business if it’s not properly protected. Cyber criminals can piggyback on that Wi-Fi signal to
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access customer and company data. Customers can also unknowingly introduce viruses or threats into the company system with regular web surfing or by checking email. To combat these possible threats, restrict website access or filter Wi-Fi activity using a firewall. Also, be sure
to have customer Wi-Fi and company Internet access on two separate routers. This will ensure that any threat that enters via the public Wi-Fi won’t cross over to the business system.
Challenges of Antivirus All of the above practices mean nothing without quality protection in place. A strong firewall, denial of service defense, intrusion protection, malware/virus protection, encryption, and so on, are all essentials for bar owners to stay ahead of the curve. But bar owners face unique challenges when it comes to evaluating and implementing cybersecurity options. Some owners might think that their POS and other office systems come equipped with cyber protection, but that’s not true. There’s a misconception that the POS merchant is responsible if there’s a breach, but the software running on the system doesn’t combat cyber threats. Effective cybersecurity is an add-on expense, but busy schedules and tight (or non-existent) IT budgets don’t allow for solutions that require continual maintenance and run in the neighborhood of $1,000 to $3,000 a month (and that’s after paying for the equipment). Of the easier-to-implement options, “antivirus” software often floats to the top. And while it provides a certain layer of protection, antivirus is often susceptible to the very threats it’s supposed to be protecting against. Malware seeks out antivirus code and disables it, allowing threats to sidestep protective measures and invade computers, networks and POS systems. Antivirus also eats up Internet bandwidth with continual scans that slow down the POS system and requires numerous patches and updates to catch the latest threats. This can be detrimental to bars that track ticket times for service. And antivirus must be deployed to every single POS device and computer in business in order to be truly effective, requiring continual diligence from an office member.
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ensure the longevity of their businesses. If there’s anything to learn from big name enterprises like P.F. Chang’s and Jimmy John’s, it’s that data breaches and their aftermath are crippling, and the time to take action is long before an attack. Bar owners are encouraged to protect themselves and their customers
against cyber criminals with a SECaaS solution that makes cyber security a far less complicated issue. Andrew Bagrin, with more than 17 years of experience in the IT security industry, is the founder and CEO of My Digital Shield, a provider of Security-as-a-Service for small businesses.
Water soda Goblet
World’s Best Glass alternative Take Cybersecurity to the Cloud So, what’s the answer for a bar that wants to protect its company data and customer credit card information from outside threats? A low-cost Securityas-a-Service (SECaaS) solution that runs in the cloud, requires no on-site maintenance, and can be setup within minutes by plugging a simple device into the Internet connection. The SECaaS technology filters incoming and outgoing Internet traffic off-premise in the cloud, which ensures that bars can keep their fast connection speeds while holding off cyber threats. Unlike traditional reactive antivirus products, SECaaS protects businesses from cyber attacks and data breaches by scanning for threats in the cloud, before they reach computer networks. This not only delivers a better layer of protection, it practically eliminates bandwidth pollution, which is critical for bars looking to preserve lightning fast POS connections. Best of all, the technology ensures that credit card data is managed according to PCI standards, which P.F. Chang’s might have benefitted from. Not adhering to PCI industry standards can result in fines or even losing the ability to accept payment cards. Considering more than 70 percent of transactions are paid with a card, that’s a huge risk to take. Because cyber thieves have varied tastes, bars large and small should consider these security tips – in addition to implementing a SECaaS solution – to
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How To:
y Avoid Costl Accounting Mistakes
The Road to Ruin?
Financial and Accounting Pitfalls Bar Owners/Operators Should Avoid By Anil Melwani, CPA
M
any bar owners will tell you that it was always their dream to open a bar. The idea of developing a concept, designing the venue, and then being “the place” where many people socialize on a regular basis was their dream. Of course, the dream can quickly turn into a business nightmare as evidenced by the high percentage of bars that fail in their first year, which is estimated at 75%. On a more positive note, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2014 Restaurant Industry Forecast, projected sales for bars and taverns in 2014 are $20 billion. To capture their share of these revenues, today’s bar/tavern owners need to avoid common financial and accounting pitfalls that too often befall their businesses.
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Lack of a Sound Financial and Accounting System Probably the most perilous pitfall for bar business owners is not having a sound, well-organized financial and accounting system. Required is an accounting system selected with the guidance of an accountant or consultant experienced in the hospitality industry. For many bar operators, programs like QuickBooks or Xero offer all the features they would need to effectively manage their businesses’ finances. In addition, there are other hospitality industry-specific programs that can help a bar business better manage its finances. They range from Tabbedout, a smartphone app for mobile payment managing of customers’ tabs and TouchBistro enabling customers to order directly from a tablet provided to them, to Belly, a customer loyalty reward program application.
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Failure to Monitor Profits & Losses Drawing on the data provided by an accounting system, an accurate Profit and Loss (P&L) Statement can be created. This is usually the most important financial tool when it comes to running a bar or similar business. It enables a bar owner/manager to monitor how the bar is performing from week to week, month to month, quarter to quarter, and year to year. It contains such categories as: income, calculated based on all sales of food and beverage; costs of goods sold, encompassing every ingredient and product used (e.g., liquor, mixers, garnishes, swirl sticks/stirrers, paper disposables such as napkins, and bar cleaners and related supplies); and controllable line item expenses including payroll, taxes, insurance, leases, utilities, rentals, maintenance and repairs, music and entertainment, consulting services, etc. By relying on the data available through a sound financial/accounting system, bar owners can maintain better control of their business’ financial performance and address areas that require improvement before they become problems. It’s important to note that there are two different accounting methods – the cash-basis or accrual-basis – that will govern how a bar’s P&L will be developed. An accountant can advise the bar owner as to the best model to use and educate him or her and management on how to read a P&L Statement, as well as a Balance Sheet.
Operating Expenses Being Too High Compared to Gross Sales Levels Regular monitoring of profits and losses helps bar owners avoid yet another major pitfall which is running a bar where operating expenses are higher than they should be relative to the business’ gross sales. Depending on the operation, the expenses associated with beverages, food and labor (wages, payroll taxes and benefits) account for approximately 55 to 70 cents of every dollar in a bar that serves food. These costs are represent the largest percentage of a bar’s operating costs. It is vital that they be in line with sales or else they will completely overtake the business, plunging it into a deficit cash flow situation. Maintaining proper food and beverage inventory levels is also a significant factor in surviving and turning profits. They too should be in line with the bar’s sales. While purchasing quantities that afford economies of scale may be enticing, if inventory volumes are outpacing sales, a bar runs the risk of product waste and perhaps more importantly, tying up cash and negatively affecting cash flow. By keeping track of inventory use in conjunction with sales, a bar can more accurately project its product usage and make wise purchases accordingly.
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As with any business, it is also important that bar owners be cognizant of their liabilities compared to their assets. Liabilities include items such as monthly leases, unpaid bills and outstanding loans. Assets include cash on hand, accounts receivable and beverage and food inventories. What you want to establish and maintain are levels wherein assets are higher than liabilities and enable the business to pay its bills and maintain a reasonable amount of working capital to address contingencies and other needs.
Failure to Maintain Accurate Records In addition to utilizing an established accounting system and relying on P&L statements to maintain accurate data relating to the aforementioned categories, it is essential that bar owners follow other key record-keeping practices. For instance, it is recommended that bar sales records be separated from food and table service sale records. Additionally, a record should be kept relating to beverages or food which are provided at no cost (usually referred to as “comps”), whether to staff or customers (e.g., through special promotions). For happy hours, there should be a record of the dates and time periods of the happy hour, menus of food served, and cash register receipts indicating the sales generated during each happy hour. Additionally, a record of any and all price changes should be clearly recorded and retained as a “Price Change” record inclusive of the date the change was made and the new prices. December 2014 Bar Business Magazine
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How To: Mixing Personal Finances with Business Finances Regardless of whether a bar is a small neighborhood operation or a large sports bar or a nightclub, the owner should never interchange personal finances with the finances of the business. Separate bank accounts (checking and savings) should be established for the bar and used solely for the business’ banking needs. For daily operational needs, the business’ checking account should be used. It is usually a great idea to also have separate bank accounts for payroll and for sales taxes. Writing checks made payable to “Cash” should be avoided so as not to cause bookkeeping challenges and/or create potential red flags in audits.
Neglecting Regulatory Requirements Based on statistics released by the Federal Judicial Center, federal wage and hour lawsuits increased 10% in 2013 over the prior 12-month period. We can expect that wage and hour litigation filed in state courts, particularly states like New York and California, also experienced an increase. These cases involve minimum wage and overtime payment violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and many are suits filed against businesses within the hospitality industry. In 2013, settlements from wage and hour lawsuits totaled over $248 million according to a report by the employment
law firm of Seyfarth Shaw. In fiscal year 2012, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division recovered over $280 million in back wages for more than 308,000 employees. Those figures represented $54 million more on behalf of 24,000 more employees than in 2011. These numbers do not reflect state-by-state figures. The takeaway here is that bar owners must be aware of and in full compliance with federal and state regulations governing their workplace or risk being subject to hefty claims and/or penalties, both of which can wreak serious havoc on the business’ financial operations. In January of 2014, enforcement of the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Revenue Ruling 2012-18, pertaining to the classification of tips as services charges began. Under this IRS Revenue Ruling, automatic gratuities are now classified as service charges instead of tips. Therefore, since the IRS regards service charges as regular wages, these gratuities must now be reported for payroll tax withholding. Bars and other hospitality businesses can no longer include automatic gratuities for parties of any size, unless they want to pay the higher minimum wage for their employees, pay sales tax on automatic gratuities, and lose the FICA tip credit. The business still has the option of suggesting what it believes to be a fair gratuity, however, in order to retain the
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Bar Business Magazine December 2014
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aforementioned benefits, they can no longer automatically calculate tips, but instead leave the tip amount to the discretion of their customers. Each business must weigh the advantages and disadvantages associated with continuing a policy of automatic gratuities. The federal government, in this instance the IRS, is serious about compliance with its tips revenue ruling. Bar owners would be wise to consult their accountant, as well as obtain the proper forms and learn about their reporting requirements at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1244.pdf and www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f8027.pdf. Two other areas which require diligence on the part of bar owners are payroll taxes and sales taxes. Both need to be paid on-time to avoid harsh penalties and other possible actions. Bar owners should understand that the states regard sales tax as a “trust fund tax;” that is, it’s the state’s money which the business holds until it is scheduled for remittance. Given this, it is especially important that payments be paid on a timely basis. Also relating to sales tax is its technical designation as “sales and use tax;” that is, if a bar owner purchases equipment of any type (e.g., computers, television, ice box, audio equipment, etc.) from out of state, the owner is required to pay an in state use tax on the equipment.
Remember: Guided by an accounting firm with experience serving the hospitality industry, bar owners can enjoy a successful business with long-term viability. Anil Melwani is a CPA and Managing Partner at 212 Tax & Accounting Services (www.212tax.com,) in New York City. Email: cpa@212tax.com.
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For the Love of
Scotch 30
Bar Business Magazine December 2014
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Following a passion, whisky entrepreneur Carin Luna-Ostaseski has turned her own carefully cultivated love of Scotch into a beautiful new brand called SIA, breaking through barriers in the boys club of brown booze ownership while providing a stellar and accessible spirit for consumers to experience on-premise. By Chris Ytuarte
A
s you can plainly see, Carin Luna-Ostaseski is not a man. She is a woman. You should also know that she is not Scottish. She is of Cuban descent. And by her late 20s, preferring gin martinis, she had not yet tried a drop of whisky. For some, these traits might indicate strikes one, two, and three against Luna-Ostaseski ever being considered a candidate for creating a lovely new Scotch all on her own. And they would be wrong. With the release of her SIA Blended Scotch Whisky earlier this year, Luna-Ostaseski has firmly established herself as capable of many things — breaking down traditional barriers associated with the masculine production of brown spirits like whisky; utilizing innovative marketing and financial tools have been around for fewer years than most well-aged bottles of Scotch; and creating an award-winning, recognized product that is hitting the right market at the right time.
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“It’s a universal Scotch,” says Luna-Ostaseski. “There are days when I want a really hard, peaty whisky like an Ardberg or Lagavulin, but that’s not for everybody. What I wanted to create was something for people who are just getting into whiskey. It’s for someone who might be a bourbon or a rye drinker, or maybe someone who already knows they like Scotch but wants something that is more of an everyday Scotch. It’s in that sweet spot, that gateway, for someone who is just starting to dip their toes in.” And it wasn’t long ago that Luna-Ostaseski was doing just that — dipping her toes into the world of whisky for the first time. As a graphic design professional living in New York City in her 20s, it took a friend to lure her away from her gin martinis to try something new. “He asked me to go have a Scotch after work and I told him I didn’t drink Scotch,” she explains. “I said it was my grandfather’s drink and it’s too December 2014 Bar Business Magazine
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“A lot of people don’t know that a female is behind SIA, and that’s cool. I’m definitely trying to fight the notion that this is some kind of ‘girl Scotch.’ strong. He asked me if I’d ever tried it, I said, ‘Yes, once,’ and he said, ‘Well that’s stupid. That’s like saying you had one glass of red wine once and now you don’t drink any red wine at all.’ So he took me on a whiskey adventure, as I call it, and I tried three or four that night that were amazing and I completely fell in love with this spirit.” Almost immediately Luna-Ostaseski began experimenting. She paid it forward, now finding herself to be the champion of great whisky, bringing her friends out to try her newfound passion, yet facing the same stereotypes she had moved beyond herself — “Scotch burns my nostrils, it tastes like gasoline, it’s too expensive,” she was told. Determined, she brought the process home instead. “I started taking single malts in my kitchen and blending them in different proportions and then trying them on friends and eventually on strangers. I started doing some Scotch tasting events to really find out what it was people liked or didn’t like about certain brands. And over the course of a decade I decided that I was onto something — and I then had to figure out how to make a Scotch.” Fast-forward some 15 years to find Luna-Ostaseski, a confirmed Scotch enthuSIAst, realizing that her passion could become her profession. Across those years, the consumer palate had shifted, brown spirits were trending, and the movement was on. There was no better time to break into the market. 32
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“I think this is a good time for whiskey,” she says. “A couple of years ago when I was first doing this somebody once told me, ‘You know, what’s good about what you’re doing is that you’re a little bit early.’ And right about now is when it feels like it’s starting to hit because brown spirits are on the rise. Everybody is loving the bourbons and the ryes and they’re starting to get into the whiskies. We’re starting to see a time where, because of the No Age Statement versions coming out, a lot of single malt brands can’t keep up with the demand because they don’t have time to age. So you’re seeing a lot of these bigger guys like Glenlivet and Glenmorangie leading the charge with these NAS versions and doing consumer education for me, basically. They’re telling customers that age isn’t that important, it’s more about the flavor profile, which is great. It’s taking away some of that challenge of when I go into bars and stores and they’re like, ‘Well, what’s the age on it?’ It’s just not as important anymore.” Indeed the whisky landscape is shifting. For the first time, a Scotch made in Japan won the title of “World’s Best” from Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible when Yamazaki Single Malt Sherry Cask 2013 received 97.5 out of 100 points. And the NAS trend, embraced by industry stalwarts like Macallan with its own Rare Cask offering this year, allows for skilled distillers to create flavor profiles without waiting years to age them. The times are changing, perfect for a female ready mix it up with www.barbizmag.com
the big boys of brown booze. Though, with SIA, that is not necessarily what Luna-Ostaseski is focused on. “A lot of people don’t know that a female is behind it, and that’s kind of cool,” she says. “I’m definitely trying to fight the notion that this is some kind of a ‘girl Scotch.’ What I did go for was a really smooth nose, and what I found overall from both men and women is that one of the biggest turn-offs about Scotch was this blast of peat they would get before they even taste it, and so much of the tasting experience is the nose. You could decide in your mind that you already don’t like it before you taste it. So the nose on SIA is really smooth, with vanilla and caramel and citrus. Overall, that’s what I was going after — making it more about the flavor profile and not so much about being for men or for women.” Indeed, SIA is a standout Scotch beyond its own intriguing backstory and ownership. As an ultrapremium blend with a high malt-to-grain ration of 40/60, its regional breakdown is Speyside (50%), Highlands (40%) and Islay (10%), a testament to LunaOstaseski’s early days of blending booze back in her kitchen. At 86 proof, SIA has a long, smooth finish with hints of hazelnut and toffee to pair nicely with its nose. At the 2014 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, SIA took home the coveted Double Gold. “SIA is the number six in Scottish Gaelic, which is my favorite number and it’s the day I was born,” explains Luna-Ostaseski. “I wanted something that wasn’t difficult to pronounce; with names like Laphroaig and Lagavulin, I think people feel a little silly ordering something they don’t know how to pronounce, so I wanted to make sure SIA was something easy to say. And because it’s a short name, I could make it really big on the label.” In keeping with SIA’s unique entrance into the spirits industry, Luna-Ostaseski funded the brand’s launch in 2014 through the crowdsourcing Web site Kickstarter, the first Scotch ever to do so and one of the most successful spirit brands ever to fund through the site. “Successfully funding on Kicstarter means that you already have an audience for your product when you launch,” she says. “I was so excited to see that people not only shared and wanted to support my vision, but also wanted to place an order.” Currently distributed in California and Illinois, Luna-Ostaseski hopes to grow that reach in 2015. “I wanted to learn from my mistakes on a small scale before I expand too quickly,” she says. And beyond a newly hired intern, she remains a one-woman operation. “And up until about five months ago I was still working my fulltime job. So trying to find the moment where I’ve got enough money to go for it but also taking those steps as a first-time entrepreneur in an industry that you’re not familiar with — those have been huge challenges.” For a woman of Cuban descent launching a Scottish liquor into a male-dominated market, huge challenges are likely nothing new. www.barbizmag.com
The Boys are Back In Town: Two brothers hope to revive a Tennessee whiskey that their family founded in the 1800s
B
rothers Andy Nelson and Charlie Nelson have always had a lot in common. Both graduated from Loyola Marymount with degrees in the Humanities, concentrating on Philosophy; both are history buffs, true southern gentlemen and proud of their family roots. But when they set out to resurrect Nelson’s Green Brier Distillery, founded in the 1800s by their great-great-great grandfather Charles Nelson, the boys realized their kinship ran deeper than blood. They both had spirit pulsing through their veins. So in their mere 20s, the Nelson brothers have set on a grand journey — not just to make and sell whiskey — but to rebuild a business that helped bring the term ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ to America and Europe. Through researching, seeking capital, crafting brands from Charles Nelson’s original recipes and putting bottles of their small-batch bourbon on shelves, they are the essence of the American dream and spirit. “For us, starting the businesses was mostly about carrying out the family name,” Charlie recently told Forbes.com. “People can see that passion in the product.” Distilled from a mash of corn, wheat and barley then charcoal mellowed, Green Brier Distillery uses the original recipe that made the brand so popular more than 100 years ago. It is single-distilled to retain the full flavored characteristics needed for barrel aging. At its peak, the Charles Nelson Green Brier Distillery produced more than 30 brands of whiskey — in addition to brief forays into fruit brandy and gin. The brothers hope to attain something of a similar scale one day, and intend to brand their own creations with the ancient distillery’s original labels. “We want to be more than just a craft or micro distillery,” Andy says, “because that’s never who we were. We want to bring the name back to worldwide recognition.” December 2014 Bar Business Magazine
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The Apple Cocktail
Caviar Martini
K
itchen Aid for the ar
B
“Top Chefs� and mixologists with chef training offer food for thought to bolster your recipe for success. 34
Bar Business Magazine December 2014
By Elyse Glickman
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K
eenly aware of mixology’s impact on pop culture for the last two decades, actors, rock stars and other celebrities have gotten into the mixology world through the power of celebrity branding. By now, we all know Sean “P-Diddy” Combs, Sammy Hagar and Willie Nelson are among the entertainers who put their name on or endorsed spirits with varying levels of success, using their personas and lifestyles as selling points. The rub, however, is that consumers have become so sophisticated about their spirits of choice that a celebrity name is not necessarily going to clear bottles off the bar shelves. This has given way to “bar chefs” as an alternative moniker to “mixologists” and “bartenders,” as they are bringing aspects of the chef’s playbook to their game plan. It is also leading to nationally recognized “celebrity” chefs putting their money and reputations on the line and the bartop.
these ideas don’t necessarily work in everyday working life bars. Start with fresh ingredients along with your premium spirits, because if you have those, you are one up on your competition.” “If you are a chef, always share with your lead mixologist things that you’re planning to bring into your seasonal food menu,” adds Casey. “You also need to be on the same page about ingredients that will make for accessible, appealing and well-balanced cocktails with great flavor. As I am a technique lover, the exchange of ideas can be a great opportunity for both chefs and mixologists to refine their techniques. Picking the best ideas comes down to tasting things before you introduce them into the menus. Chefs on a regular basis do tastings of their dishes with the staff before adding them to a menu, and that also needs to happen with a bar.”
The Great Recipe Swap “There’s a lot of synergy between the mixologist and the chef, not only with our tools but also the ingredients,” observes Bridget Albert, a master mixologist representing Southern Wine and Spirits, whose acclaimed recipe book Market-Fresh Mixology has been praised for its culinary approach to cocktail crafting. “A mixologist, like a chef, is only as good as his or her ingredients,” says Albert, based near Chicago. “There is a lot of great learning going on between chefs and mixologists, as well as deepening relationships and mutual respect for each other. When I started out 20 yeas ago, the only time I would see the chef (at a venue I worked at) was at the end of a very long shift. The chef would give me a leftover burger, and I would give him a shot of whiskey. Today, I am seeing chefs and mixologists coming together and making decisions about what kinds of produce they are going to order from their purveyors. This results in bar menus that reflect what’s on the venue’s food menu.” While “reality T V” entertainment may be showing its age, one thing that will remain timeless are cooking shows and cooking showmanship, from how-to formats to game showy competitions to makeover shows like Spike T V’s Bar Rescue, where restaurants overhaul their business and menu models. Chefs and mixologists are observing that by adopting each other’s approaches, they’re better adept at keeping customer interest. Albert, as well as Seattle-based chef Kathy Casey (the mind behind the revolutionary Liquid Chef consulting business) can’t stress that restraint and approachability are also parts of the equation even with lines blurring between food and drink (evidenced, among other things, with the popularity of foam-topped and bacon accented cocktails). “You have to consider what’s practical,” advises Albert. “While mixologists these days are coming up with cool, interesting, sexy ideas for specific events, www.barbizmag.com
The Cone
Latin Heat New York City-based chefs Alex Garcia and Richard Sandoval are prime examples of nationally-recognized chef/restaurateurs who have extended their signature styles and techniques to their restaurants’ bars…and beyond. Not content to just influence drink recipes alone, they have applied their culinary craft to develop spirits meant to be enjoyed not just solely in a highball glass, but in a variety of food dishes, too. Chef/Restaurateur Richard Sandoval (whose resume includes Zengo in New York City and Santa Monica, CA, and Maya and Pampano in New York City) has partnered with the distillery behind Herradura Tequila to create custom barrels of tequila since 2012. Like the finest wines and champagnes, Sandoval’s Herradura bottles are stored in special lockers and served in luxury formats, either in tasting flights or by the bottle. December 2014 Bar Business Magazine
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Richard Sandoval: Partnered with Herradura Tequila.
Alex Garcia: Helped create Copacabana 1940 Añejo Rum.
In general, Sandoval favors Herradura tequila, for its aromatic flavor profile, which he feels complement the modern Mexican cuisine and cocktails at Pampano and Maya as well as the eclectic Asian-Latin cuisine at Zengo. Garcia (a Food Network presence who has created the culinary visions of such restaurants as Calle Ocho, The Copacabana Supperclub, Barrio, Havana Café, Havana Room, recently partnered with Panama distillery Las Cabras to create Copacabana 1940 Añejo Rum. The rum’s genesis was an outgrowth of Garcia’s sense of adventure and enduring passion for rum. When he and colleague chef Douglas Rodriguez came to New York’s restaurant scene with the noted restaurant Patria after many years in Florida and Cuba establishments, they brought with them their desire to innovate with rum on the plate and in the glass. “While I had great respect for different rum (distillers), I thought why not make my own rum that would have a great flavor and be versatile,” he recalls Garcia points out that in his venues’ beverage programs, he wanted to strike a balance being ahead of the curve in terms of cocktail trends, but without compromising the integrity of the finished drinks and dishes and their individual ingredients. Caille Ocho, for example, is known for its fresca bar loaded with fresh fruit, organized in such a way that the customer gets to come up with combinations of his or her own that’s muddled into a drink. While the drinks need to be impressive at the Copacabana Club, they also have to be simple enough to be produced in volume without tasting mass-produced. “In the creation of our cocktails, my techniques are very basic because of my background leaning towards the classics in food and drink,” continues Garcia. “Infusions and muddling fruit are integral to my Cuban background. If I can relay the chef’s approach to our bartenders, we will end up with balanced cocktails that don’t get out of control—we try to steer clear of drinks that are too complicated and take too long to get out to the customer, or use ingredients that
may intimidate the customer. We do cocktails the way we do our dishes--we keep everything simple, and let the ingredients stand out.” While Garcia is a proponent of the maceration and infusion techniques used in today’s craft cocktail scene, he is less enthusiastic about others.“As for foams, I prefer them on my beer,” he states.
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Causing A Stir With the lines between chefs and mixologists continuing to blur (albeit in delicious ways), Albert advises, “If you’re a chef, open your kitchen, and if you’re a mixologist, open up your pantry. All mixologists I know personally are eager to learn from the chefs. Don’t be afraid to explore your pantries and coolers together, and looking at the food menu to see what can be added to the bar menu and vice versa. It’s all about maintaining a true partnership.” Though Kathy Casey is a prominent chef who has put her touch on restaurants throughout the Pacific Northwest, one of her best-known creations is The Liquid Kitchen, established in 2004, a consultancy designed to help restaurants bring the best aspects of their kitchens to their bar programs. Casey, however, realized mixology was an extension of her culinary art when she started dabbling 18 years ago, and a few years later, was dubbed “the first bar chef” by noted bar expert and author Dale DeGroff. “I was wondering why others were not going that extra step to create unique signature bar menus that reflected what was going on in their kitchens,” says Casey. “When I go do a new beverage menu for a client, I always meet with the chef, then look at the menu, and then venture into the kitchen. I give it a thorough inspection. What’s in the walk in cooler what’s happening in the pastry kitchen, as in those places I can find some interesting ingredients that can be cross utilized. Just recently, I did the cocktail menu for the Heathman Hotel’s Restaurant & Bar in Portland, OR. I had a lot of fun seeing what chef Michael Stanton had www.barbizmag.com
Lauren Parton: Resident mixologist at W Hotel in Chicago.
Kathy Casey: Created The Liquid Kitchen in 2004.
on the menu. As he does French influence with Pacific Northwest ingredients, so it was fun to create a cocktail menu with those unique elements in mind.” At Los Angeles’ The Church Key, beverage director Devon Espinosa’s career took a similar turn to Casey’s. He started out in culinary school, but landed behind the bar by accident one night when a bartender at his restaurant didn’t show up. He has not looked back since, rising to prominence as an award-winning mixologist. To this day, he uses a lot of his culinary background and the restaurant’s kitchen as inspiration for the bar program. “The front of the house is just like the kitchen,” Espinoza affirms. “Just as a good chef is seasonal about his menu items, so is a good mixologist to ensure there is a cohesiveness between the food and beverage menus. If you are doing anything within the craft bar realm, you need to be able to create balanced cocktails with fresh ingredients because that’s what customers want. There’s no getting by on store-bought sour mixes or Rose’s Lime Juice. We’re all using fresh ingredients, but how we use those ingredients is also important to the success of a recipe.” For chefs looking to move successfully into the bar realm, Espinoza says success or failure hinges on the homework—going to the farmer’s market, seeing what’s out there, what culinary techniques are making news and honestly assessing what can be used behind the bar. “Being a chef first and then going to mixology (gives me an) upper hand,” he says. “You are trained to understand different flavors and have access to and exposure to different spices, produce, herbs, and what do with all of it, in contrast to somebody who comes in as a mixologist. You are also trained to be resourceful with your ingredients. For example, I use fruit juices from the previous night to make Otter Pops that we serve during happy hour the next day. It’s a best seller because it evokes childhood nostalgia for customers of a certain generation. You need to be able to know where and how all the ingredients will be used.”
Lauren Parton, resident mixologist of the W Hotels in Chicago, IL, says her culinary approach to mixology, based on her training, was and is to build her drink ideas and flavor profiles direct from her knowledge of how different food ingredients work together. “(When I first started), instead of using liqueurs and other products out on the market, I would manipulate spirits and create my own liqueurs,” she recalls. “My drink ideas and flavor profiles were influenced by the way ingredients combined in the main dishes, soups and salads I have created. In that situation, I asked myself how I should best translate those ideas into a drinkable cocktail. If I cannot find a spirit or liqueur that has a certain flavor profile I am searching for, I develop it myself.” When asked about the impact of molecular cuisine and mixology (i.e. using things like xanthium gum and soy lecithin to thicken liqueurs or create caviar balls), Parton says that while good judgment should be exercised to avoid making something too avant-garde, implementing your bar tools arsenal with things like immersion blenders can make the mixologist’s job easier and make the quality of the cocktails more consistent. As long as you don’t do something for its own sake, every trick and technique has its place. “A lot of my cocktails are edible, especially because I think about recipes in a food context first,” she says. “However, I have to ask myself the question of ‘good vs. gimmicky’ all the time. If I am creating a recipe just to be different for its own sake or trying to do what other people are doing, that’s gimmicky. On the other hand, if am creating a recipe that at once tastes good, looks good and reflects my knowledge of food and spirits, I go with it. When I have my main flavors picked out, I think about what will compliment that best—what’s seasonal? what’s available? what are my favorites? what feeling do I want associated with the experience? That’s when I decide if I want the flavors to be drinkable or edible. It all depends on the feel and what I want the guest to get from the experience.”
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December 2014 Bar Business Magazine
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The Apple Cocktail
1940 Mojito
1 whole apple (select one with a flatter bottom) Juice of 1 lemon wedge 1 apple wedge (cut in half) 1 oz unsweetened apple juice 1 oz limoncello ½ oz vanilla vodka Splash cranberry juice 1 cinnamon stick (for garnish)
2 oz Copacabana 1940 Anejo Rum 4 muddled limes 2 teaspoons of brown sugar Top ginger beer 5 leaves of cilantro ½ oz Cointreau
Core the apple to about the halfway point. Be certain not to cut through the bottom. Use the lemon wedge to squeeze a small amount of lemon juice on inside of cored apple. Set aside. In mixing glass, muddle apple wedge and unsweetened apple juice. Add limoncello, vanilla vodka, and cranberry juice. Shake well. Strain into cored apple and serve with a small straw. Garnish with a cinnamon stick. Bridget Albert, From Market-Fresh Mixology, Second Edition, March 2014.
The Cone Strawberry Pisco-Pineapple Marshmallow in a cone, injected with a Sherry Vinegar and Pisco mixture, garnished with a strawberry.
Muddle lime and sugar, add rest of ingredients except ginger beer. Add ice and stir. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with cilantro and lime. Chef Alex Garcia, New York City
Spiced Vermouth 2 cups sweet vermouth 2 ozs spiced rum 6 strips orange peel 8 whole cloves 4 whole allspice or 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice 2 slices fresh ginger 24 fresh or frozen cranberries Combine ingredients in a pretty bottle. Let infuse for at least 2 days before using. Store refrigerated for up to 2 months. The addition of rum fortifies the vermouth, thus helping stabilize it and giving it a longer shelf life. Makes about 18 ounces.
Lauren Parton, W Hotels, Chicago
House-made Bitter Lemon
Gin with House-made Bitter Lemon and Soda
Makes 2½ cups (20 ozs)
1½ oz gin 1 ounce house-made Bitter Lemon (recipe follows) 2 oz soda or sparkling water Garnish: lemon wheel and rosemary sprig
4 large lemons 1½ cups sugar 2 cups water Wash lemons, cut the ends off and discard. Slice each lemon in half lengthwise and each half into four slices. Combine lemons, sugar and water in a blender. Blend until almost smooth - the mixture should still have some texture. Place the mixture in a medium pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Let the mixture boil for 1 minute then remove from heat and let steep for 1 hour. Strain through a fine strainer. Store refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Caviar Martini Splash dry vermouth 3 oz gin Caviar (for garnish)
Measure the gin and Bitter Lemon into a mixing glass. Fill with ice, cap and shake vigorously. Add the sparkling water and swirl in mixing tin. Pour into a Collins or tall glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel and herb. Kathy Casey and the Liquid Kitchen®, (www.LiquidKitchen.com)
Sandia Tajin Margarita 1½ oz Herradura Tequila 1½ oz watermelon puree ½ oz lime Juice ½ oz Tajin Syrup Garnish (watermelon peel) Chef Richard Sandoval’s Maya, New York City
Bridget Albert, From Market-Fresh Mixology, Second Edition, March 2014.
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NEW YORK Boston CHICAGO
Las Vegas Los Angeles MIAMI
Live, from Daryl’s House Once available only on television or the Internet, the in-home performances of legendary rocker Daryl Hall and friends as featured on his TV show Live From Daryl’s House are no longer just for private eyes, as Hall opens a very public venue north of New York City called Daryl’s House and invites everyone in for some great music and down-home food. By Chris Ytuarte 40
Bar Business Magazine December 2014
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W
hen Hall & Oates finally found their welldeserved way into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this summer, Daryl Hall was surely excited by the inclusion. But in Daryl’s house, the past is only one part of the present; in Daryl’s House, new collaborations were happening every day. As part of his fantastic TV and Web program, Live From Daryl’s House (www.livefromdarylshouse.com), the legendary rocker invited like-minded musicians to his rustic country compound in upstate New York to jam, sing each other’s tunes, and of course, sit down for a home-cooked meal. But this fall, some 70 miles north of midtown Manhattan, Hall opened his first live music venue and restaurant, Daryl’s House (www.darylshouseclub.com), in Pawling, New York. With a capacity of 400, Hall has incorporated his intimate, rustic upstate barn environment to create a vibe for those who can finally join him and his musical guests, live from Daryl’s House. Aptly, on opening night, Hall’s friend John Oates joined him on stage as the first musical act to play the venue. We had the chance to talk to Hall about his brand new venture and to find out if club ownership is as rock-androll as…well, rock-and-roll. www.barbizmag.com
BB: What was the impetus behind opening the new club? Obviously the TV show was the inspiration. HALL: It was a couple of things: One, I was going to move. I was going to move out of the house that I was doing the show out of, and the house that I moved into is close to the club. But it’s not really set up to do the show. That’s the one thing. The other thing is that a lot of people said to me — many, many people asked me — ‘Can I come to the house? Can I come watch the show? Why don’t you sell tickets to come to the house?’ Well I can’t do that — it’s my house! So I thought it would be interesting to have the same environment, to create the same environment, but have it in a situation where people could actually experience what it’s like to be at the show, just in a more public situation. So that’s really where it all came from. I wanted to renovate the old Towne Crier [Ed Note: The Towne Crier has since relocated and is operating in Beacon, NY] to look like the interior of my house and really sort of recreate the experience of what we do on the show — have really good food, have interesting bands playing, and make it sort of like a clubhouse, something that other people can interact with and enjoy. December 2014 Bar Business Magazine
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Big
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NEW YORK Boston CHICAGO
Las Vegas Los Angeles MIAMI
BB: Was this your first experience opening a venue? HALL: Yes, absolutely. But luckily I have my partner, who owns a restaurant and music club in California, so he knows the ropes. He knows how to create these things. And I was also involved with some people who have had restaurants and things, so I had a lot of help with people directing me in the right way. When I was doing the construction I had to deal with all the restaurant codes, and I had people in there who knew about that stuff. So I had a lot of people that I was relying on to steer me in the right direction and keep everything cool. BB: Why did you choose Pawling as the location? Did you ever consider Manhattan or a more metropolitan area? HALL: Not really, no. I’ve done the whole TV show based on the idea that I was way up in northern Dutchess County, and I wanted to keep it outside of everything. I don’t like the idea of being in the middle of everything. I’d rather do it in the same kind of situation, because that’s the only way we can get that same kind of feeling. If you do this in Manhattan it’s going to be a very different thing. It’s only an hour and fifteen minutes out of Manhattan, so I can still use Manhattan and Westchester County. We have Westchester, Fairfield, Ridgefield County, Dutchess County — there’s a lot of people to draw from. 42
Bar Business Magazine December 2014
“I don’t like the idea of being in the middle of everything. If you do this in Manhattan it’s going to be a very different thing.” BB: But it wouldn’t work in a more urban environment. HALL: No, it would be out of place. It would be a different feeling. It wouldn’t be as laid-back. BB: Will the music bookings be similar to what we saw on the show? Will you be drawing on similar acts and styles? HALL: It’s pretty much the same approach I use when I’m doing the show. I’m going to have established artists in there, depending on their availability. And it’s only a 400seat club, so I can only bring certain people in there. And I’m going to try to support the scene. I’ve already found a couple of regional and local bands that I like that I’m going to try to help out. And then I’m bringing in people who have been on the show or people who I’ve talked to that couldn’t make the show because of scheduling who could still play at the club when they have the chance. So it’s the same feeling. The acts www.barbizmag.com
“I live nearby. No one should be surprised if they see me there.” that are going to be in and out of there are going to have the same feeling as the TV show. BB: People familiar with the TV show might expect to see you playing every night in the club... HALL: You know, I’m in and out of there. I obviously have a lot going on in my life, but I live ten minutes away and I have been popping in and out, so no one should be surprised if they see me there. BB: How involved were you with creating the food and beverage progams? HALL: Completely. I did it all. I created the menu. A lot of the dishes are ones that I cook at home and they’re my recipes or my wife’s recipes or my sister’s recipes and things like that. So we combine that with a great chef who has studied some of our favorite recipes from the show and adapted those. So it’s a relatively eclectic menu, but at the same time it’s great. I was involved 100%, and everyone who goes there says, ‘Wow the food is amazing.’ And that was very important to me. And as far as the bar goes, yes I was involved to some degree with that. I’m not a big cocktail guy, so I let other people come up with the cocktails. But I’m involved with what’s being served in there as much as I need to be with the wine list and everything. BB: What was the approach for the sound environment? HALL: The guy who runs my studio and does my production is a master at these things, and he’s in charge. We sort of took him out of the job he’s been doing for years and made him a permanent person in charge of production and the sound in the club. It’s state-of-the-art. And it’s an audiovisual thing too. We have cameras and we’re equipped to shoot videos there and the whole thing. In fact we’re involved in the possibility of doing a series — maybe a permanent series — of streaming shows out of the club, which is something I really want to do. We can actually do international streaming, and we already did one that we create with Yahoo when we opened the club. So that’s already in place and we’re going to continue to work on more of that. But anybody who wants to work in there is going to deal with the best possible environment. BB: The music club / supper club approach is so great. Is it something that’s missing from today’s live music scene? HALL: Well I wouldn’t say it’s missing. I think it’s something that is very much on the increase, especially in our area. There’s the City Winery in Manhattan, and if you look up north in Norfolk and in Hartford [CT] they have the Infinity [Music Hall & Bistro], and we’re in the same sort of place. It’s a similar yet different kind of thing. But I think people like it. People like to eat good food and watch music. And we have a situation where we can remove the tables in the middle for certain acts and have part standing room and part eating, so we’re sort of equipped to do everything there. www.barbizmag.com
BB: Currently the live music is Friday and Saturday nights. What happens on the other five nights? HALL: Right now, and this is very early days, we’re just a restaurant on those other nights, but we’re going to increase to five nights with music pretty soon. We’re just in the process of getting all the bands together. We opened so fast, and ahead of schedule, so we have to catch up with ourselves. In the very near future there is going to be music there all the time, but right now we’re concentrating on the weekends for music and you can just come and have a good meal any other time. But real soon the music will be up and running five to seven days a week. BB: How has the reaction to the venue been so far? HALL: When we have music nights, it’s great. I have a feeling — and again, I’m a local person so I get a local feel — that we have a lot of support in the community. I think people really like the idea, they want it to be there, they want to have something to do, obviously. Everyone wants something to do in our area. And they are supporting it. I see a lot of happy faces in there.
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December 2014 Bar Business Magazine
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Inventory AsomBroso Tequila 11 Year Old Anejo
A Mediterranean Jewel
AsomBroso Tequila announced today the latest edition to their Ultra-Premium Fine Line of Tequila’s – one of a kind Ultra-Premium 11 Year Old, Double Barreled, Cabernet Sauvignon Anejo rested exclusively in Silver Oak American Oak barrels. Elegantly housed in a Crystal Decanter, hand made by Italian artist Luciano Gambaro, displayed in a finely polished Humidor and resting on a laser engraved custom pedestal, this one of a kind, limited release, 11 Year Old Cabernet Sauvignon Anejo is as stunning visually as it is on the palate – and will be available for the 2014 holiday season. The use of American Oak is a hallmark of Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon. To ensure the long term availability of American oak barrels, Silver Oak formed a partnership with A & K Cooperage in 2000. Located in Higbee, Missouri, A & K Cooperage is a small, familyowned company that has produced premium barrels for over 30 years. It takes 80 years to grow an American White Oak tree to maturity and another 2 years to properly age the wood. From there, the wood is toasted to exact specifications and handcrafted into a 59 gallon barrel. For more information visit www.atequila.com.
Square One Organic Spirits, recognized as a pioneer of innovative organic spirits, launches Square One Bergamot and for the first time since the company was founded, Square One applies its distinctive organic and multi-botanical approach to citrus-based spirits. Square One Bergamot is a tantalizing, unfiltered expression of bright tangy orange with gentle ginger, coriander and juniper spice that demonstrates, once again, Square One’s creative ingenuity that is welcomed by mixologists and cocktail enthusiasts alike. To create Square One Bergamot, the vibrant taste of organic bergamot citrus is layered with the essential oils of pressed organic mandarin, navel and tangerine oranges and the essences of organic ginger, coriander and juniper botanicals. The aroma is freshly peeled orange with subtle green wild flower. On the palate, floral bergamot is wrapped in delectable orange and pleasant bitterness from mandarin orange. The finish is warm and lingering from the medley of bergamot, ginger and juniper spice. Unfiltered to keep the delicious essential oils in the bottle, Square One Bergamot is a surprisingly complex, yet approachable expression of an orange-based spirit. Check out SquareOneOrganicSpirits.com.
Crucial Drinks to Launch Six Saints Rum
Take Home an Orphan
Crucial Drinks will be launching Six Saints Rum – one of the first actively exported rums produced in Grenada - in the US market. Six Saints Rum is set to be released on December 1st, 2014 in NJ and FL and will hit shelves in the CT, DE, GA, IL, MD, MA, NY, NC, PA, SC, VA, WV and DC markets by early 2015. Handcrafted in small batches, Six Saints Rum is exclusively distilled at Grenada Distillers (formerly the Grenada Sugar Factory) – one of just two surviving distilleries on the Island. Though Grenada is known as the “Island of Spice,” Six Saints Rum is un-spiced and a truly unique Caribbean spirit. Master distiller Rasheed Ahmad, who brings over 40 years of experience to Six Saints Rum, has developed a distinctive spirit that still honors traditional Caribbean rum. The intricate molasses fermentation and distillation process gives Six Saints a smooth, medium-bodied flavor profile typically associated with spiced rums. Six Saints is then finished in once used American white oak bourbon barrels until mature. Learn more at www.sixsaintsrum.com.
The Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company has released Lost Prophet, a 22-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey that was distilled in Frankfort, Ky. at what was then the George T. Stagg Distillery and found at Stitzel-Weller warehouses in Louisville. The highly allocated whiskey will be available in mid-December for a suggested retail price of $120. Lost Prophet Whiskey is the fourth release from the Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company. Convincing, eloquent and intense, it’s a 22-year-old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey that seeks out believers and a tribe to make their own. Lost Prophet’s packaging reflects the whiskey’s divine, intricate personality, mixing line illustrations, elaborate typography and ornate borders and frames. The deep black label and embossed gold design elements beautifully showcase the “lost lamb” and offer contrast to the beautiful amber liquid in the bottle. The Lost Prophet Whiskey stock was distilled in 1991 in Frankfort, Ky., at what was then the George T. Stagg Distillery and found in the old Stitzel-Weller Warehouses in Louisville, Ky. The whiskey is hand-bottled in Tullahoma, Tenn. The mash bill for Lost Prophet Whiskey is 75-78% corn, 7-10% barley and 15% rye. Visit www.orhpanbarrel.com
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The Whisky That Changed History
Newcastle Introduces Scotch Ale
Glenfiddich reveals The Original whisky. A unique expression inspired by the 1963 Straight Malt, the first ever single malt to be actively marketed internationally, effectively establishing the entire single malt category we know today. A reproduction of the original Glenfiddich Straight Malt, this release is an exclusive addition to the family run distiller’s collection of whiskies and will be available exclusively in the US, and Taiwan in 2014. 1963 was the year the whisky world changed forever when Sandy Grant Gordon and Charles Grant Gordon, following in the footsteps of their pioneering forefathers, took the bold decision to launch Glenfiddich Straight Malt – the term used to describe single malt - worldwide, something no other distiller had done before. Previously blended whisky dominated the market and single malt was only available on request to very few in the know. Now a new whisky category was born and for the first time it was available worldwide. Today, Glenfiddich’s Malt Master, Brian Kinsman, has faithfully replicated a true taste of history. By skilfully nosing and tasting the original 1963 sample and following the original recipe he has exactly reproduced its celebrated fresh and fruity taste. www.glenfiddich.com
For centuries, the United Kingdom has stood for togetherness, collaboration and union. After all, making the whole better than its parts is a specialty of the British. Take some of the finest cultural exports the U.K. has produced: Tea and crumpets. Bangers and mash. Lennon and McCartney. Most Brits know a thing or two about improving through collaboration, and Newcastle Brown Ale is no different. To keep beer discovery fresh and invigorating, Newcastle is kicking off the brandnew series of “collaboration edition” beers made with some of Europe’s finest and oldest breweries. To brew the first offering in the series, Newcastle turned to its Edinburgh, Scotland-based sister brewery, Caledonian, to develop a special ale that brings world-class traditional British brewing to casual beer drinkers around the world. The Newcastle Scotch Ale collaboration is a limited-time offering from Newcastle and Caledonian that represents the best of English and Scottish brewing: a rich, full-flavored and fulfilling Scottish ale with toffee notes at 6.4 percent ABV and 40 IBUs. Fans should follow Newcastle on Facebook (facebook.com/ Newcastle) and Twitter (twitter.com/Newcastle) for the latest information about Collaboration Series releases.
The Apple of Our Eye
Napkin Dispensers for Better Design
Crown Royal Canadian Whisky expands its legendary portfolio with the announcement of a new flavored whisky – and the apple does not fall from the historic tree. Crown Royal Regal Apple is a combination of the well-known, premium taste of Crown Royal whisky infused with natural apple flavors. Crown Royal Regal Apple is a unique blend of hand-selected Crown Royal whiskies and Regal Gala apples resulting in the perfect balance of robust whiskey notes and crisp apple flavor. The apple extension is a great option for those fun-loving whisky drinkers looking for a high-quality flavored offering from a brand with a history of fine whisky making. As revelers across the country discover and toast with this uniquely smooth flavored whisky, Crown Royal reminds all adults to please enjoy responsibly. This exciting new installment to the Crown Royal portfolio comes to life by selecting the perfect raw Regal Gala apples that already contain the desired apple notes. To maintain the essence of the Regal Gala apple, the apples start in a mixture of water and alcohol. The mixture is then distilled and specific selections are collected based on aroma. www.crownroyal.com
SCA announces five new dispensers as part of its bestselling Xpressnap Signature line – Blue Tabletop, Green Tabletop, Blue Stand, Green Stand and Gray Counter. Joining the well-established collection of Xpressnap Signature dispensers, these new colors and styles support the growing demand for a comprehensive assortment of one-at-a-time napkin dispensers and give customers more choice and control over the look and feel of their table tops. Xpressnap was first introduced in 2003 and has since become the best-selling napkin dispensing system in North America. All Xpressnap dispensers feature the unique One Napkin, Every Time™ technology that ensures customers only touch and take one napkin at a time. In studies, use of Xpressnap resulted in a reduction of usage of at least 25 percent when compared to traditional napkin dispensers, and has the added benefit of being more hygienic. The unique AD-a-Glance® display panels on each Xpressnap dispenser make the most of valuable tabletop real estate by doubling as a display. Completely customizable, each Xpressnap dispenser is as unique as the business it serves. Those interested in the One Napkin, Every Time dispensing system can request a free trial by visiting www.talktork.com/tryxpressnap.
www.barbizmag.com
December 2014 Bar Business Magazine
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Holiday Happenings
January 2015
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Jan 1: Mummers Parade. Held each New Year’s Day in Philadelphia, folks compete in one of four categories (comics, fancies, string bands, and fancy brigades) by marching with elaborate costumes and moveable scenery. Why not do this in your bar? Because everyone is too hungover from the night before? Ok, good answer.
Jan 2: National Science Fiction Day. On this day, should any customer request a Long Island Iced Tea, it is your right to deny said drink order with the explanation that such a cocktail never actually existed and is purely a work of science fiction.
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Jan 4: Tom Thumb Day. General Tom Thumb was the stage name of Charles Sherwood Stratton, a little person who achieved great fame as a performer under circus pioneer P.T. Barnum. Honor him today by playing Bob Dylan’s “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” once an hour on the jukebox until someone asks why.
Jan 5: Blue Monday. Blue Monday, aka the most depressing day of the year, is named as such because all of the major holidays are over. What better way to help your customers get over their angst than offering halfprice drinks all night. Cheer up!
Jan 10: National Cut Your Energy Costs Day. Remember: Lit candles in a bar can be very dangerous, so keep the lights on and instead honor this holiday by challenging your staff to serve as many roomtemperature cocktails as possible, thereby reducing the amount of energy your ice machine puts out today.
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Jan 13: National Poetry at Work Day. I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a three (dollar tip, that is).
Jan 20: Camcorder Day. Free drink to the customer who shows up with the oldest, largest 1970/80/90s camcorder, with the winner to be filmed by every other customer in the bar using their iPhones while laughing.
Bar Business Magazine December 2014
Jan 25: National Irish Coffee Day. Heavy on the Irish, please.
Jan 31: Appreciate Your Social Security Check Day. Spend it at the bar!
Jan 1: Benjamin F. Haith / Shutterstock.com
Jan 11: Cigarettes Are Hazardous To Your Health Day. Well duh! Now put out that butt and put some more alcohol into your liver. Think healthy!
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Index of Advertisers
Company
web site address
page #
Agave Loco LLC (RumChata) American Beverage Marketers Bob Johnson School of Bar Mgmt Buzztime Coast to Coast Insurance G&G Boxing Global Billiard Mfg Harbortouch Corp Harbortouch CA Innova Products Modern Line Furniture Nightclub & Bar Show North American Cable Equipment Penumbra Tables Perlick USA Royal Penn Products LLC TouchTunes
www.RumChata.com www.ABMcocktails.com www.BobTheBarGuy.com www.GoBeond.com/barbiz www.CoastToCoastInsurance.com www.GGboxing.com www.GlobalBilliard.com www.Harbortouch.com www.iHarbortouch.com www.InnovaProductsLTD.com www.ModernlineFurniture.com www.NCBShow.com www.NorthAmericanCable.com www.PenumbraTables.com www.Perlick.com www.ez-squeeze.com www.TouchTunes.com
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Inventory Companies AsomBroso Tequila
www.aTequila.com
Crown Royal Whisky
www.CrownRoyal.com
Glenfiddich
www.Glenfiddich.com
Newcastle Scotch Ale
www.Facebook.com/Newcastle
Orphan Barrel Whiskey
www.OrphanBarrel.com
Six Saints Rum
www.SixSaintsRum.com
Square One Organic Spirits
www.SquareOneOrganicSpirits.com
XpressNap
www.talktork.com/tryxpressnap
To advertise in Bar Business Magazine contact, Art Sutley, Ph: 212-620-7247, e-mail: asutley@sbpub.com
www.barbizmag.com
December 2014 Bar Business Magazine
47
Owning Up
Conquering Cockroaches The cockroach. An ancient creature renowned for its ability to survive almost anything. When the nuclear holocaust arrives, who will make it out the other end? The cockroach! And what will he do? Find a new bar to live in.
Yes,
the cockroach is the bane of every bar owner’s existence. It seems no matter what we do, how well we maintain the premises, these crusty critters find a way to invade. Did you know that the earliest cockroach-like fossils ever found were estimated to be approximately 350 million years old? That means cockroaches in their earliest forms likely haunted McSorley’s Ale House, which opened around the same era. Cockroaches live in a wide range of environments around the world, but prefer warm conditions found within buildings. Some cockroaches have been known to live up to three months without food and a month without water, and studies suggest that cockroaches use just two pieces of information to decide where to go: how dark it is and how many other cockroaches there are. In other words, the darker the better, and the more buddies around, the more likely they are to join the party. Sounds like a bar to me. While these crunchy critters may one day inherit the Earth, it’s not necessarily true that they will simply inherit your bar no matter what you do. We have some steps that may help you fight the good fight. Proper cleaning is the most effective step restaurant and foodservice facilities can take to help prevent a cockroach infestation, according to George Botta with J.S. Pest Control in Las Vegas. However, Botta says, restaurants should be more than cleaned — they should be sanitized. "Cleaning involves removing dirt or debris, but sanitizing actually removes surface bacteria and microorganisms [that attract pests]. Research has shown that pests can survive pesticide exposure [even when] they have access to just small amounts of food." To help foodservice facilities stay clean, sanitized, and pest free, Botta offers the following suggestions: 48
Bar Business Magazine December 2014
• Ceilings, walls, tables, chairs, and workstations must be regularly cleaned and sanitized
• Similarly, storage cabinets, shelves, drawers, sinks, drink dispensers, ice machines, and trash receptacles must be cleaned and sanitized • Canned and bottled goods must be removed from cardboard shipping cartons and stored a minimum of six inches above the floor • Employee restrooms, locker rooms, and offices must be cleaned and sanitized daily • Outside areas, such as garbage containers, loading and receiving docks, must be free of litter; all standing water squeezed down drains • Floor drains must be free of debris • Floors must be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. "Floors are a key concern," says Matt Morrison, communications manager at Kaivac Cleaning Systems. "Soiled floors in foodservice facilities often become welcome mats for cockroaches." To prevent this, Morrison has his own suggestions: • Clean-up all spills as soon as they occur • Mops should be avoided when cleaning kitchen floors because they become soiled so quickly and then spread contaminants; however, if using a mop, change it frequently during the process • Cleaning solution should also be changed frequently; if it becomes dark, you have waited too long • Consider trolley buckets that dispense only fresh cleaning solution directly onto floors • Floorcare systems that vacuum-up moisture and soils can more thoroughly remove contaminants from floor areas • Store all cleaning equipment dry and above the floor. "The goal is prevention," adds Morrison. "The most effective way of [treating] a pest infestation is preventing it in the first place." www.barbizmag.com
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