March 2015 Bar Business

hiring, and training top-notch cocktail Top Guns: Finding, waitresses can be a true challenge on-premise.

The How-To Publication

BAR BUSINE$$ March 2015

M A G A Z I N E

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EnvisionEd By BartEndErs….Built By industry ExpErts www.ultimatEBars.com

Innovators Not Imitators Ultimate Bars designed for high volUme sitUations where fUnctionality and efficiency are important. as the original creators of the folding light-up bar every item has been thought and built by bartenders for bartenders. Based on a skeleton frame made of aircraft aluminum any or all the panels can be easily interchanged, branded or lit up with our battery operated led system. Ultimate Bars offer flexibility like no other bar on the market today and come with a lifetime warranty

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How to: Inventory Control wine: Organic Gains big six: The Up & Up

BAR BUSINE$$

On Tap MARCH 2015

CONTENTS

26

Wait a second

HOW TO

19

15

19

23

We’re all MIXED UP

The word on wine

taking inventory

The latest edition of our bi-monthly section for digital issues only, where we provide a collection of cocktail recipes for mixologists.

For 2015 in the wine world, organic is the adjective to watch; the folks at ProWein have some ideas on what to look for in the segment.

To reduce lost revenue around lost liquor, we offer seven tips on how to properly utilize inventory control techniques on-premise.

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March 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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On Tap

BAR BUSINE$$

CONTENTS

15 Departments 4 Bar room drawl 6 Booze News Perlick announces the launch of its new Tobin Ellis signature cocktail station; Newcastle sets sail with VIKINGS; 2015 USBG Legacy Cocktail Showcase winner; Diageo and ThinFilm Electronics unveil the connected ‘Smart Bottle.’

10 liquid Assets In taking on the tidal wave of tastes shifting towards whiskey, tequila as a category continues an impressive upswing that has gone somewhat unheralded, thanks in part to new flavored profiles and celebrities.

Features 26 the long wait Cocktail waitress is one of the toughest jobs in the nightclub industry, and just as challenging is hiring, training, and keeping the best available candidates on staff each year.

30 Beer Nuts?

36 Big six James Beard nominee Matthew Piacentini mixes high-end cocktails and serious hospitality to create a low-key bar in New York City with his new venue The Up & Up.

Is it crazy to create cocktails with beer as a key ingredient?

As the warm weather finally makes its way back, we look at why beer cocktails can be a killer addition to your menu.

40 Inventory 44 holiday happenings 46 OWNING UP Some people dream of heading to the warm weather of the Caribbean and opening a bar on the beach.

Some people actually do it.

ON THE COVER:

Brockman’s Clover cocktail, made with Brockman’s Gin, freshly squeezed lime juice, and sugar syrup. For the full recipe, check out the How To Mixed Up article on pg. 17.

10 “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 © 2015 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 March 2015

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Bar Room Drawl

By Chris Ytuarte Editor

You Live and You Learn "Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."

— Benjamin Franklin As anyone in this industry will surely attest, the bar business is a hands-on endeavor.

Few and far between are the successful nightlife owners and operators who don’t spend long hours on-site, picking every nit and managing each minor detail.

Of course, smart owners eventually hire (and train) strong management teams in order to alleviate some of the time required on-premise, but early on — both in individual careers and in new venues — an education in this industry requires much more than books and information. Without experience on all fronts, you’re lost. Not a good place to be.

That’s not to say, of course, that a continuing education in the nightlife game is not a good idea. After all, that is why we produce a magazine every month, to bring you the latest ideas, trends, concepts, theories and practices that are proven to work across the country. Even the most seasoned industry veteran can learn something new, something that will serve to enhance and build upon the on-premise experience that is so vital.

Here is a recent “experience” from which we can learn: After a drunk driver ran a red light and collided with a cab in 2006 in Manhattan, passenger Diana 4

Bar Business Magazine March 2015

Tafur was in a coma for six months and today remains in a wheelchair. Nine years later, she was won her $20 million civil suit against the drunk driver and the nightclub that over-served him, but the driver is broke, so the nightclub is on the hook for 40% of the court award. The club named in the case is no longer in existence, and its owner is not being forced to pay as the venue was technically owned under an LLC. Next in line — the insurance company that covered the club — is also refusing to pay, claiming the club voided its policy on the night of the accident by continuing to serve alcohol after the legal 4 a.m. closing time.

The lesson learned here? Nightclub owners need to be aware — of who is serving drinks in their club and until when; of who is drinking in their club and how much; of who is insuring their club and what that company's history looks like. This is the kind of experience no bar owner wants, but it is one from which we can all learn.

These are the things that don’t make it into textbooks; but in the pages of Bar Business Magazine, and on the newly re-designed BarBizMag.com, we strive to bring you the reality of this business. If you combine real-world knowledge with real-world experience, you can benefit greatly, as will your business.

Keep learning. Head to The Nightclub & Bar Show in Las Vegas this month. Get educated through their panel discussions, new products and services, and from your peers. Because in this business, you live and you learn.

BAR BUSINE$$ MAGAZINE

March 2015 Vol. 8, No. 3 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 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

PERLICK LAUNCHES

THE TOBIN ELLIS SIGNATURE

COCKTAIL STATION

P

erlick, a leader in total package bar equipment and beverage dispensing systems, recently announced the launch of the Tobin Ellis Signature Cocktail Station. The industry exclusive station is the result of a unique partnership between Perlick and award-winning bartender Tobin Ellis and includes a suite of new features — replete with what Ellis refers to as a “bartender cockpit” — dedicated to the efficient production of cocktails in highvolume environments. The new product made its industry debut at the NAFEM Show in February in Perlick’s booth, where Tobin Ellis used the station to make classic and craft cocktails for show attendees.

“Our partnership with Tobin Ellis provides us with intimate insight into what bartenders need to deliver quality cocktails efficiently,” states Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Perlick, Tim Ebner.

“Perlick’s seasoned team of engineers worked tirelessly to transform Ellis’ insights into the industry exclusive Tobin Ellis Signature Cocktail Station; a revolutionary product that complements industry trends while improving operators’ bottom lines.”

Engineered for speed and built for comfort, Perlick’s new Tobin Ellis Signature Cocktail Station consists of innovative product solutions that have been specifically designed to be more ergonomic for bartenders and to better accommodate their needs when making craft cocktails. These unique features include:

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Bar Business Magazine March 2015

• Refrigerated Drawers: The low-temperature refrigerated drawers boast the industry’s only NSF rating for open food storage — the top drawer includes in-place Ninth Size Pans for garnishes, herbs, fruit, etc.

• 24” Drain Board Top: Features drop-in stainless steel glass rack panels along with an optional poly cutting board.

• Insulated Bottle Well: With the capacity to hold nine, 750ml juice bottles or six, 1 liter Store-N-Pours, the well keeps wine, beer, Champagne, juice and syrups within arm’s reach without cross contamination into serviceable ice. Also available in a shallow depth model that allows room for an optional soda gun manifold locker.

• 30” Sectioned Ice Bin: The bin is 3 inches shallower than standard designs, allowing the bartender to stand closer to their work counter and their guests. Includes standard 10-circuit cold plate with stainless dividers allowing for separate storage for a variety of ice.

• Speed Rail: Features Perlick’s exclusive rounded design to create a “cockpit” feel while placing bartenders closer to their work counter and their customers. Designed for optimal reach and comfort, bartenders can pull bottles from the rail and stand against it without hard rail edges pressing into their knees and legs. Includes space for large footprint bottles that don’t fit in standard speed rails.

• Slanted Speed Rack: A vertical, angled speed rail that accommodates 12 liters, bringing total station capacity to 27 liters all within the bartender’s reach.

Visit www.perlick.com/bar-beverage-equipment www.barbizmag.com

Newcastle’s VIKINGS Amber Ale

HISTORY® has partnered with Newcastle Brown Ale to create a unique, custom draught beer to commemorate the third season of the acclaimed scripted TV series VIKINGS, which premiered Feb. 19 th on HISTORY Channel.

For a limited time, Newcastle VIKINGS Amber Ale will be available in select bars in 10 states (CA, CO, IL, MA, MN, NC, NV, NY, PA & SC) with a distinctive custom tap handle

inspired by the iconic hull of a Viking craft.

“Newcastle is the ideal partner with which to celebrate the VIKINGS in advance of the new season,” said Chris Epple, Vice President, Marketing & Innovations, A+E Networks. “This innovative strategic alliance helps both brands extend the reach of our respective traditional audiences, and in a way that is both fun and meaningful.”

Now Available in Select Bars

Newcastle VIKINGS Amber Ale is an amber beer that owes its color to a full blend of roasted malts providing full-bodied flavor, curbed by a slight, pleasant bitterness from aromatic German Hallertau Magnum hops.

The beer is the second in Newcastle’s Collaboration Series, which has the famous English brewer partnering with other great European breweries to deliver unique beers for Americans to enjoy. Newcastle VIKINGS Amber Ale comes from Brand Brewery, the oldest brewery in the Netherlands, founded in 1340. The brewery is in the southernmost part of the country, a region where actual Vikings are said to have roamed between 800 and 900 A.D. “We asked the brewmaster at Brand Brewery to imagine he was working with actual Vikings breathing down his neck, to give him some motivation to brew a great beer,” said Brett Steen, brand manager for Newcastle Brown Ale. “Looks like it worked because he turned out a fantastic, fullflavored ale that’s sure to make any Viking a little less angry.”

2015 USBG National Legacy Cock tail Showc ase Winner

U

nited States Bartenders’ Guild (USBG) crowned Ran Duan of The Baldwin Bar at Sichuan Garden in Woburn, MA as the national finalist of the fifth annual USBG Legacy Cocktail Showcase sponsored

by BACARDÍ rum in Miami Beach. Duan will receive an allexpense paid trip to Sydney, Australia, and the opportunity to share his unique creation on the global stage as the United States representative in the BACARDÍ Global Legacy Cocktail Competition. Duan emerged from a field of nine national semi-finalists from across the country, winning with “Father’s Advice,” his innovative BACARDÍ Gold cocktail.

“Duan’s winning cocktail and presentation embodies the irrepressible spirit of BACARDÍ, breaking traditional boundaries of cocktail creation and demonstrating the ability to sustain the test of time,” noted Arvind Krishnan, Vice President and Brand Managing Director for the rum category at Bacardi U.S.A., Inc. “We saw highly talented bartenders and inventive cocktails created this evening, and are excited to see Duan advance to represent the United States at the Global Legacy Cocktail Competition.”

Duan will advance to the Global Competition and will present in front of a judging panel of influential experts.

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March 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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Booze News Diageo and Thinfilm Unveil the Connected ‘Smart Bottle’

D

iageo, a world leader in beverage alcohol, and Thin Film Electronics ASA, a global leader in the development of printed electronics and smart systems, look to completely change the role of a bottle in the consumer experience, with a prototype JOHNNIE WALKER BLUE LABEL® “smart bottle” that was unveiled at Mobile World Congress, March 2-5, 2015.

The connected “smart bottle” aims to enhance the consumer experience by using printed sensor tags featuring Thinfilm’s OpenSenseTM technology, which can detect both the sealed and opened state of each bottle. The tags and the sensor information they contain will allow Diageo to send personalized communications to consumers who read the tags with their smartphones.

The innovation, created by Thinfilm in collaboration with Diageo Technology Ventures, will make it possible to send consumers targeted and timely marketing messages, whether at retail or after purchase, such as promotional offers, cocktail recipes and exclusive content.

Thinfilm’s proprietary and patent-pending OpenSense technology makes use of smartphones’ Near Field Communication (NFC) capabilities. The technology allows Diageo to track bottle movements across the supply chain, in-store and to the point of consumption, with the sensor tags remaining readable even when the factory seal has been broken, providing an additional layer of security in protecting the authenticity of the product.

OpenSense tags can dynamically detect if a bottle is sealed or open with the simple tap of an NFC smartphone.

To ensure authenticity, the tags are also completely and

permanently encoded at the point of manufacture and cannot be copied or electrically modified.

“Mobile technology is changing the way we live, and as a consumer brands company we want to embrace its power to deliver amazing new consumer experiences in the future,” said Helen Michels, Global Innovation Director, Futures Team at Diageo.

Don’t Drink Alone, Get BARTRENDr BARTRENDr, a social networking app dedicated to equipping bar-goers with all the resources necessary for a fun night on the town, announced that the company has closed a $1.3 million seed round, led by the Menlo Park-based investor group Band of Angels.

With more than 100,000 new users over the past three months, this round of funding will allow the company to rapidly expand in the U.S. market, where it is already popular in San Francisco and New York. The platform provides a private social network where people can connect with their friends and other bar patrons, chat and share photos of their night, all in real-time and away from the eyes of their 8

Bar Business Magazine March 2015

disapproving employers or family members.

BARTRENDr also enables bar owners and beverage brands to actively and directly interact with patrons while they’re out consuming, while also providing the beverage industry unique consumer behavior analytics.

Behavioral data captured through the platform will include most popular locations for given population segments, beverages, age and gender of users, behavioral factors, as well as correlation between lifestyle, events and consumption patterns. All of this unbiased, unaided content provides real-time insights for bar and club owners, along with beer, wine, and liquor brands. Visit www.bartrendr.com.

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AMI ENTERTAINMENT’S

MUSIC VIDEO JUKEBOXES

AMI's Music Video Jukeboxes bring the best videos straight to your location! Customers can choose from over a million audio songs or upgrade with any of the 10,000+ music videos in AMI's constantly growing video library.

Only AMI Jukeboxes can help promote your specials and events with custom ads using the web-based AMI Ad Manager tool.

Add your own images or choose from any of the eye-catching ad templates provided.

For more information visit: www.amientertainment.com/musicvideo

Liquid Assets

The Times They Are Tequila Following a surge in sales and start-ups a few years back, the tequila category continues to see an impressive upswing even in the wake of the whiskey wave.

By Chris Ytuarte

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Bar Business Magazine March 2015

www.barbizmag.com

G

ive credit where credit is due: As a spirit, tequila has come a long way from the days of Spring Break shooters and slushy margaritas. Along with the industry-wide shift that began over a decade ago towards craft cocktails and distillation, tequila followed suit with new boutique brands, fresh ingredient mixology, and high-end sipping spirits that were on par with any other category in the marketplace. Tequila had grown up.

And the American public was happy to see it. Between 2002 and 2013, U.S. imports of tequila grew some 83%, an average rate of 5.6% per year, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS). In 2013 alone, over 13 million 9-liter cases of tequila were sold in the U.S. Perhaps only in the shadow of the bourbon boom and the wild whiskey wave would numbers like that indicate anything but continuing success. In fact, volume leapt 5% for tequila in 2014, keeping in line with the previous decade’s growth pattern; though as Fortune.com points out, that 2014 uptick was powered by the priciest bottles (think Patron’s new “Roca” line), a segment that saw a jump in demand of nearly 15%.

Indeed, according to DISCUS, the fastest growth for tequila has been in high-end and super-premium brands.

High-end brands have grown 178% in volume since 2002.

Virtually unknown in 2002, super-premium tequila volumes have skyrocketed 482% and in 2013 accounted for 2.1 million 9-liter cases.

But the appeal of tequila, in the long run, is its ability to adapt, to offer super-premium spirits like Tequila Avión’s “Reserva 44” Extra-Añejo for sipping, as well as lower-priced bottles that still serve to create great cocktails. There is more to this market than just money.

“There are many tequilas out there that offer no competitive point of difference other than packaging,” says Tom Maas, Agave Loco Tequila Founder and Master Blender. “To be truly innovative there must be innovation in the liquid in the bottle.”

Agave Loco Tequila has launched into a new frontier for tequilas trying to expand the palate and possibilities

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of the spirit with its Pepper Cured ™ Tequila. While flavorings have not been at the forefront of the category traditionally, Maas and Agave Loco see an opening.

“What we are trying to do with Agave Loco is allow consumers who really appreciate good 100% agave tequila the option of sipping on a variant that has been infused with the oils of six different types of pepper,” explains Maas. “We are not looking for bitter heat, we are looking to give consumers the opportunity to taste fresh pepper flavor in a spicy 100% agave tequila base. The result is a sweet explosion of heat on the palate that must be experienced to understand. It makes tequila cocktails with a very tangy Sweet Heat finish, similar to the taste sensation in the new spicy fruit salsas like Chile Mango and Spicy Peach salsa.”

Adding flavors and infusions to tequila has, in the past, not been viewed as a truly viable option, presumably because of the spirit’s natural profile already being a powerful, upfront experience. But when faced with a challenge like the onslaught of whiskey and bourbon (and that category’s own dalliance with altered flavorings), some in the tequila world aren’t afraid to take a stab at souped-up spirits.

“The issue has been a lack of creativity in the use of flavors,” Maas theorizes. “People have tried the standards of citrus, berry and chocolate. These flavors are not the best blenders with great tequila. Tequila has an earthy, herbal quality that will blend more favorably with spicy/savory flavors. Cuervo has done a great job with their Cinge Expression. It is a spicy sweet cinnamon flavor that blends well with tequila. Agave Loco has taken the sweet spicy flavors of six different types of peppers from hot March 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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Liquid Assets

peppers like Habanero and Serrano to sweet peppers and has truly created a harmonious blend with 100% agave reposado tequila. The pepper blend enhances the flavors of the tequila marvelously so that the end result tastes like biting into a fresh green pepper.”

“The tequila category needs some truly innvoative flavors and bartenders need to be informed of them so they can start to tinker.”

To create Agave Loco Pepper Cured Tequila, several types of peppers are steeped in aged tequila to extract the flavorful oils that give peppers their flavor, character, and heat. The result is that the peppers yield much of their flavor to the tequila and the tequila is “cured” with the flavor of pepper, rather than explicitly “flavwored.”

The process was discovered when the company was looking for the most interesting tequila from Mexico.

While in the Arandas area, the Agave Loco team discovered people who would preserve their peppers in tequila, and after a few weeks the pepper oils that had infused into the tequila would make the liquid so hot that you could not drink it. Locals then discovered that if you diluted this mixture with straight tequila you could regulate the heat to a more palatable level, and the result

was a very flavorful concoction. There were no recipes because everyone had their own way of making it, so Agave Loco created a process called “Pepper Curing™ ”. The benefits of this process are that it takes the rough edges off the taste of a tequila and leaves a full, rich pepper flavor and aroma.

“We strive for a perfect blend that showcases the flavor of the tequila and has a sweet hot pepper bite with no alcohol taste,” says Maas. “As a result we ended up at 71.1 proof, as that seemed to give us the best balance and flavor. The advantage this brand offers bar owners is that they have a fresh pepper flavor available for blending the finest cocktails. Flavor remains fresh day after day as the only preservative needed to keep the fresh pepper flavor is the great 100% agave tequila used as the base. They can make the freshest, sweet hot cocktails day after day just by pouring the Agave Loco.”

Cocktails, of course, remain the most prominent usage of tequila in all forms. While some sipping styles have emerged, enhanced margaritas and other tequila cocktails are hot menu items across the country. “There is a lot of experimentation going on with tequila drinks now with cucumber and mojitos,” says Maas. “The category just needs truly innovative new flavors and the bartenders need to be informed about them so they can start to tinker with them behind the bar. We feel the time is right for Agave Loco because this high quality tequila brand fits the innovation niche perfectly.”

Even as the brown spirits push across the border, in the U.S. the time is still right for tequila.

Celebs Sipping Tequila in the Spotlight

T

equila is also gaining some key celebrity endorsements.

Beverage giant Diageo and Sean “Diddy” Combs formed a joint venture last year to buy DeLeón, while Justin Timberlake and of course George Clooney are also backing tequila brands.

Recently, Clooney’s Casamigos Tequila was the title sponsor of Casamigos Tequila Presents Tacos After Dark with celebrity chef Aaron Sanchez. The event took place as part of South Beach Food and Wine Festival on February 19th, and hosted over 600 people at the Loews

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Bar Business Magazine March 2015

Hotel. The evening featured 15 chefs, five of which (Todd English, Ingrid Hoffman, Jose Garces, Richard Sandoval, and Aaron Sanchez) cooked with Casamigos Tequilas.

As guests arrived, they were immediately greeted by a Casamigos Tequila Barrel bar, a bevy of beautiful models, and two giant five-foot lit balls/orbs branded with the Casamigos Tequila logo above their heads. A second barrel bar was set up on the main lawn where food was being served in the center of the event and in-between two large palm

trees that were uplit in Casa blue lighting. Eight Casamigos Tequila models carrying rustic wooden trays served Margaritas, Palomas and the brand’s Spicy Cucumber Margarita.

Meanwhile, Timberlake’s Sauza 901 Tequila was toasted at the Film Independent Spirit Awards last month by movie and television star Kerry Washington (left), best known for her hit TV series Scandal.

Washington raised a glass of Sauza 901 Tequila on February 21st to celebrate 30 years of the Film Independent Spirit Awards.

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Tequila Cocktails Sláinte de la Noche

Chocolate Raspberry Margarita

1½ parts Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila 1½ parts coffee liqueur ¼ part vanilla syrup 1 part heavy cream

1½ parts Sauza Blue Silver 100% Agave Tequila ½ part DeKuyper Razzmatazz 6 parts chocolate milk 2 dashes of Taza® Chocolate Mexicano Extract Chocolate shavings (for garnish) Raspberry (for garnish)

Combine all ingredients in glass and serve.

To make vanilla syrup, mix together 1 part sugar, 1 part water, 1 part vanilla extract. Bring to a boil and cool before serving (1 -2 minutes).

Paddy’s Herbal Mojito 2 oz Herradura Silver ¼ oz lime juice ¼ oz simple syrup 6 basil leaves 2 inches of cucumber, diced Splash of soda Place basil and cucumber into the base of a tall glass and muddle to extract flavors, fill 1/4 of the glass with crushed ice, add remaining ingredients and combine using a bar spoon. Cap with more crushed ice and garnish with a basil leaf.

Mexican Mule 1 part Sauza 901 Tequila 2 parts ginger beer Juice of ½ lime Combine Sauza 901 Tequila and lime juice in a highball glass. Add ice. Pour ginger beer into glass. Garnish with fresh lime wedge.

Chili Mango Margarita 3 parts mango puree 1 part Agave Loco Pepper Cured Tequila 1/2 cup ice

Kaffir Lime Leaf Spritzer

Mix tequila and mango puree, blend with ice.

Garnish with grilled mango slice.

2 oz Herradura Silver 2 oz Kaffir lime leaf tea (chilled) ½ oz lime juice ½ oz lemongrass syrup

Jalapeño Margarita

For Kaffir tea: Take 10 Kaffir lime leaves and place in a teapot or other heat-proof receptacle and add boiling water. After 10 minutes remove leaves and allow to cool to room temperature then chill in a fridge.

For lemongrass syrup: Cut 2 stems of lemon grass into discs. Place in a hot pan and gently toast for 20 seconds. Add I liter of simple syrup and bring to a boil, simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp.

Place all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with cubed ice. Shake hard and strain over ice into a tall glass. Garnish with a lemongrass spear and a mint sprig.

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Combine all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously. Strain the mixture into a martini glass rimmed with chocolate shavings. Garnish with a raspberry and enjoy.

3 parts Margarita or Daiquiri mix 1 part Agave Loco Pepper Cured Tequila 1/2 cup ice Mix tequila and margarita mix, blend with ice.

Agave Maria™ 1 part Agave Loco Pepper Cured Tequila 4 parts Bloody Mary mix Combine, pour over ice and enjoy.

March 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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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

Exclusively from Perlick Contact Perlick today to learn more. perlick.com • 800.558.5592

Quality & Innovation that inspires

How To:

Master Mixology

Cocktail Ideas for the On-premise Mixologist

T

he month of March for the bar business typically finds its focus in the middle, right around the 17th, when one of the biggest bar days of the year takes place annually on St. Patrick’s Day. And while most folks on-premise will bolster their supplies of Guinness and Jameson, this is not necessarily a holiday that is limited to serving just those two staples of Irish imbibing.

When you consider the universal nature of St. Paddy’s Day, and how it brings out all kinds of drinkers — young and old, male and female, amateur and veteran — it is actually a great day to have some non-traditional cocktails at the ready, drinks built for March 17th but with some unusual ingredients for the day.

St. Paddy’s Crunch www.barbizmag.com

March 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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How To:

The Mexichaun

Top o’ the Tequila To Ya As they say, everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, and you can pay tribute with Hornitos® Black Barrel® Tequila, a super smooth, triple aged, 100% agave tequila uniquely aged to create distinct and complex whiskey notes. It’s a unique blend that appeals to both whiskey and tequila lovers — perfect for all looking to channel the luck of the Irish this March 17.

The Mexichaun 2 parts Hornitos Plata Tequila ²/³ parts green chartreuse 1 part fresh lime juice Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Strain over ice.

Hornitos Green Mexican 1 Part Hornitos Plata Tequila 1 Part Midori 4 parts sweet and sour mix Fill a Collins glass with ice. Add Hornitos Plata Tequila and Midori, fill rest of glass with sour mix, and garnish with an orange slice.

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Bar Business Magazine March 2015

Leprechaun’s Treasure

Kiwi Piña Colada at Caribar

Corn Beef & Caribbean Cocktails When March 17 rolls around, St. Patrick’s Day, with its parades, parties and green libations, is a welcome usher to spring and warmer weather. This St. Paddy’s Day, Hilton’s sunny hotels and resorts in the Caribbean and Latin America are proud to offer travelers green cocktails for the inspiration to dig out of the snow and celebrate!

Kiwi Piña Colada at Caribar Caribe Hilton The original piña colada, the official drink of Puerto Rico, was created at Caribe Hilton just over 60 years ago. This St. Patrick’s Day twist on the world-famous cocktail comes as the hotel anticipates its brand new bar—Caribar—opening in March 2015, promising new takes on the old classic.

2 oz rum 1 oz coconut cream 1 oz heavy cream 6 oz fresh pineapple juice 5 cup crushed ice 6 oz Kiwi tropical fruit

Leprechaun’s Treasure Created by Francisco De Los Santos for Sol & Sombra Bar at Hilton Santo Domingo Created in a heated mixology competition, Leprechaun’s Treasure includes a variety of green ingredients, complementary flavors and slushy ice for a too-tasty way to celebrate Ireland’s patron saint and the beginning of spring.

1.5 oz Midori Liquor 1.5 oz White Dominican Rum .5 oz key lime juice .5 oz liquid sugar Splash of Sprite Garnish: .5 oz Green crème de menthe Crushed ice snowball (this is the treasure!)

Rocks or margarita glass Half a key lime (muddled)

St. Paddy’s Crunch

By Yackeisha Marcelina for Captain Bligh’s at Hilton Curaçao The Irish spirit of simplicity inspired the simple but festive St. Paddy’s Crunch. The taste, color and catchy name promises multiple rounds of this green cocktail.

Fill the glass halfway with ice Add 2 oz of vodka Add .5 oz of Midori Mix the contents using an agitator or a straw. Place a spearmint leaf at the top, within the ices.

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Ginger Beer Cocktail

Brockman's Clover

Deschamps Green

By Lewis Deschamps for Bar Perle Noire at Embassy Suites by Hilton Santo Domingo From Hilton Worldwide’s newest hotel in the Caribbean, opened in June 2014, comes the delectable Deschamps Green, a sweet and sour drink that looks and tastes like adult candy.

2 oz white rum 1.5 oz lemon juice 2 oz passion fruit juice 1 oz liquid sugar Mint

OK, Finally, Some Whiskey We can’t really get away with a St. Paddy’s Day recipe list without at least some whiskey, so here are a few cocktails containing that staple spirit, albeit with a twist.

2 parts Tippy Cow Shamrock Mint 1 Part Irish Whisky

Irish Mudslide

Red Clover

Serve in frosted margarita glass, garnished salt and lemon twist

St. Patrick’s Day Sin

Irish Hot Chocolate

An audacious blend of Jameson Irish Whiskey, sour Midori and sweet sugar syrup, Canvas Bar’s St. Patrick’s Day cocktail is a sinfully delicious homage to Ireland’s favorite liquors.

25 mL Freshly grated basil and lemon Juice 20 mL sugar syrup 10 mL Chartreuse .5 mL Midori 1 shot of Jameson Put all ingredients in a shaker and fill with ice. Shake and double strain into a cocktail glass. Add egg white foam —1 egg white for every 16 oz of lemon juice.

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1 oz Berentzen Pear 1.5 oz Irish Whiskey .25 oz fresh lime juice 2 oz ginger ale Combine Berentzen Pear, Irish Whiskey and lime juice over ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Top with ginger ale.

Garnish with slice of pear.

Irish Cow

1 part Tippy Cow Shamrock Mint 1 Part Coffee Liqueur 1 part Tippy Cow Chocolate

Created by Rodman Paixão for Canvas Bar at Hilton São Paulo, Morumbi

Lepearchaun

1 part Tippy Cow Shamrock Mint 1/2 part Irish Whisky 3 parts Hot Chocolate

Irish Mint Coffee 1 part Tippy Cow Shamrock Mint 1/2 part Irish Whisky 3 parts Hot Coffee

Apple Blarney Bite 1 oz Berentzen Apple 4 oz Stout 3 oz Hard Cider In order add Berentzen Apple, Hard Cider and Stout into pint glass.

1 oz Berentzen Cherry 1 oz Irish Whiskey 3 oz Energy Drink Combine all ingredients in an ice-filled Collins glass. Stir gently and serve.

Garnish with lime wedge.

Ginger Beer Cocktail 2 oz 2 Skinny Drunks Premium Organic Margarita Mix 2 oz Ginger Beer 2 oz Irish Whiskey (We Prefer Jameson) Garnish with a lime and serve over ice.

Pour and Enjoy!

Brockmans Clover 2 oz Brockmans gin .5 oz freshly squeezed lime .5 oz sugar syrup.

Pour into a shaker with a handful of ice and stir, then strain into a stemmed chilled glass and serve with a lime twist.

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How To:

ght i R e h t d n i F Wine for 2015

Natural, Organic, Biodynamic: Marketing or Magic?

Following the wishes of most organic wine exhibitors, the world’s leading international trade fair for wines and spirits – ProWein in Düsseldorf – returns organic wines to regional pavilions in 2015.

Is this the end of a fad or the beginning of a new chapter as organic wines go mainstream?

W

ine is, for better or worse, not immune to the affliction of trends. Critter labels, “food wines,” and orange wines have all recently had their moment in the sun. While there are some inevitable winners that emerged from these trendy categories, talk of them has faded after a few years in the spotlight. Today that spotlight is focused on the group of wines called organic, natural, or biodynamic -different monikers for categories that are fundamentally linked. They’re linked mostly by what is not done to the fruit and wines during production, but linked just the same. In many circles these wines are spoken of as fad wines, and

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By Gregory Dal Piaz perhaps they are, to a degree; but can wines that have always existed, and will in all likelihood always continue to exist, truly be called “fads”? The answer, of course, is both yes and no, and unfortunately it’s all quite complicated.

Organic Wines as a Market Niche It is impossible to say that organic wines are better than conventionally produced wines, though consumers, with their preferences, are free to make such determinations. What can be said is that they are distinctly different from conventionally produced wines. When wines made with organic grapes fail to March 2015 Bar Business Magazine

19

How To: display these differences, they may lose favor with serious organic wine drinkers, though at the same time the powerful marketing message that organic carries with it more than makes up for that financial loss with more mainstream consumers. The difference here is subtle, but it may be the difference between being a fad or an enduring element of the wine industry.

Today organic wines are seen as a potentially revolutionary development in some regions. Consider this recent statement fromTim Marshall, Deputy Chair of the Organic Federation of Australia: “I believe the McLaren Vale area in South Australia could become the world’s number-one producer of organic wine in the world and we could easily realize this potential within a matter of years.” Continued growth in the sector accounts for some of wine’s biggest gains around the world, even as wine sales fall or remain stagnant in many European countries. Annual increases in sales of organic wines of 20% (Canada), 18% (Sweden), 10% (Holland), 8%(Denmark), 7% (Italy, Switzerland), 5% (Austria, France) and 4% (USA) are revolutionizing the industry in these countries. Acreage being farmed organically around the globe

has almost quadrupled over the past decade and this explosive growth continues unabated.

All of these figures bode well for producers of organic wines, but will the increased use of ‘organic’ as a marketing point of differentiation steal some of the thunder from smaller, more rigorous producers?

Or will it serve as a catalyst for further segmentation within the market for organic wines?

This is where we are today.

We have wines that are ironically known as conventional, having dominated the industry for the past halfcentury or so. Prior to that, so called conventional wines were what we might refer to as wines produced from organic grapes, and then prior to that, of course, natural wines was the convention. Perhaps in fifty years time biodynamic will be the convention of the day.

What Does the Future Hold?

To better understand the direction these wines will take, and what role marketing will play in the broader adoption of the ‘organic’ monikers, we need only look around and see what is happening with them right now. One of the truly profound developments with these wines today is their broad-based mass acceptance. For proof of this we need only look at any typical retail shop. Not long ago this group of organic wines was segregated on retail shelves, either to allow for ease of shopping from devotees or to help the average consumer avoid them. They were the proverbial minefield — full of pleasure, but also risks.

Today these wines are no long shunted aside, relegated to their own ‘special’ section. Instead they are returning to the shelves, displayed alongside other examples of Cabernet, Barolo, Chinon, or Pinot Noir. They’re no longer second-class citizens but fully the equal to the greatest conventional wines their appellation or variety can offer.

Adam Morgenstern, co-founder of the Organic Wine Journal, sees this happening as well, and reflects on the desires and intentions of the winemakers behind the labels: “The winemakers don’t have it easy either. I haven’t met one winemaker who wants to be known for being organic. They want to be known for making great wine, and organic is simply the way they think leads to the best quality. Each one has their own 20

Bar Business Magazine March 2015

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balancing act, deciding whether they want to draw attention to their practices over their quality, and even if they want to put it on their label — which the majority do not. There’s much more to this, but the biggest fear I’ve seen is that wine stores will take them out of their appropriate geographical section and place them in the ‘organic ghetto’ maybe somewhere behind the counter next to the kosher wines.”

This is not an isolated incident. It is a movement and we need look no further than ProWein for further evidence of this integration of organic wines into the mainstream.

ProWein in 2015 will no longer feature a distinct ‘Organic’ pavilion which was originally necessitated both by the increase in the number of self-identified organic producers participating in ProWein from a mere 17 producers in 2005 to roughly 300 in 2014, but by a professional interest to bring attention to the growth of this segment. This return of organic wines to their national pavilions at ProWein 2015 is just further proof both of the growth of these wines in numbers, as well as in importance.

A final point of evidence as to the direction these wines are taking is the gradual abandonment of certification. As more and more producers begin to create wines that are in some way organic, more and more are eschewing the expensive, cumbersome, and perhaps increasingly meaningless official “organic” certifications. In much the same way that organics will no longer be officially distinct at ProWein, producers no longer worry about being officially marked as organic.

Sommelier and director of the podcast series I’ll Drink to That, Levi Dalton succinctly captures the moment we are at today with his offhand observation of wine in the mainstream: inexpensive and at the supermarket.

“A few days ago I was in a Whole Foods in California and I saw this loudly organic labeled wine on a shelf, on sale for $10 a bottle,” says Dalton. “I checked the winery Website, which declares Frey ‘America’s First Organic Winery’ and lists 17 wines for sale with ‘Organic’ as the first word of the wine listing, in addition to some Biodynamic offerings. It seems this winery has securely latched onto ‘Organic’ as the brand idea, and it does seem to be making the most of its use as brand positioning. For me it is clear at this point that there are at least two meanings for organic: there is organic as a farming protocol, and there is organic as marketing.

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Some wineries engage in both, and some wineries pursue one and not the other.”

Get to Know Organic Wines This Year We are undoubtedly at an inflection point in the trajectory of the modern organic wine movement. Wineries engaged in organic as a farming protocol are increasingly finding that intelligent use of back labels to inform consumers, along with a more engaged and enlightened media and the wines themselves, are all more valuable when demonstrating the quality achieved by the organic methods than any stamp or symbol. Certifications, while not meaningless, are rather easily attained by those with money and staff. Power is moving from the bureaucracy to the consumer and producers. It’s a slow process, but one that is obviously well underway.

While we are all better off as the wine industry increasingly adopts the methods of organic production, let us not forget that there have been those who not only have always utilized them, but did so in relative obscurity and never once thought to leverage their practices as a marketing

Organic wines are no longer shunted aside, relegated to their own 'special' section. They are fully equal to conventional wines. advantage. Once again it is convenient to return to ProWein’s decision to return their organic participants to their regional pavilions, for among the wines that always remained under their nation’s flags were some that could have easily declared themselves organic or natural and could have enjoyed a greater share of the that spotlight. For whatever reason — philosophical, financial, or simply out of complacency — they chose instead to remain with their neighbors, simply producing whatever wine it was they produced and content to let that wine stand on its own.

Without a doubt the family of wines that are produced under the ‘organic’ umbrella represents some of the most interesting, dynamic, fun, and innovative wines in the market today. They should be compared, as they increasingly are today, not to one another, but rather to their regional peers.

If you wipe prejudices from your mind and approach these wines with a clean slate, I’m sure that you will find that when compared with their peers, organic wines are their full equal.

ProWein has once again proven to be ahead of the curve in delivering the quintessential experience for the wine professional, so I'll see you in Düsseldorf.

Gregory Dal Piaz has been involved with wine for over three decades, beginning on the restaurant side of the business, before moving to retail, and now as Editor-in-Chief of Snooth.com.

March 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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How To:

Limit your Liquor Loss

Liquor Inventory Control: 7 Tips on How to Minimize Liquor Shrinkage By Kevin Tam

I

f you value the long-term success of your business, you will have asked at one point or another: How do we control for liquor inventory costs? Liquor is the life blood of bars, restaurants and nightclubs. In an industry where the margins can sometimes be razor thin, effective liquor management can be the difference between success or failure.

Prudent bar operators put a big emphasis on effective liquor control, because the sources of shrinkage can come from a wide range of places. Most shrinkage happens internally, from employees who steal product. Almost every bar owner has had to deal with internal theft to some extent, and it comes in various forms. Some people drink while they work, others sell product without ringing it in, others walk out the back door with product, and some people over-pour to get higher tips.

Then there are some people who are just sloppy with their pours, and over-pour a bit on every one of their drinks without even knowing it. The net effect of these activities, built up over a busy night, can be devastating to a bar's bottom line.

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External factors can also contribute to shrinkage.

Sometimes vendors deliver something different than what is invoiced. Sometimes, the amount can be significant. A case of vodka or a keg of beer, missed on a delivery, means thousands of lost potential revenue. Why does this happen?

It can be a problem on their end; maybe an employee is disgruntled and delivers only partial quantities while he sells the rest on the black market. Other times, it can be a computer error in the warehouse. Then there are some people who just honestly forget to bring certain items. These things can absolutely wreak havoc on a bar's bottom line if undetected. I have managed liquor orders of all sizes, and for larger orders the risk of this happening is very real on a week-to-week basis. Prudent operators should be aware of these external factors, all of which can affect shrinkage.

Whether it’s from drinking, selling product for cash without ringing it in, over-pouring or “forgetting� to bring a delivery, the net effect is the same to the owner: Product is March 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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How To: It's important that the leaders of bars understand that they must always tell their people to be accurate with their pours.

gone and there is no money to pay for it. It is for these reasons why prudent bar operators take steps in order to minimize the effect of these issues on their businesses. Here are some tips to help you minimize your shrinkage.

1. Do not drink on shift – Dry bars are by far, better run businesses than those where staff are known to partake in drinks.

Some operators still believe in the “old school” approach, where drinking on shift is normal. The rationale is that it helps you loosen up and socialize with guests. Unfortunately, in most places this is illegal, and has consequences that go well beyond the wasted product. When any one staff member is allowed to drink, it sends a message to the rest of the staff that they are also allowed to drink. Next thing you know, you could have the problem of having all your staff drinking on shift — which will send your expenses through the roof. The effect that this has on the culture of your staff is also poisonous. If it’s clearly okay to drink on shift and steal liquor, what else would they steal? Cash? Stationery? Other people’s belongings? The thought is frightening.

2. Lead by example – People tend to emulate their leaders. In companies where you see the CEO wear a suit and tie every day, so will all of the employees. In the bar industry, when the leader does not drink on shift, and is known for ringing in all product, etc., everyone else emulates those behaviors as well. How does this relate to liquor control? If you take liquor control seriously, so will your people. You have to live it, breathe it, and be the embodiment of it.

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3. Audit consistently – Most bars will audit once a week. For your average size restaurant/bar, that’s all you really need most times. Some more meticulous operators do nightly audits and charge bartenders for lost product at retail. This is a common practice in nightclubs. Then there are some venues, like golf courses, community halls, and banquet centres, that only need to be checked every second week or even every month due to periods of inactivity. Regardless of your audit frequency, once you have set it in place, you must do it routinely so your staff knows that you are paying attention to the details.

4. Think variance, not cost-of-goods – Real audits provide a measurement of usage against sales. The technical term for this is “variance.” It is not enough to just do a simple inventory and figure out your cost of goods sold. The reason is, you can be missing a ton of product, but your cost of goods sold may not increase by a noticeable amount. I can remember one instance when I was managing a bar doing over $150,000 a week in liquor sales, and I missed a case of expensive vodka when I was counting inventory. My liquor cost without the case of vodka was 15.2%. When I found the case of vodka, my liquor cost turned into 15.1%. To the naked eye, that doesn’t mean much. But the potential revenue of that missing product was over $1,000. The only thing that made it obvious was when I did a comparison to sales and saw I was short 316 oz in that product. If I was just going off cost of goods sold to evaluate my performance, I would never have known I was missing the case. This is why www.barbizmag.com

you need to know line-by-line what your variance is for every one of your products. When you have this information, you can address problem areas specifically.

5. Ring things in properly – You want to have buttons for every item available in your POS, and you want them to be as specific as possible. If you have 12 different domestic beers, you may be tempted to have a button that only says, “domestic.” But this is a mistake, as now it is impossible to isolate variances for all 12 beers in your selection because there is no specific product tied to the sale. Yes, we can group all the domestic beers together into a category and see the overall if it matches. But if someone walks out the back door with a case of domestic beer, we can never know for sure which one of the products it was. To avoid this problem, you make buttons for every item and you tell your team to ring things in properly. If there is an item that is not on the POS, you need to mark it down and make sure it gets programmed in as soon as possible.

6. Constantly reinforce – It is important that the leaders of bars understand that they must always tell their people to be accurate with their pours and make the most efficient use of resources. This is not a one-time talk. Bars that consistently keep their variance in the 1-2% range achieve that success because they constantly reiterate to their team the importance of proper pour sizes and best practices. To

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effectively lead a team that respects liquor inventory, the leader must always emphasize it until the idea becomes ingrained in the culture of the company. It is common practice for bars that have low variance to talk about liquor control during meetings, pre-shift and cash-outs. That is not a coincidence. Winners always stress its importance.

7. Fire when necessary – Every now and then, you will need to remove someone from your team who just does not get it.

This is always a positive thing for the business in the longterm, because an employee that causes shrinkage is a liability.

This also sends a message to the rest of your team that you are serious about controlling costs, and keeps everyone on their toes. While this is not the most enjoyable part of business, it must be done from time to time to keep your house in order.

Kevin Tam’s main objective is simple – help bar owners curb irresponsible liquor usage, and keep the playing field fair between owners and staff. He owns a liquor auditing practice that serves owners of bars, nightclubs and restaurants. Along with weekly on-site audits, he also provides remote auditing services and consulting internationally for bar owners who reside outside his hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is also a published author, speaker and trainer. His book Night Club Marketing Systems was published in Fall 2011. Kevin can be reached directly at kevintam@sculpturehospitality.com

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A Balancing Act

Show some respect: Cocktail waitressing is the toughest job in the bar business. In Part 1 of our two-part look at the profession, we talk about hiring the best-ofthe-best and then training them to be better.

By Bob Johnson, aka “BobTheBarGuy.com�

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n my opinion, the toughest job in the bar business Hiring The Best Possible Waitress is cocktail waitress. They have to put up with a lot When hiring for the cocktail waitress position, I look — from customers as well as from bartenders and for someone responsible. As a bar manager I need my managers. They are not appreciated enough and waitresses to show up on time, work their butt off, and are shown little respect. do so with a pleasant attitude. No one drinks while The image of the profession is easily degraded, working, and their cell phone stays in the trunk of their and, stupidly, bar managers and bartenders seem to car. They must be dependable. The less drama they place cocktail waitresses in a stereotypical “no create and the more they pay attention to the details brains” classification. Management is usually guilty and requirements of their job, the smoother my bar of just throwing a girl out on the floor without the seems to run. In my opinion, dependability and benefit of adequate training. It’s a “sink or swim” stability seem to be found mostly with women in a mentality as the bartender meets and has to direct certain age range. Of course, there are exceptions. the seventh or eighth “new waitress trainee” in a When interviewing for a cocktail waitress, I always week. The numbers game: Put the ad in the paper, herd give an Entry Level Test. Even if they have little to no them in, and the one who experience, you need to know flirtatiously catches the what they know. Ask manager’s eye is the one questions about types of who usually gets the job. liquor, addition and The structured, 4- to 5-day multiplication problems, training program for the different glassware, new waitress? Forget it. garnishes, etc.

If there is any bartender The Training/ or bar manager reading this Orientation Process column who thinks cocktail waitressing is a “walk in the There are many ways to train park” job, think twice. Too incoming personnel. Every much happens too quickly club I’ve ever worked does it on the floor. Just delivering differently. The usual way: a tray of drinks without “This is Sally, our most spilling anything is a trick experienced waitress. Follow in itself. Remembering what Sally around for a couple of everyone previously days and she’ll show you ordered without having to everything.” Management ask them, then placing the stays away from the “girl in drink correctly on the training” because they don’t napkin without knocking it know much about waitover, requires organization, ressing. I understand, but at memory, and skill. Multiply the very least, they should this part of the job by eight do a “checklist” of the most to ten more tables full of important things to know people. Keep all the tabs understand. Give the Management is often guilty of throwing and separate, clean the table checklist to Sally and make a new waitress out on the floor without sure she “checks off” the and if you allow smoking, clean the ashtrays and entire list before the new girl the benefit of adequate training. fetch/ light cigarettes or is allowed to go on the floor. cigars; anticipate refills, In my opinion, the first cash out tabs and make change for five different day of training should be spent with the Bar Manager people at one table; put up with harassing and and the Head Cocktail Waitress. This is the time the demanding customers in such a way you don’t blow New Hire Packet is filled out in its entirety the tip, then run back and forth a total of three to five (application, entry level test results, W-4, I-9, photo miles a night. Get the picture? copies of Driver’s License and Social Security card, Columnist Dear Abby said it well: “If there isn’t a person to notify in case of emergency, notification to special section in heaven for waiters and waitresses, report 100% of your tip income form, Visibly there ought to be. They have to smile when their feet Intoxicated Persons Policy form, Rules and hurt, put up with ignorance, arrogance, rudeness and Regulations of the club as discussed, etc.). The new crudeness, and hold their tongues and their tempers hire then goes with the Head Waitress to start when they’d like to explode. Just walk a few hundred learning the ropes. There’s so much to know: Can you miles in their moccasins, and any job after that will operate a POS system? Let me show you how to ring up be a ‘piece of cake.’” a drink order. Here’s our policy about handling credit

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If there is anyone reading this who thinks cocktail waitressing is a “walk in the park” job, think twice. Too much happens too quickly on the floor. Just delivering a tray of drinks without spilling anything is a trick in itself. cards. You must ID anyone who appears to be 30 or younger. What glassware is used for what drinks?

Who cuts the fruit? What garnishes go on what drinks? After two or three days of the “Head Waitress introduction,” then go to Sally and say, “You take it from here for the next couple of days. Let her shadow your every move.” With this as a start, your new hire has a good chance of succeeding, and you’ll reduce the amount of turnover in the cocktail waitress position. Now, let’s take an order.

Taking the Order Place the napkin in front of the customer. A smile, along with a cordial greeting, enhances quality service. “Welcome to . What may I get for you?” is an example of a pleasant greeting. Repeat the order back to the customer. This eliminates mistakes at the bar. Pay specific attention to specific requests, such as “with a twist,” “no fruit,” “on the rocks,” or “very dry.” Now take orders from three to four tables at once rather than one table at a time.

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Bar Business Magazine March 2015

Most bars today use a POS system to record drink sales. The waitress should write the order down on a scratch pad (house policy prevails), then go to a POS terminal and enter the order. The bartender gets a ticket printed out behind the bar and makes the drink order according to the ticket. There should be NO VERBALIZATION between the cocktail waitress and the bartender, unless the ticket says “See Server” at the bottom (used for special instructions on making the drink that the bartender needs to know about).

If you don’t have a POS system to enter drink orders, you must write down each drink order on a separate line of a tab/guest check using drink abbreviations (i.e. SC/R = Scotch on the Rocks). Your guest checks should be in numerical order and “signed out in the office” before going on the floor. Make sure there are no checks missing. You are financially responsible for closing out every one of those checks.

You should have a CASH tab for documenting all drink orders paid by cash. The bartender draws a red line under the last drink made on the check, signifying www.barbizmag.com

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7

6

5

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3

2

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Figure A: Shot glasses placement

the drink has been made and rung up. This system requires the guest check, whether cash or tab, be turned into the bartender. He/she makes all the drinks on the tab, rings them up on the register and draws a red line underneath the last drink order on the check.

The question is who makes the drink? In two-sided ice bin drink stations (one half sticks out on the server side of the bar and one half sticks out on the inside of the bar) there is a soda gun on the cocktail waitress side. Using this technique, the cocktail waitress gets the right glass, fills it with ice, adds the mix to 2/3 of the glass (soda, tonic, OJ, etc.) and puts a shot glass in front of the drink for the bartender to pour the liquor. If necessary, you must put in the garnish (sword pick – no hands touching the fruit), then the stir stick /straw. The liquor is the last ingredient to go into the drinks. Arrange the drinks on your tray in the order I have described (figure B) and turn up a shot glass for each drink (figure A), following the diagrams on this page.

Do not call out for the liquor from the bartender unless you are completely ready (glass, ice, mix, fruit, stir stick). Shot glasses are lined up from your right,

8

1

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2 Figure B:

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Cocktails tray placement

5

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4

3

coinciding with the glasses on the tray. Rotate the tray left to right, or clockwise. The bartender pours the liquor into the shot glasses as the cocktail waitress “calls out,” then she dumps the liquor into the glass, rotating the tray as the “call” is continued.

There should be a drink written on each line of a guest check /tab after ringing up the order. Do not leave the service area until either all your tabs have been rung or the bartender says it’s OK to go. The bartender must check what was just poured/made against what is on the checks.

With POS systems, I prefer the bartender make the drink in its entirety. In other words, the bartender gets the glass, ices it, puts the liquor in, adds the mix puts in the garnish and stir stick (the last two steps could be handled by the cocktail waitress, provided they know the correct garnish to put in the drink). I want the bartender to control all the mixes (soda gun, pineapple juice, grapefruit, cranberry, etc.), not the waitresses. If I serve coffee in my bars I put the coffee pot behind the bar and only the bartender pours the coffee. He only does so because it’s on a check. It’s been rung up. A receipt is given for the sale. In bars where the soda gun, coffee pot and numerous other juices are available to the cocktail waitress, count on a lot of theft. One of our many jobs as Managers is to keep our employees from the temptation to steal.

When they see the mixes are not accounted for in inventory, the waitress station becomes a “free for all.” The employees drink the cokes, coffee, etc. in large amounts. If ever you do sell a diet coke or a cup of coffee and the waitress serves it from the waitress station without it being rung up, you can be assured the money for that sale goes straight into her pocket.

I think it’s OK to allow employees to have a nonalcoholic beverage while working, but they pay for it at a discounted employee price. Nothing is free in a bar – nothing. Not even for employees.

Keep an eye out for Part II of our look into cocktail waitressing, coming in the May 2015 issue of Bar Business Magazine.

Bob Johnson, Bar Management expert, is a multi-unit beverage director who specializes in inventory control, bar management and bartending.

His latest book release, “Manage Your Bar My Way!” is a compilation of 50 years of making mistakes and finally getting it right. It’s a “one of a kind” publication that every owner/manager should have. Contact Bob at 800-447-4384 or check out his website at BobTheBarGuy.com.

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olden opportunities Beer cocktails add depth, chill, creativity and the element of surprise to a seasonal bar program.

By Elyse Glickman

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pring and then summer are (believe it or not) almost here, and many people will argue that there’s nothing better than a frosty, cold beer when the temperatures rise. And while beer-centric bars and gastro-pubs are still blooming like spring flowers (even with some trendspotters arguing the term “gastro-pub” is outdated), there’s also a blossoming of beer cocktails cropping up on those menus.

While beer flights, brand-focused tasting nights, food pairing programs and other on-premise promotions have helped expand the craft beer audience dramatically over the past decade, there are also adventurous bar managers and bartenders finding daring ways take the craft beer category and their bar program to the next level, and not always with the goal of mining new beer customers.

“Beer is quite prevalent in our culture, and the big boys have paid millions of dollars for Super Bowl commercials, so that certainly helps the overall category, but beer consumption also tends to be geographical,” explains Jason Eisner, Beverage Director, Gracias Madre, West Hollywood, CA. “In some major metropolitan areas it can vary from neighborhood to neighborhood, so you really need to know your clientele and do your R&D and make sure that you are purchasing specifically for the community where you run your operations. I run Beverage Programs in Los Angeles, where beer can be tricky. There are communities where the craft beer movement is thriving, and of course areas where people still consider beer to be carb-heavy and unhealthy. Having beer cocktails on your menu, meanwhile, helps move product that might otherwise sit stagnant.”

Hoppy Days!

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret,” continues Eisner. “Beer is an amazing base, as well as an excellent modifier in many cocktails. Like spirits, the varying styles of beer make for an endless array of flavor and aroma profiles. If you were so inclined, you could even include in that list similar categories of brewed and fermented alcoholic beverages like cider and Kombucha Beer.”

Eisner then briefly delves into some very basic cocktail theory: A “well balanced” cocktail is really just an efficient culinary experience. It should take you on a ride, and give you a varying experience on each and every sip and sniff. Although this theory can vary, the essential idea is that there is a base spirit, a modifier for sweet, and a modifier for bitter. In essence, opposites attract and they often play very well together.

“Beer-based cocktails add depth of choice for your consumer, provide a comfort zone for beer drinkers to try cocktails, and can provide a bottom line advantage depending on how the drink is composed,” says Jeff Josenhans, sommelier and lead mixologist at the U.S. www.barbizmag.com

Recipes Michelada de la Madre Jason Eisner, Beverage Director, Gracias Madre, West Hollywood, CA 12 oz Blonde Ale (I use Eel River) 2 dashes Habanero Bitters 1 oz fresh pressed lime juice ¼ oz Worchestershire (I use a homemade Vegan version, but you can use regular) 1 Large Basil Ice Cube Spicy Salt Rim a pint glass with spicy salt. In the bottom of the glass, put your two dashes of bitters, lime juice, and Tamari.

Slowly pour in your beer. Using a bar spoon, gently lower in Basil Ice. Top off the top of the beer with more spicy salt mixture, add a lime wedge for garnish, and serve.

Lemon Basil Flavored Ice Cube Jason Eisner, Beverage Director, Gracias Madre, West Hollywood, CA 3 jalapeño peppers 1 quart fresh water ½ lemon 4 basil leaves Salt Black pepper Remove the tops and stems of the jalapeños and slice.

Place the water in a blender and add jalapeños seeds and all. Add the lemon to a blender, peel and all. Add the basil, a pinch of sea salt, and some ground black pepper to taste.

Purée in blender until everything is mashed together.

Strain through a sieve and pour into large rock trays.

Freeze overnight.

Sapporo Shandy 4-6 oz Sapporo Premium Beer 3 oz. fresh lemon juice ½ oz simple syrup *2-3 fruit-flavored ice cubes Add fresh lemon juice and simple syrup to cocktail glass, stir with barspoon and top off with Sapporo Premium. The Blood Orange Morphing Shandy is pictured below, using fresh fruit juice to create flavored ice cubes. In summertime, strawberries or raspberries also work well.

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Grant Hotel and The Grant Grill in San Diego. “You typically would not be adding a full shot of any spirit to a beer cocktail, so depending on style and cost of the beer and spirit, it can actually swing both over or under your typical cost of sales on a cocktail.”

According to Steve Wildy, Beverage Manager at Alla Spina in Philadelphia, craft beer drinkers have proven themselves to be a very experimental bunch, and more open to trying new things than many other types of customers. Furthermore, craft brewers have pushed this culture with extreme approaches to ingredients, production methods, etc., and fans of those brewers tend to follow suit in their drinking habits.

Wildy, points out that Shandies (beer cocktails with soda, juices, lemonade and other light mixers that are very popular in Western Europe), lend themselves well to warm weather drinking as well as lunchtime and brunch imbibing thanks to their low alcohol-by-volume.

“We take a fairly two-sided approach to incorporating beer into cocktails,” says Wildy. “We’ll start with a classic cocktail and work beer into it — typically something clean and bright with a fairly neutral base will work well here (macro lager, pilsner, kolsch, white ale, etc). Just as often we’ll start with the beer and build the cocktail flavors around it, and in

Sapporo Shandy

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those cases typically something with an alpha flavor profile will give us the best jumping off point — IPA, stouts, sour ales and so on.”

“Beer has emerged as one of those magic ingredients, especially as their bitter tones create a fun compliment to sweet ingredients and spirits.”

The Buzz on Fizz

According to Kevin Chisam, bar manager at Chianina Steakhouse in Long Beach, CA, beer is a great warm weather cocktail component because, like soda water or Champagne, the carbonation element provides a refreshing dimension to the cocktail and its other ingredients. As he prides himself on his bar program’s innovation, he also notes beer as a cocktail ingredient opens up more opportunities to create cocktails a customer won’t find in other places.

“A couple of years ago, Champagne made a big splash in the cocktail world,” observes Chisam.

“Lately, beer has emerged as one of those magic ingredients, and from my standpoint, there’s something fun about using beers, especially as their bitter tones create a fun compliment to the sweet ingredients and the spirits. There’s also something about that carbonation in the drink when it is hot outside and customers demand a cocktail that’s going to quench their thirst. The fizz is what they crave, that hit of soda pop (texture), but in a cocktail.

Also, we can expand our bottom line by using a little less of an expensive liquor, and you make up for it with a little beer.”

Chisam prefers beers with big flavors, such as IPA’s, as they are bitter but they have a bold flavor that plays well with other ingredients. He adds that as some of his customers don’t like to drink beer on its own because it’s too filling, when used in a cocktail they get the flavor of a good beer but in a creative, lighter format that is less filling. However, there is some trial and error involved in figuring out what beers will stand up well to the other ingredients.

“I stay away from the lighter beers like lagers or pilsners,” he explains. “While these have the effervescence I am looking for, if I am aiming to create a complex, interesting flavor profile in my cocktail it is better to opt for something like a Belgian style or West Coast IPAs. For example, through the holidays, we were running a cocktail in October and November for Halloween and Thanksgiving, and we had a barrelaged pumpkin ale. Instead of using pumpkin syrups or making pumpkin puree, it was nice to use that ale with pumpkin to add to the cocktail by just pulling a tap and padding it that way.” www.barbizmag.com

Great Ins-Beer-Ation

Morphing Shandy Dark ales and porters, meanwhile, allow Chisam to get creative in the creation of dessert cocktails, as those brews feature a lot of chocolate and coffee notes.

And those flavor profiles go well with desserts.

Josenhans, meanwhile, opts to lean away from hoppy beers for cocktails, and feels Belgian ales can work with a vast amount of cocktails, as they tend to highlight fruit and spice-driven aromatics, which also can be found in many cocktails. Other beer types should be used with care.

“You can make a cocktail with any beer given the right context, but Belgian style ales are going to be the easiest recipe to compose with if you are looking at craft beers,” Josenhans details. “Adjunct beers (including mass market brands like Budweiser and Miller) taste neutral and could easily be substituted as a mixer as well, and those beers will be more costeffective than craft beers. However, if a beer cocktail is using a brand or style of beer that craft beer drinkers are drawn to, then there is a good chance a beer drinker will give it a shot if the social situation leans towards more of a cocktail environment.

Cocktail aficionados have a tendency to explore the unusual as well, so the curiosity to try a new style of cocktail will already be there.”

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“Why include beer cocktails? Why not?! They’re delicious,” says Rob Kariakin from The Horn in West Hollywood, CA. “The beer is just one ingredient in a good rcipe, and it’s being balanced out and played off of by the other ingredients. For me it’s not about convincing non-beer drinkers to enjoy beer. My wife, for example, despite being from the heart of Central European beer country, hates the taste of beer but she loves our Ap-Beer-ance of Impropriety cocktail because it is an actual cocktail with balanced ingredients and flavors”.

A firm believer in the idea that cocktails aren’t there as a spoonful of sugar to make the beer-medicine go down, Kariakin tends to prefer wheat beers for cocktails. “They play nicer with others and add a refreshing lightness to cocktails.”

In some cases, a bar program with beer cocktails can also be a means to introduce new audiences to something that’s been around for decades. Jason Eisner, the Bar Manager at Gracias Madre in West Hollywood, is poised to unveil a “Build-your-own” Michelada, a traditional Mexican beer cocktail dating to the 1940s or 1950s (depending on the source) that incorporates Mexican beer, lime juice, and assorted sauces, spices, and peppers, served in a chilled, saltrimmed pint glass.

“If I am going to make a beer-based cocktail like a Michelada, the beer I choose is going to be based on a few different, very important factors,” states Eisner “Start asking yourself questions like, ‘Do I want the beer to be the belle of the ball, or is it more about the additional ingredients working with the beer to create a more round and subtle play?’”

In San Diego, home to many independent craft breweries, The U.S. Grant Hotel’s Jeff Josenhans is embarking on a project that takes the concept of “craft

“You can make a cocktail with any beer but Belgian style ales are going to be the easiest recipe to compose with.” beer” in an unexpected direction: The development of the Gentleman Grant, an Imperial Red Rye IPA Ale aged in the Grant Grill’s seasoned Centennial Manhattan barrels, set for a spring release. He explains that creating this small batch IPA in partnership with local Mission Brewery will bolster The Grant Grill’s bid to become an essential beer connoisseur’s destination, beyond an excellent assemblage of beer flights, cocktails and foods that pair with those drinks.

“The beauty of a beer cocktail is that you can add many savory and bitter elements that are difficult to achieve in a normal cocktail,” he says. “And right now, beer cocktails are the bees freaking knees.” www.barbizmag.com

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Things Are Looking Up

And Up

James Beard Nominee Matthew Piacentini mixes high-end cocktails and serious hospitality to create a low-key bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village neighborhood with his new venue, The Up & Up.

By Chris Ytuarte

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Photos by Gregory Buda

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any bar owners in the business today have dreamed of opening a bar-worker’s bar. But it’s harder than it sounds. Owners, managers, bartenders, and barbacks, wait staff, busboys, chefs and servers — they work all day in one environment, and when their shift is over, they seek out another to relax.

That — in a nutshell — is a bar-worker’s bar.

After nearly a decade of opening venues that leaned slightly more towards restaurant than bar at all, Matthew Piacentini has finally created his bar-worker’s bar, a place that perfectly straddles the line between upper-crust and laid-back, and without a doubt, is more bar than eatery. For Piacentini, everything is on The Up & Up. “After being in the business for however many years, I noticed that the kind of places where you get really superlative cocktails — you would go for the drinks but you wouldn’t always go for the place,” says Piacentini.

“They never really had that feeling. And I think when you’ve been doing this long enough you find more and more of the bartenders from these places, after doffing their arm-garters and making these wild drinks, after work they get comfortable and go to a place when they can just get a beer. And I really wanted to do both.”

In the late 1800s, if something was on “the up and up” it was legit, honest and respectable. It’s with this definition in mind that Piacentini, former owner of The Beagle, also in New York, and former head bartender at Inoteca e Liquori, named his new subterranean bar The Up & Up, which opened last month in New York’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. Follow the illuminated arrow pointing down the stairs from MacDougal Street into a neighborhood cocktail bar, where expertly crafted cocktails, straight spirits, and beer find the perfect blend of intricacy and approachability.

“It’s kind of like the culmination of what I’ve been trying to do for the last couple of ventures,” says Piacentini.

That journey began years ago with Clyde Common in the Ace Hotel in Portland, Oregon. “Even though I was never a bartender or even worked in a bar, my partner at Clyde let me supervise the whole bar and pick all of the wines and spirits and really get the feel for it and run that side of the show while he built the kitchen. And I think we ended up with a much bigger bar service than we probably planned on. At the time, to have a bar that was basically equal to the kitchen was not really normal, but it was great; I loved it. And that’s really where I got into it.”

In late 2007 Piacentini and his wife would head to New York to launch a new venue. But when 2008’s financial crisis hit, the timing was tough for building a new bar, and Piacentini instead found himself barbacking for the oneand-only Tony Abou Ganim at Bar Milano. Taking in as much knowledge from this experience as possible, in 2011 Piacentini finally found the right location for his next venture, The Beagle, in New York’s East Village.

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“The Up & Up is kind of like the culmination of what I’ve been trying to do for the last couple of ventures,” says Piacentini.

“I bought a restaurant space because it was what was available and all the numbers worked, but I knew it would have to be more of a restaurant than I really wanted it to be,” explains Piacentini. “But I was hoping we could get the drinks really well known along with some really good food — because I do think good food is important in bars. But The Beagle was always considered a little more of a restaurant than I wanted it to be. I wanted ‘the bar.’”

In 2013 Piacentini sold The Beagle and began to search in earnest for his bar-worker’s bar. “And I had such a romantic notion of the kind of bar I wanted — that New York bar, that kind of classic feel,” he says. “Not necessarily that I wanted it to feel like ‘old New York,’ but I really wanted that good bar vibe.”

A realtor friend mentioned to Piacentini that an iconic space in Greenwich Village was becoming available. The location, at 116 MacDougal Street, was a space that formerly housed The Gaslight Café, an American coffeehouse that March 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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”You don’t hear many craft cocktail bars saying ‘We have the best vodka soda on tap,’ but we have the best vodka soda on tap.” opened in 1958 and became a notable venue for musical acts such as Bob Dylan and famous beat poets like Allen Ginsberg and LeRoi Jones, before closing in 1971.

“I didn’t know too much about the space because I wasn’t such a big folk music person, but I knew the area very well,” says Piacentini. “As a kid, when my sisters lived in that neighborhood, I used to come in from Portland and visit them and I remember thinking how cool this neighborhood was.

And I’ve always said it was kind of my dream neighborhood for opening a bar, the Greenwich Village area.”

The décor inside The Up & Up is a mix of 19th century English Arts and Crafts and turn-of-the-century Vienna, evoking a history of modern designs inspired in part by the American Bar, Vienna, 1903, and grand hotel bars of the times. Vintage William Morris floral wallpaper compliments the brown leather banquettes, marble table tops, brass light fixtures and wood surfaces to create an elegant and refined, yet approachable environment for guests.

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“It has everything I want,” says Piacentini. “It has great stairs that go down underneath a tattoo shop, but also a sign above, so you get the feeling that it’s hidden but you don’t actually have to be hidden. I get a big, lighted sign hanging over the street, which is a big plus. And inside, we’re really trying to create the feel of what might have been here a long time ago, in kind of a more modern setting.” www.barbizmag.com

Piacentini also continued his tradition of putting a bottle of Scotch whisky in the wall during construction. “When I opened Clyde Common, it required digging into the foundation of what was originally the Clyde Hotel built in 1912; with The Beagle, we renovated a space that was 120 years old; and The Up & Up’s real estate also has a storied history,” he says. After finding a selection of items in the walls at the Clyde, he was inspired to put a bottle in the walls of The Beagle under the support beams with a personal note. He continues the tradition today. “For The Up & Up we selected The Glenrothes Vintage 1992 2nd Edition, a rare and special vintage that we hope to remove and toast after 10 years, or leave for some lucky person to enjoy in the future.”

Alongside Piacentini, who is making a return to bartending, will be former Inoteca e Liquori head bartender and colleague, Chaim Dauermann, who joins The Up & Up as head bartender, having recently lead the bar teams at Gin Palace and Desnuda Williamsburg.

“Chaim has traveled all the points to where I want to get this place,” says Piacentini. “He’s gone from the most meticulous types of bars where there are no requests and you’re there to worship at the alter; all the way to places where you’re making great cocktails but you’re doing 500 covers a night and it’s all ordering from the bar. So his understanding of the guests and all the different kinds of hospitality that may be needed in a single night to make everyone feel comfortable, I think is really, really important and a huge asset.”

The Up & Up menu will feature eight house cocktails showcasing a breadth of styles, plus four rotating bottled cocktails and two cocktails on tap. Also on the menu is a selection of half-sized cocktails or “craft-shots,” as well as five bottled beer offerings, including staff favorite Miller High Life. The wine list will feature sparkling wines as well as a broad range of fortified wines such as Sherry, Madeira, and Pineau des Charentes. The food menu will include bar snacks, preserves and patés. Prices range from $8-$14 (cocktails), $5-9 (beer), $10-18 (wine), $14-$105 (bottled cocktails) and $9-18 (food).

The house cocktail offerings are categorized as “Originals,” “Halfies,” and “Favorites,” which features cocktails from the classic era, contemporary bartenders, and drinks from Piacentini and Dauermann’s favorite venues.

“We’re calling them ‘favorites’ instead of saying ‘classics,’ because we want to steer away from the subset of superintense precision cocktailing, which right now is kind of about who can dig back the furthest in the oldest book and find the rarest weird old cocktail or re-create the strangest old liqueur,” explains Piacentini. “That’s fun, but there are a www.barbizmag.com

Along with a classic collection of drinks, The Up & Up will also feature full bottles of pre-made cocktails available tableside. lot of people coming up with new drinks today, and we’re really excited to be featuring drinks on our menu from current bartenders who don’t work here, and that’s why were calling them ‘favorites’ — ‘This is Cocktail X by So-and-So from Milk and Honey’, etc. We want to get some of these newer drinks into the pantheon of cocktails.”

The Up & Up will also offer a new take on bottle service: a choice of individual bottled cocktails as single servings or large-format bottled cocktails (375ml and 750ml) for groups.

The larger bottles will be served chilled along with glassware, ice, garnish and accoutrements for guests to pour their own cocktails. The selections are variations of classic stirred drinks, influenced by personalities in the spirits industry who have inspired The Up & Up team and earned a drink named in their honor. “We see it as a shame that a bar can only have a staff of so many, because there are so many great bartenders around, and this is kind of a way for us to sort of ‘employ’ everybody.”

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Inventory Tap TV Excite Channel Now Available

Teeling’s Grain Whiskey Comes to America

AMI Entertainment Network is happy to announce the release of Tap TV Excite, the latest addition to the Tap TV channel lineup.

Tap TV’s Excite Channel gives venues a brand new way to engage patrons and display promotional ads created with the AMI Ad Manager. Unlike conventional digital signage systems that can quickly bore an audience, Excite features hours of viral videos licensed from extreme athletes, trick-shot masters, and more!

The Excite Channel is available for Tap TV users with a current Trivia or Poker subscription. To activate the Excite Channel, simply switch the channel from Trivia or Poker to Excite using the Tap TV remote. Your content will begin to download while a short video plays. AMI’s unique Ad Manager feature offers over 1,300 ready-made templates to create promotional ad screens for AMI jukeboxes and Tap TV, featuring everything from draft lists and food specials to play-off parties and karaoke nights.

It’s fast, easy, and fully customizable. www.TapTVTonight.com

The innovative Teeling Whiskey Company who have already released their award winning Small Batch rum finished Irish whiskey to critical acclaim are now launching their Single Grain whiskey. This release is to help drive the selection and breadth within Irish whiskeys at a time of growing interest in the United States for more innovative, unique and interesting Irish expressions. Teeling Single Grain is one of only a handful of single grain bottlings in the world. The whiskey is made by combining unique ingredients, with maize/corn dominating and uses modern column distillation to produce the whiskey, which is exceptionally clean and smooth with a touch of sweetness. The new whiskey has not gone unnoticed. Teeling Single Grain was recently awarded World’s Best Grain Whiskey at the World Whiskey Awards in 2014. First held in 2007, the World Whiskies Awards run by Whiskey Magazine, search for the very best whiskies in the world. This year’s competition saw more than 300 whiskies put through their paces with three rounds of rigorous tastings, to win the coveted title of the “World’s Best”. The depth of character in Teeling Single Grain is from the maturation in the California Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. This creates the deep amber color and contributes to the spicy notes and lush red berry and grape flavors. www.teelingwhiskey.com

Six-year Barrel-aged Genever

Poitin Pointing at U.S. Market

Lucas Bols, the world’s oldest distilled spirits brand and producer of Bols Genever, announced its latest release, a singlebarrel genever aged six years, is now available through a limited number of outlets in New York and only while supplies last. It is now the oldest genever available in the US market since the import of the product stopped because of the US Prohibition in the early 20th century. The limited edition barrels of aged Bols Genever have drawn rave reviews since debuting in 2012 at Jackson Cannon’s Boston establishments including The Hawthorn and Eastern Standard.

The Grange restaurant in Sacramento and The Cosmopolitan empire in Las Vegas soon followed by offering the 4-year barrel aged Bols Genever cocktails to their patrons.

However, the product has not been available for retail purchase until now. This will be a long-awaited chance for the US consumer to try Bols Genever that has been aged for such an extended time via a unique aging process – typically Bols Genever is aged in French Limousine Oak, while this specific barrel stood out, being aged in American white oak.

Bols Barrel Aged Genever should be enjoyed like fine whiskey. Available for purchase online at www.DrinkUpNY.com.

This spring, Mad March Imports brings innovation to the Irish Spirits Category with its hand crafted, premium Poitin. Quietly distilled in the hills of Dublin, Mad March Hare shares the heritage of this traditional spirit with the U.S. market, providing an exciting new offering for whiskey drinkers and non-whiskey drinkers alike. Mad March Hare is carefully crafted using high quality, locally sourced North Dublin potatoes, to deliver a smooth and authentic Irish Poitin. Poitin was traditionally produced in remote and rural farming areas of Ireland, popularly distilled using potatoes.

Though home distillation of the spirit was made illegal in 1661, production of Poitin continued underground, commonly taking advantage of windy, rainy weather to hide the smoke that came as a result of heating the stills.

“Poitin plays a large role in the history of Irish spirits with an underground local distilling tradition similar to that of American Moonshine,” states John Ralph, Co-founder, Mad March Imports. “We look forward to bringing this Irish tradition to life in the U.S. and allowing consumers to discover the quality and heritage of Mad March Hare.” Mad March Hare will be launching in on- and off-premise accounts in select markets in May 2015.

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Bud Light Lime Expands Rita Franchise

Introducing Green Flash Cellar 3

The popular Bud Light LimeA-Rita franchise continues its expansion by introducing Lemon-Ade-Rita, a new summer seasonal flavor joining the Rita brand. As consumer demand for convenient cocktail solutions and more delicious flavor variants in the Rita family increases, Bud Light continues

to demonstrate the unique ability to introduce new, great tasting and flavorful drinks to a broader audience of beer drinkers. Bud Light Lime Lemon-Ade-Rita is a lemonade margarita-flavored alcohol beverage with a twist of Bud Light Lime that is ready-to-drink with just one pour and best served over ice. Lemon-Ade-Rita is perfectly positioned to provide consumers with a new taste sensation and joins the Rita portfolio including permanent flavors Lime-A-Rita, Mang-O-Rita, Raz-Ber-Rita, Straw-Ber-Rita and seasonal flavors Apple-Rita and Cran-Brr-Rita. The Bud Light Lime Rita family, named a Nielsen Breakthrough Innovation Winner in 2014, makes up more than one-third of the FMB (flavored malt beverage) category. Since the launch of Lime-A-Rita in 2012, the Rita brand’s four core flavors claim the top four spots in the FMB category. The new Lemon-Ade-Rita naturally aligns with Bud Light’s fun and social positioning and is an ideal choice for parties and outdoor refreshment. Visit www.BudLightLime.com.

Co-Founders of Green Flash Brewing Co, Mike and Lisa Hinkley, officially announce plans for the national debut of Cellar 3, a series of rare, barrel-aged beer offerings and expansion to a 2nd San Diego facility. After announcing the 2015 Hop Odyssey lineup of hop-focused session IPAs last week, Green Flash Cellar 3 offers consumers a taste from the opposite end of the craft spectrum with a lineup of elevated, limited reserve offerings that will round out the national Green Flash portfolio. With construction of the Cellar 3 packaging facility now complete, Green Flash will roll out the series to retailers beginning in April, and plans to open a public tasting room later this spring. Cellar 3 is located in the eastern part of San Diego County’s Poway neighborhood, with over 12,000 square feet dedicated to the art of craft beer innovation through barrel-aging and wild yeast experimentation. The new facility will allow Brewmaster, Chuck Silva along with Barrelmaster, Pat Korn to focus on expanding the rare beer lineup and will significantly increase production of several highly sought after Green Flash ales. The first Cellar 3 release to reach consumers in April will be fan favorite, Silva Stout, an award-winning bourbon barrel aged ale that is coveted by craft beer lovers worldwide. Silva Stout — and each subsequently released Cellar 3 beer — will be packaged in artfully designed 750ml corkfinished bottles available from coast to coast. Visit the Green Flash website www.greenflashbrew.com.

Yellow Spot Irish Whiskey Hits U.S.

Jane St Vodka Soda Launches

Yellow Spot™, one of Ireland’s premier Single Pot Still Irish Whiskies, has officially entered the U.S. market. The 12 year old Single Pot Still, previously available exclusively in select European countries, will join fellow renowned Single Pot Still Green Spot, which entered the U.S. market last year. Yellow Spot is matured in a combination of American bourbon, Spanish sherry and Spanish Malaga casks. It is the rare taste of a bonder’s style Pot Still Irish Whiskey and is known for its sophisticated and complex taste profile, possessing honey sweetness with pot still spices. Hints of fresh coffee, creamy milk chocolate and crème brulee are also found in each taste of Yellow Spot. Each batch of Yellow Spot is made from a mash of malted and unmalted barley, which is then triple distilled in traditional copper stills. Yellow Spot was created and sold by Mitchell & Son Wine and Spirit Merchants in Dublin.

The Mitchell family was in the whiskey bonding business and sent empty wine, sherry and port casks to the local Jameson distillery, which were filled and returned to the Mitchell’s cellar warehouse. For more information visit www.singlepotstill.com/ spotwhiskey/yellowspot

Jane St Vodka Soda has officially launched, making it the first to market vodka soda. Offered in four artisanal flavor combinations and naturally sweetened with agave nectar, Jane St Vodka Soda is the consumer’s solution to a quality ready to drink carbonated cocktail. Jane St Vodka Soda offers four flavors including Original (with a hint of lime), Grapefruit Meyer Lemon, Pineapple Jalapeno and Peach Peppercorn. Each 750 ml bottle retails for $15.99$17.99. Created by Elizabeth Wiltgen, a Los Angeles mom of two with beverage industry experience, Jane St Vodka Soda was the solution to an all too common problem. As a consummate hostess (who makes excellent cocktails), Wiltgen found herself stuck in the kitchen at many a house party mixing, stirring and pouring. One of her favorite house drinks was combining seasonal fruits and herbs with vodka, soda and adding carbonation. Ultimately, Elizabeth wondered why there wasn’t a fresh alternative to just…well…buy.

Hence, Jane St Vodka Soda was born. Carbonated cocktails proving popular…a little fizz can do wonders for a cocktail, making it more aromatic, lighter and a bit more dynamic, states the San Francisco Chronicle. The first-ever carbonated vodka soda, filled with bubbles and naturally sweetened with agave nectar. janestvodkasoda.com

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Inventory Powell & Mahoney’s New Packaging

Jack Daniels Launches Tennessee Fire

Powell & Mahoney Cocktail Mixers — in collaboration with Leahy-IFP Co. — introduces a new line of foodservice packaging, making it affordable, quick and easy for bartenders to create consistently enjoyable cocktails anytime, anywhere. The easyto-store cartons with a long shelf life are currently available in the following top selling flavors: Margarita, Peach Bellini and Bloody Mary. Additional flavors will be added to the aseptic line soon. Leveraging their relationship with Leahy-IFP to increase distribution, Powell & Mahoney’s venture into foodservice packaging delivers the same great flavor profile of skillfully handcrafted mixers that use only the highest quality all-natural ingredients to capture the clean, authentic flavors of American cocktail classics, containing no high fructose corn syrup and remaining gluten-free. The more on-premises friendly format requires minimal preparation and delivers consistent quality no matter who is bartending.

Foodservice operators also get more product with the aseptic packaging, which holds the equivalent of two 750 milliliter bottles. The new packaging is a revolution for the cocktail mixer category. Get more information at www.powellandmahoney.com.

The Jack Daniel Distillery is excited to announce the nationwide release of their finely crafted, red-hot cinnamon spirit, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire. Following its wildly successful limited release last year, the highly coveted ‘Jack Fire’ will be available in all 50 states in March 2015. Jack Fire brings together the distinctive character of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey with a red-hot cinnamon spice liqueur. The result is a sweet, hotcinnamon kick that complements the smooth and delicious taste of Jack Daniel’s, giving a unique finish full of unmistakable character.

The brand’s first flavor variation, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey, exploded onto the scene in the spring of 2011 and has since become one of the most popular flavored spirits in the U.S. The brand will now offer existing fans and newly interested consumers another flavor option, continuing to build on their esteemed portfolio. It all starts with a distinct mingling of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey and Jack Daniel’s very own cinnamon liqueur. The result: a classic spirit that delivers a smooth, delicious finish and upholds the quality taste that Jack Daniel’s friends have come to expect.

Jack Fire was first offered in 2014 in Oregon, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Due to positive consumer response, the spirit was released in Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, South Carolina and Texas. www.JackFire.com

Kahlúa: Salty-meets-Sweet

Field Guide for Beer

Kahlúa®, the classic rum and coffee liqueur, is helping consumers kick start spring and shake off the winter chill in time for summer with the release of its latest limited-edition offering, Kahlúa Salted Caramel. This new flavor from the brand was formulated to tastily liven up an iced coffee and to give cocktail lovers a refreshing and delicious twist on their seasonal favorites for spring and summer enjoyment.

Kahlúa Salted Caramel blends the tasty combination of salty and sweet — an enticing option for those looking to expand their beverage options in the form of a frozen or iced cocktail to enjoy in warmer temperatures. The decadent and smooth notes of salted caramel balance perfectly with the taste of Kahlúa, allowing for a sweet indulgence that is reminiscent of simple pleasures and good times. Available at retail locations, Kahlúa Salted Caramel is 20% Alc./Vol. (40 proof) and retails for a suggested price of $17.99 per 750 ml bottle. For additional information visit www.kahlua.com.

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Bar Business Magazine March 2015

Finally, there is a travel book that makes sense of America’s confusing liquor laws. What’s true for one state is rarely true for its neighbor. The Field Guide to Drinking in America (Overcup Press, April 21, 2015) mixes together a survey of each state’s history with alcohol along with the current laws of the land, expertly blending it with the right amount of humor and sass. This book is more than just a collection of laws and regulations; it also tells the story of America through alcohol. Organized in a state-by-state regional format, The Field Guide keeps thirsty travelers informed when they cross state lines and armchair travelers entertained as they consider the complexity and variety of state laws enacted since the repeal of Prohibition. Find out when bars make last call. Know how packaged liquor, beer and wine are sold in all 50 states and Washington, DC. Plan ahead for the Sunday “blue laws” that can throw off your tailgate party. Use easy to follow icons to identify control states, growler refill laws, corkage/ re-corkage rules, and more. Get tips from local bartenders, brewers and distillers about drinking in each state. Author Niki Ganong is a food and drink writer from Portland, Oregon, She is a frequent contributor to epicurean publications and often judges beer competitions. www.amazon.com.

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Holiday Happenings

April 2015

April 4: Vitamin C Day. Boost your customers’ immune systems, help them be healthy, bring back the Screwdriver!

17 April 17: Bat Appreciation Day. Today is the day bats emerge from hibernation. Bats, by the way, eat mosquitoes, which makes the bat my favorite animal, which makes Bat Appreciation Day my favorite day.

So let’s party.

44

5 April 5: International Whistler’s Day. These people come to your bar to wet their whistle, right? So make them earn it. Free drink for a perfectly whistled rendition of Beethoven’s 5th.

18 April 18: Record Store Day. Anyone today who walks into your bar with a newly purchased vinyl record in-hand along with a receipt from the record store gets a free drink.

Bar Business Magazine March 2015

6 April 6: New Beer’s Eve. Celebrating the end of Prohibition in the United States on April 6, aka New Beer’s Eve, is a special night.

Make sure your customers are aware those drinks are a privilege, not a right.

22 April 22: Mother Earth Day. From the Earth comes hops and barley and water. Enough said.

7 April 7: Metric System Day. Measure all cocktail pours in milliliters today and see how many customers get quickly over-served (and how quickly you run out of booze).

25 April 25: DNA Day. Today, tell your customers that every used glass and beer bottle will be swobbed for DNA and sent to the local crime lab.

Prepare to close early.

14 April 14: National Be Kind to Lawyers Day. Skip this one.

26 April 26: Hug an Australian Day. You can actually wrap your entire arms around a Foster’s oil can. We’ve tried.

April 26: LunaseeStudios / Shutterstock.com

4

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Index of Advertisers

Company

web site address

page #

Agave Loco

www.agaveloco.com

3

AMI Entertainment Network LLC

www.amientertainment.com

9

Barzz.net

www.barzz.net

33

Harbortouch Corp

www.Harbortouch.com

5

Harbortouch CA

www.iHarbortouch.com

22

Nightclub & Bar Show

www.NCBShow.com

35

Perlick USA

www.Perlick.com

14

Pernod Ricard

www.pernod-ricard-usa.com

C2

TouchTunes

www.TouchTunes.com

18

Inventory Companies Bud Light Lime-A-Rita Field Guide to Drinking Beer Green Flash Cellar 3 Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire Jane St Vodka Soda KahlĂşa Salted Caramel Lucas Bols Mad March Imports Powell & Mahoney Mixers TapTV Teeling Whiskey Yellow Pot Irish Whiskey

www.BudLightLime.com www.amazon.com www.GreenFlashBrew.com www.JackFire.com www.JaneStVodkaSoda.com www.kahlua.com www.DrinkUpNY.com www.PowellAndMahoney.com www.TapTVtonight.com www.TeelingWhiskey.com www.SinglePotStill.com

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

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March 2015 Bar Business Magazine

45

Owning Up

Meet Professor Beach Bar KB Bowe of Chat N’ Chill on Stocking Island takes an island approach to bar ownership.

A

s the water taxi from Great Exuma bobbed within 15 feet of Stocking Island’s dock, ten passengers craned their necks in search of the island’s famous sign. With the Internet making the world so small, nearly everyone on the boat had read about the symbol that serves as this tiny island’s major landmark. Once the wide-eyed passengers stepped ashore, they couldn’t miss the handcrafted 15-foot Chat N’ Chill tower. Like a Caribbean version of the Statue of Liberty, this sign was all about the pursuit of happiness.

Since 1998, vacationers from around the world have ventured to Stocking Island for one reason. On this Sunday in November, ten people hailing from the Netherlands, Great Britain, northern California, and Minnesota arrived to experience the magic of KB Bowe’s Chat N’ Chill Beach Bar (www.chatnchill.com).

At 2:00 in the afternoon there were already 50 revelers, picnickers, swimmers, boaters, and minglers in various stages of bliss. These strangers-

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Bar Business Magazine March 2015

By Tim Cotroneo

turned-acquaintances co-existed like old friends, just as the 65-year-old Bowe imagined when he purchased nine acres and 1,600 feet of pristine beachfront on unspoiled Stocking Island in the early 1980s.

MBA in Beach Bar Economics You can search the world over and not find another beach bar owner with the education, business experience, high-octane entrepreneurial mind, and personal story that compares to Bowe. Want proof? How many beach bar owners have an MBA in Economics from the University of Chicago, and have previously succeeded in businesses ranging from banking, hotel management, and raising goats?

The first thing that jumps out at Bowe’s first-time guests is the farreaching and eclectic mix of people who share island time. Bowe will tell you that this harmony among continents and classes is no accident.

“People cherish their one or two weeks off per year. When they go on www.barbizmag.com

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Owning Up vacation and come to the Bahamas, they’re seeking an authentic island experience. They’re looking to make a memory. That’s what they discover here at Chat N’ Chill,” Bowe said.

Real Caribbean Most of Bowe’s daily clientele arrive by ferry from Great Exuma, the Bahamas Out Island on which Bowe was born and raised. The rest are curious boaters who anchored along Stocking Island because they have heard of Chat N’ Chill via word-of-mouth. In the early days of beach bar ownership, Bowe literally grilled the boating crowd as to what they were searching for when they docked their boats and needed to recharge. Today, this early market research pays major dividends for this personable father of five.

In swimsuits, sunglasses, and flip-flops, it’s difficult to know whether the nearby person you’re hoisting a Kalik beer with earns an hourly wage or sits on the board of directors for a Fortune 500 corporation. This refreshing lack of pretense is by design and just the way Bowe and his legion of admirers like it. “On a fairly regular basis I speak with CEOs, millionaires, and even billionaires who share that they just feel normal here. They tell me not to change a thing,” Bowe confided.

Not changing a thing means Bowe’s beach bar maintains a rustic quality that you won’t find at Five-Star resorts. It also means a menu of freshly grilled food that is in direct response to Bowe quizzing his female customers. “We learned that if the guys want to spend any length of time here, our food needs to be healthy and grilled, not fried. The ladies also told us that our Chat N’ Chill restrooms are the finest of any beach bar in the Caribbean. Feedback from our female customers is critical to our success,” Bowe said.

Multiple Revenue Streams On one side of Chat N’ Chill is a new gift shop. Roughly 80 paces down the beach is another revenue stream in the form of a shack serving fresh conch salad. The conch shack is just 15 feet from the Caribbean Sea. In the shallow turquoise water one can’t help but notice a couple of imposing looking jet-black hovercraft creatures that seem to be nibbling on conch leftovers.

It turns out these large but gentle animals are actually the most peoplefriendly stingrays you’d ever hope to meet. These whip-tailed socialites like nothing better than to smooch vacationers’ ankles. It seems at every turn, Bowe’s laid-back business paradise is not without surprises.

The centerpiece of Bowe’s island masterpiece is “the sign.” Standing like a beacon in the middle of Chat’s N’ Chill’s beach you’ll find no less than 30 wood placards nailed on a single vertical post. The placards reveal the hometowns of Chat N’ Chill loyalists who’ve graced Stocking Island before you. The cities range from Glasgow to Normandy to Louisville and all points in between.

Listen for even a moment to the giddy multi-lingual conversations going on and you’ll realize Chat N’ Chill could be the answer to world peace.

“Ever since we opened for business, I’ve asked customers ‘Why? Why are they here? What are they looking for?' The answer can be found on the nameplate above our bar’s entrance door: Chat N’ Chill. People come here to relax and have a good time. Chat N' Chill is a great brand,” Bowe said.

As he does 363 days per year, Bowe worked the crowd and listened as to how he could make this day memorable. A surgeon from Houston wrapped his arm around Bowe’s shoulder and said, “I needed something like Chat N’ Chill. This is special.” As the surgeon sauntered over to a picnic table where chattering friends were waiting with an ice cold Kalik, all the professor of beach bar economics could do is knowingly nod and smile.

The famous sign is the centerpiece of Chat N' Chill, with 30 wood placards nailed to a single post.

48

Bar Business Magazine March 2015

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