November 2015 Bar Business

Sounds of Silence:

Tips to help soundproof your bar for a better audio experience.

The How-To Publication

BAR BUSINE$$ November 2015

M A G A Z I N E

www.barbizmag.com

Tequila Holidays Seasonal recipes for cold weather tequila cocktails

How to: Leasing WINE: Holiday Varietals liquid assets: Whiskey

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BAR BUSINE$$

On Tap NOVEMBER 2015

CONTENTS

15

Tequila tipples

Cover banner: Olivier Le Moal

HOW TO

23

15

19

23

We’re All mixed up

The sounds of Silence

The big and the little

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

There are several small steps you can take to insulate your venue from the screeching sounds of ambient noise on-premise.

When it comes time to look for a lease on new venue space, choosing between a large location and a little pub can be tough.

November 2015 Bar Business Magazine

1

On Tap

BAR BUSINE$$

CONTENTS

Features 26 Winter Wine The approaching holiday season presents opportunities on-premise for bar owners to introduce some unique wines to customers who might be ready to try something new.

34

30 Big New Year

Departments 4 Bar room drawl

34 Big six

6 Booze News

Even North of New York City you can still find a space to be social, sip sophisticated spirits, and sample small plates — NoMa Social.

Glassology changes the cocktail competition; Washington Distillery goes back in time; Facundo Rum reimagines art; Jameson and Irish craft beer, together at last.

10 liquid Assets As consumer demand elevates the sheer number of whiskey products available in the marketplace today, distillers are pulling out all the stops to bring bar owners something “special” for sipping this holiday season.

38 Inventory 42 h oliday happenings

If you haven’t already started planning your New Year’s Eve event, you’re already behind the competition, but the experts at Eventbrite have a few suggestions on the best ways to build a better party.

10

44 Owning Up A restaurant owner in Florida is on the forefront of a financial revolution as he protests those pesky pennies and nickels on-premise.

30 “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 November 2015

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e c i N d n a y t h g u a N

Try a cinnamon toast shot tonight!

1 OZ RUMCHATA + 1 OZ JACK DANIEL’S TENNESSEE FIRE PLEASE ENJOY RESPONSIBLY.

RumChata®, Caribbean Rum with Real Dairy Cream, Natural and Artificial Flavors, 13.75% alc./vol. Produced and Bottled by Agave Loco Brands, Pewaukee, WI 53072. Please Enjoy Responsibly. RUMCHATA and CHATA are Registered Trademarks of Agave Loco, LLC. JACK DANIEL’S and TENNESSEE FIRE are registered trademarks of © 2015 Jack Daniel’s Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Bar Room Drawl

By Chris Ytuarte Editor

Right Place, Right Time "If there's one thing you can't lose, it's that feel."

— Tom Waits

A friend posted the quote seen below to her Instagram account recently, and when I came upon it, something hit me. It’s funny how words can be internalized and personalized in different ways.

A simple online investigation (otherwise known as Googling) led me to the author of the quote, Azar Nafisi, who wrote these lines in her book, Reading Lolita in Tehran. As you can imagine, in context, her sentence has as little to do with the bar business as anything possibly can. But still, her words struck me.

Nafisi’s elegant sentence made me recall some very inelegant times, a period I describe as such with an endearing

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Bar Business Magazine November 2015

light. It made me think of my mid-20s through early 30s, years when I spent countless hours with friends inside our favorite bar. Each night, the feeling of leaving that place — albeit, likely, at around 4 a.m. — felt similar to what Nafisi was expressing: ‘This may have been the best night of my life; I already miss the time I just had with these people I love; and each time I leave, I get a little older, a little closer to a change in lifestyle, and I'm a little different from who I was when I walked into this bar with my friends tonight.’

At its apex, that is what a great bar is all about. (I’ve recommended before, and will do so again — read The Tender Bar

by J.R. Moehringer for a true sense of what I’m talking about here.) And as I’ve aged, my love for a great bar hasn’t waned, but surely the ways in which I experience them have, and that's why Nafisi’s quote affected me.

Around the same time, I read an article about a smartphone app called Drizly, which recently acquired $13 million in private investment cash.

Drizly allows users to arrange for deliveries from local liquor stores by connecting with their inventory software to show what’s available on the shelves. Once an order is received, Drizly helps route the delivery driver to the correct address, arms drivers with ID-scanning apps, and passes the payment along to the retailer.

Really? Why not head to the bar instead? As Tom Waits says: “If there’s one thing you can’t lose, it’s that feel.”

Let’s not.

BAR BUSINE$$ MAGAZINE

November 2015 Vol. 8, No. 11 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 212-620-7247; 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 Associate Graphic Designer Nicole Cassano ncassano@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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amientertainment.com

Booze News A Touch of Glass

T

he bar industry is changing rapidly and with it bartending contests evolve to a new level.

For ages, bartender competitions like Bacardi Legacy and Diageo Worls Class were the status quo, it’s glassware brand Libbey that challenges drinks professionals in a new and different way. In the European Glassology by Libbey design contest, it’s not the d rink, but the glass as an essential ingredient of thw whole drinking experience that is the focal point of the competition. On the 28 th of September, the Glassology by Libbey design contest took off with online missions. Eight months from now, in April 2016, six finalists will take the stand with the chance to have their glass design taken into production.

High-end coffee lounges, speak-easy cocktail bars and ‘haute-hospitality’ drinks are currently flooding the capitals of Europe. Bartenders create their own spirits, acquire unique garnishes and the selection of the right glass has become equally important as the perfect ingredients. The lover of the high-quality drink is not just looking for an excellent cocktail or a good cup of coffee anymore, but for a drinking experience that boggles the mind. The world of European bartenders is evolving at the speed of light and with it a new dawn is breaking for their notorious contests.

The Olympians compared their strength at the mountain Olympus; the gods of the drinks industry have been competing for ages in prestigious cocktail contests. Glassware brand Libbey takes the next step with The Glassology design contest. Libbey raises the bar for the very best professionals working in the bartending scene, when they get the opportunity to leave their mark on the bartending industry; to create

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Bar Business Magazine November 2015

not only a drink, but a drinking experience that remains long after the last sip of the cocktail.

With the Glassology contest bar professionals from all over Europe get invited to compete over an eightmonth period for one of the coveted spots in the finals, which will be held in April 2016. They will create their ultimate glassware design that will lift a reinvented cocktail, their newest boozy creation or just a cup of coffee to a whole new level. One of the six finalists will earn global recognition, as the winning glass design will be taken into production to be sold all over the globe by Libbey later that year. The first round starts the end of September, in January the selected drinks professionals will participate in a Glassology master class. These new Glassologists will be able to finalize their design to enter the final selection round in their claim to fame.

To learn more, visit www.glassologybylibbey.com.

The winning glass design will be sold all over the world.

www.barbizmag.com

THE FACUNDO® RUM COLLECTION REIMAGINES ART The FACUNDO® Rum Collection, a limited release of four of the most exquisite, hand-blended sipping rums, will bring the ‘Art of Rum’ to life through an exciting event at Sotheby’s Auction House to deliver an immersive experience .

Sourced from the Bacardi family’s private reserves, The FACUNDO Rum Collection elevates rum to an art form, paying tribute to BACARDÍ founder Don Facundo Bacardi Masso’s relentless pursuit of producing rums of unsurpassed quality and refinement. Handcrafted with passion by the BACARDÍ Maestros de Ron, each marque is a culmination of years of dedication to the art of rum making.

On Wednesday, September 30th, FACUNDO Rum Collection and Sotheby’s hosted a FACUNDO Art of Rum, a curated pairing dinner, for members of the 1744 Young Collectors Group in Sotheby’s gallery.

Surrounded by Sotheby’s “Cherchez la femme: Women and Surrealism” selling exhibition, guests will revel in a stunning multi-course dinner with each dish expertly paired with one of the four variants of the FACUNDO Rum Collection.

“We are very excited to be working with the esteemed Sotheby’s Auction House. Showcasing the FACUNDO Rum Collection alongside this renowned art house is the ideal platform for the artistry that went

into crafting the Collection to truly come alive,” said Shane M. Graber, Vice President and Brand Managing Director BACARDÍ Rums North America. “We very much look forward to continuing our relationship with Sotheby’s on events that further our mutual passion for art in all its forms.”

A Return to George Washington’s Distillery Raising a glass to celebrate the Scottish heritage of American distilling, three of Scotland’s top distillers have joined with a representative of the Scottish Government, Mount Vernon, the Distilled Spirits Council and the Scotch Whisky Association in previewing the first-ever Scottish-style Single Malt made at George Washington’s Distillery The Single Malt distilling project began in 2012, when DISCUS and the Scotch Whisky Association brought three of the leading Scotch distillers to Mount Vernon to partner with George Washington’s Distillery.

“This Single Malt project draws a straight line in history from Scotland to America," said √ Distilled Spirits Council President and CEO Peter Cressy. www.barbizmag.com

November 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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Booze News Jameson® & Irish Craft Beer Join Forces: Jameson Caskmates™ On the heels of the Jameson Drinking Buddies program, Jameson Irish Whiskey’s passion for craft, quality and neighborhood collaboration continues with a one-of-a-kind whiskey – Jameson Caskmates. For the first time ever, local Irish micro-brewery Franciscan Well and Jameson Original shared casks to create one exceptional whiskey combining the smoothness of Jameson Original with the richness of stout beer, offering a new and distinct tasting experience.

Born in 2013 over drinks at a local neighborhood pub in County Cork, Ireland, Caskmates was created by two longtime friends, Dave Quinn, Master of Whiskey Science at Jameson Distillery and Shane Long, Head Brewer at local Irish micro-brewery Franciscan Well.

Following Dave and Shane hatching the idea of Caskmates, Jameson shared its proprietary oak whiskey barrels from the Midleton Distillery with Franciscan Well, who created a unique Irish stout aged in Jameson barrels. They were excited to see what impact the Jameson whiskey barrels would have on Franciscan Well’s fine Irish stout beer – and they were equally impressed with the results.

However, their curiosity didn’t end there. Returning the gesture, the now stout-seasoned barrels were sent back to the distillery to be refilled with Jameson Original. As a result of its time spent in the stout-seasoned barrels, Jameson Caskmates has the triple-distilled smoothness of Jameson, but now with new added notes of coffee, cocoa, and hops.

“Imagined from a conversation in a neighborhood pub, Jameson Caskmates is a product of shared passion for craft, quality and collaboration,” said Sona Bajaria, Director, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Pernod Ricard USA. “We’re excited to continue our close relationships with craft brewers in both Ireland and the U.S., and share this first-to-market Irish whiskey from Jameson with neighborhoods around the country.”

Visit jamesonwhiskey.com/caskmates.

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Bar Business Magazine November 2015

Flood Buzz Leak Alarms Flood Buzz™ Water Leak Alarms are easyto-use, low-cost, loud and effective tools to prevent water damage and protect any restaurant facility. The patented Flood Buzz warns of impending water leaks before they wreak havoc by sounding an alarm when it senses a water leak condition.

The complete Flood Buzz line of water leak alarms offers inexpensive solutions for all facets of a restaurant, where leaks from supply lines, water filtration systems, refrigeration, bathroom facilities, or even a water heater, may cause extensive damage.

Leaking water may flow through floors and walls, and can ruin flooring, furniture and equipment, resulting in expensive remediation costs and time out of business.

Water leaks can also result in fines and scrutiny from local health and building officials, and even bad customer reviews.

Flood Buzz Alarms are uncomplicated and foolproof with an internal three-year battery and preset programming that eliminates installation time. Just place the alarm next to any potential leak location and walk away.

Several models are available in the Flood Buzz line to prevent damage from leaks throughout the facility. The larger Flood Buzz Pro will sound a 110 dB alarm when water touches the two prongs on the bottom of the product. The Pro is offered in two versions with varying prong sizes: one is designed for typical industrial/ commercial use wherever there is a water connection and one is for use with air conditioners’ condensate pans and will allow moisture/water to build up to 1/8” before sounding. The smaller and more economical Flood Buzz Small will sound a 90-95 dB alarm when it senses a water leak condition, and is ideal for use by bathroom sinks and toilets. The new Flood Buzz Blue, which also sounds at 110dB, is specifically designed to fit right in the water heater’s drip pan.

Flood Buzz is manufactured and distributed

by Archetype Ltd., a New Jersey-based product development and manufacturing group at the forefront of providing easily adaptable and affordable products. For more information on Flood Buzz visit www.FloodBuzzAlarms.com.

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Liquid Assets

Now On

Special

By Chris Ytuarte

With the whiskey renaissance in full swing in the U.S., consumer demand and their newfound level of knowledge in the category has created a marketplace where simply serving some brown spirits is not going to cut it, so distillers both big and small are creating “special” samplings to appeal to the growing population of whiskey aficionados on-premise.

Y

our mother always said you were special, but would she say the same about your whiskey?

In a crowded marketplace made up of longtime distilling giants like Jack Daniels and Maker’s Mark as well as dozens of new boutique craft brands that popup seemingly every day, it’s getting harder for producers to distinguish each brown spirit from the next. Demand for — and interest in — whiskey and all its styles is

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Bar Business Magazine November 2015

reaching new heights in the U.S., making bar owners hard pressed to keep up with what their customers are going to want to drink on-premise.

“This is the Internet age, and I think part of the resurgence [of whiskey] is that people are learning about the history of all these great brands and what goes into making the products, and they’re discovering that there are a lot of cool stories out there and a lot of cool products, www.barbizmag.com

“This is the Internet age, and I think part of the resurgence of whiskey is that people are learning about the history of all these great brands and what goes into making them.” and they’re really eager to learn more about them through experiencing them themselves,” says Andrew Jeffs, Vice President of Operations and Business Development at Caskers.com, an online platform that helps consumers discover craft spirits that aren’t typically available at the local liquor store. “I think the stories and histories are relevant, especially when you consider today’s consumer and what is important to them.

And obviously the renaissance of the cocktail culture is a big piece of it as well and ties into people wanting to know more about what they’re drinking and about interesting experiences related to that drinking.”

The quantity of information and backstory available on most new and old whiskey brands these days can be staggering, especially, as Jeffs points out, when it’s all so easily accessible. The sheer number of whiskey products available has also jumped greatly in the last few years.

“When we were first getting started about three years ago, I think there were under 200 craft distilleries in the U.S.,” says Jeffs, “and now I think there are over 600, the last time I checked.”

This kind of overloaded marketplace, while feeding demand, has challenged distillers to truly differentiate from the competition. As such, the end-of-the-year period is witnessing an exceptional amount of “special” whiskey offerings for 2015. (“In the months of November www.barbizmag.com

and December in particular, we see two- to three-times the amount of sales for whiskey that we see in other months,” Jeffs says.) Across the board, brands are going the extra mile to make a splash with something new or unique this time of year.

SINATRA AND FRIENDS The Jack Daniel Distillery, for example, announced the nationwide release of Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Century, the brand’s latest collaboration with the Sinatra Family to celebrate The Chairman of the Board’s centennial. As a limited edition expression, only 100 barrels of Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Century are being made available in individually numbered bottles.

This one-time, limited release of Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Century, which became available nationwide in October, will be the only available batch of the liquid. Each exclusive bottle is enclosed in a luxury gift box inspired by the legendary singer’s signature style. Additionally, the set also offers a selection of previously unreleased Sinatra tracks, entitled “Sinatra Live at the Sands in 1966,” to accompany the specially designed Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Century bottle. At $499.99 per, that’s pretty special.

“We worked very hard to achieve a special flavor and aroma for Sinatra Century in order to give Frank a proper 100th birthday gift,” says Master Distiller Jeff Arnett.

November 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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Liquid Assets

In the world of Scotch whiskey, Laphroaig ® recently announced the release of its annual Cairdeas expression — Cairdeas 2015, a limited edition malt that celebrates friendship (“Cairdeas” in Gaelic). The 2015 bottling is produced from the finest malt of Laphroaig’s malting floor, distilled using only the smaller stills, and fully matured in the famous No. 1 Laphroaig warehouse, right beside the sea. Speaking of special: Cairdeas 2015 is Master Distiller John Campbell’s interpretation of how Laphroaig would have been produced at the distillery 200 years ago.

THE BOURBON BOOM And then there is bourbon, which has felt the boom more than any other whiskey style. “The thing we see selling the most is still bourbon,” says Jeffs. “Which is tough for the newer distillers out there because it’s obviously harder to come out with a 17- or 20-year-old bourbon when you’re just getting into the business for the first time. I think that, in a way, gives an advantage to some of the more established distilleries out there, but bourbon is very hot across the board.”

This Fall, Clyde May’s launched a Special Reserve whiskey, the first line extension in the brand’s history, which is available for sale in limited quantity. Three distinct higher-proof Alabama-style whiskies were created to characterize the best features of five- to sixyear-old bourbon stock. The bourbon is aged up to six years and finished non-cold filtered with a slight hint of apple, in the Alabama style. The final liquid was bottled at 110-proof, and will be available in different lots, each exhibiting subtle variation and tasting notes.

“One of the features that has pleasantly surprised people who’ve tasted Special Reserve is its smoothness,” said Ron Call, Whiskey Master, Clyde May’s Whiskey. “At the 110-proof level, there can be an expectation that the liquid is going to knock your head back. But the Alabamastyle finish smooths it out – it’s almost counterintuitive.”

Over the past year, Clyde May’s Whiskey has also implemented a program that allows retail partners to create bespoke editions of Clyde May’s Special Reserve, drawing from a selection of hand-selected barrels. These barrels were organized into three distinct lots. The lots reflect the finest expressions of Clyde May’s Whiskey and can be mixed by retail partners according to taste.

“Our retail partners are having great fun creating their own versions of Special Reserve based on the expressions we’re providing,” says Call. “It’s not common that whiskey brands permit that sort of tailoring, and our partners love it.”

In fact, Maker’s Mark ® has developed a similar barrel program, Maker’s Mark Private Select™. The new experience will allow retail customers to “make their own Maker’s” by finishing fully-matured cask strength 12

Bar Business Magazine November 2015

Jack Daniel’s Sinatra Century Tennessee Whiskey celebrates the brand’s long relationship with The Chairman of the Board.

Maker’s Mark Bourbon in a single barrel made up of their custom selection of oak staves. The program kicked off in limited release this month, with bottled product expected to be available for sale by retail participants beginning in March of 2016.

“This innovative process of creating a personal expression of Maker’s Mark allows the customer to create a bourbon that wanders in some intriguing ways from our traditional taste profile, while still being distinctively Maker’s Mark,” stated COO Maker’s Mark Distillery, Rob Samuels. “We’ve never before given anyone this kind of access or opportunity to create their favorite version of Maker’s, but we’re excited to see what folks come up with and how they like to make their Maker’s when given the chance.”

Maker’s Mark Private Select Program is available to Kentucky- and Illinois-based retailers in its first year and will be expanded to additional markets in 2016.

LABELS AND RTDs While not necessarily offering a “special” version of any of its signature whiskies, Crown Royal has distinguished itself by becoming the first alcohol beverage brand to include a serving facts panel on its packaging. Diageo announced in October that it has begun shipping cases of www.barbizmag.com

“I don’t think we’ve seen the full rise of craft spirits yet.”

The Special Reserve whiskey from Clyde May’s is the first line extension in the brand’s history, with limited availability.

Crown Royal that include macro-nutritional information on the product. The panel details serving size, number of servings per container, alcohol by volume, number of calories and grams of carbohydrates, protein and fat per serving – and the U.S. Dietary Guidelines definition of a standard drink – 0.6 fluid ounces of alcohol. Since 2006, Diageo has provided such serving facts information about its brands on its DRINKiQ website.

“We are proud to take this latest step in the decadelong effort of our company, and that of the more than 70 consumer and public health groups that stood with us in support of labeling in 2003,” says Guy Smith, Executive Vice President, Diageo North America.

Bully Boy Distillers in Boston has launched The Old Fashioned, a new take on the classic cocktail in the form of an RTD, pre-mixed cocktail using the brand’s award-winning American Straight Whiskey as the base.

The Old Fashioned is hand crafted with muddled raw sugar and just enough Angostura bitters to complement – but not overpower – the whiskey’s smooth caramel flavor and nutty finish, and is ready to drink straight from the bottle.

“It’s difficult to achieve that perfect ratio of whiskey, sugar and bitters, but that’s exactly what we’ve done with the Bully Boy Old Fashioned,” says Dave Willis, a www.barbizmag.com

Bully Boy Distillers has bottled The Old Fashioned cocktail.

P&H Egan Ltd. is reviving its historic Egan’s Irish Whiskey.

co-founder of Bully Boy Distillers. “By releasing a bottled version of the quintessential craft cocktail, we’re hoping to give drink enthusiasts a simple, no-fuss way to serve or enjoy a perfectly delicious Old Fashioned.”

Evidence of the expanding whiskey universe is everywhere, from “special” products to labeling to RTD products. The spirit’s popularity nationwide has never been bigger, including amongst those interested in more than just drinking it. Sugarlands Distilling Company, makers of Smoky Mountain moonshine, leads all U.S. distilleries in five-star reviews on the popular travel website TripAdvisor.com, where the Gatlinburg, Tennessee facility is the second most highly rated distillery experience in the world, trailing only the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, Ireland.

“I don’t think we’ve seen the full rise of craft spirits yet,” Jeffs surmises. “It’s a huge segment and it’s taking up some of the market share, but I don’t think we’ve seen all that’s going to happen there. As new distilleries get started out, they’re producing spirits like vodka and gin and things that don’t require aging. So when it comes to whiskey specifically, it will be interesting to see, five or ten years down the road, when these distilleries start offering some aged whiskies to compete with the more established brands — what’s going to happen then?”

November 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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How To:

xxx x r x e t x s X a x M x x x X XxxMxix xX olo xxgxyxxx

Cocktail Ideas for the On-premise Mixologist Whether you’re tailgating with your customers or planning a Thanksgiving feast on-premise, upgrade your Autumn festivities with a great tequila drink in hand — and more importantly, in your customers’ hands.

W

ith Fall in full swing, it’s time to say goodbye to frozen margaritas and hello to cocktails that embrace the crisp weather and flavors of the season – and believe it or not, we’re still thinking it’s time for some tequila.

While many people turn to some of the darker spirits this time of the year (see our friends at Caskers discuss their

www.barbizmag.com

whiskey sales spikes in November and December on page 10), we say — so what. We’re still in the mood for some smoky, sweet tequila cocktails that incorporate seasonal ingredients for Fall weather.

So while you may not think about tequila for Thanksgiving, here are some amazing seasonal recipes for cooler weather featuring our favorite warm weather spirit.

November 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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How To: Hornitos® Black Barrel® Cider 1 ½ parts Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila ¾ part apple cider ¾ part cinnamon syrup * 1 part lemon juice 2 dashes Angostura® Bitters 2 parts water *To make cinnamon syrup: Mix together 1 part sugar, 1 part water and 4 crushed cinnamon sticks. Bring to a boil (approximately 1-2 minutes). Once cooled down, strain into a glass.

Preparation: Combine all ingredients together and serve.

Garnish with a cinnamon stick and an apple wedge. Can be served hot or cold.

La Man-Zana 1 Part Hornitos Spiced Honey 4 Parts Mexican Lager 1 Part Apple Cider ½ Part Lemon Juice

black barrel cider

Preparation: Combine all ingredients except Mexican lager in a shaker, shake vigorously, strain over fresh ice and add Mexican lager.

Potion de Muerto 2 parts Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila ¾ part orange juice ¾ part lemon juice ¾ part chipotle agave * 2 dashes orange bitters ½ part beet juice *Substitute agave nectar for chipotle agave if unavailable.

Preparation: Serve in a tall glass over crushed ice with a beet juice float – the beet juice will slowly float down the glass through the crushed ice, making it look like blood dripping down.

Garnish with an orange slice.

Black Ginger 1 Part Hornitos Black Barrel Tequila ⅓ Part Simple Syrup ⅓ Part Lemon Juice Rosemary Top with Ginger Beer

IN THe ROUGH 16

Bar Business Magazine November 2015

Preparation: Lightly muddle one rosemary sprig in a glass, combine remainder of ingredients except ginger beer in a shaker with ice, shake vigorously, strain into the glass over fresh ice and top with ginger beer. Garnish with a rosemary sprig.

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The following three recipes were created by Justin Timberlake’s personal Sauza® 901® mixologist, Eddy Buckingham.

Chocolate Caliente 2 parts Sauza 901 Tequila 1 cup whole milk 2 oz. dark chocolate bar, chopped Pinch cayenne pepper Pinch of cinnamon Splash agave syrup Whipped Cream for garnish Preparation: Heat milk and chocolate on hot stove and stir. When chocolate is fully melted, remove from heat and introduce other ingredients. Pour into mug and top with whipped cream.

Mexican Café 1 ½ parts Sauza 901 Tequila 1 part vanilla liqueur ½ part coffee 1/2 part heavy cream Preparation: Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice.

Shake, and strain into a chilled rocks glass filled with fresh ice.

Mexi Toddy 2 parts Sauza 901 Tequila 1 part honey syrup 1 cup hot water ½ part agave syrup Lemon wedge Cinnamon stick Cloves Star Anise

Mexi Toddy

Preparation: Combine all ingredients in large mug. Stir gently and allow the cocktail to steep for two minutes.

In The Rough

2 oz Maestro® Dobel Diamante™ Tequila 3 dashes sour cherry bitters Barspoon pomegranate molasses Method: Add all ingredients to mixing glass, add ice, stir until properly diluted, strain into coupe glass and garnish with 2 brandied cherries

Warm-Up 2 oz Maestro Dobel Resposado Tequila 2 oz Apple Cider 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar .5 oz Lillet Blanc Method: Build in tin, add ice, shake and fine strain into a Coupe glass. Garnish with a cinnamon stick/dusting of all spice.

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Mexican cafe November 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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How To:

proof d n u o S r e t t Be Your Bar

By Peter Janis

Shhhhhhhhhhh!!

I

n a 2015 dining trends survey by Zagat, the number two complaint by patrons, after service issues, is excessive ambient noise. We have all had the experience of speaking louder to be heard by dining companions who are often sitting right next to us. Bottom line is this problem must be fixed or it will affect your bottom line. If acoustics are poor it will only serve to leave a bad taste in the mouth of your patrons, no matter how great the menu.

There is also an issue of employee safety. According to the Save Your Hearing campaign, a British program that aims to raise awareness across the globe for hearing problems, an estimated 18,000 people in the UK have reported suffering from some form of noise-induced hearing

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Lowering ambient noise can improve your bottom line.

loss that was either caused or made worse by work. In the U.S., 48 million people have reported some degree of hearing loss; and even more worryingly, 60% of the people with hearing loss are either in educational settings or in the work force. (http://www.allearplugs.com/help-centre/save-yourhearing-campaign.aspx) To solve these issues we must identify what is going on in these acoustically challenged spaces. When you combine the sound generated by a music system, patrons trying to converse, staff communicating, and even ambient kitchen noise, it builds up and reaches a point where the energy in the room is no longer able to be absorbed or dissipated.

Moreover, design trends have evolved towards very open November 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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How To: prohibitive. While a concert hall or top-end recording studio might see materials costs reach $50,000 to $100,000, the same is simply not true for most restaurants. In fact, most restaurants can be acoustically ‘repaired’ for between $2500 and $10,000 depending on the size.

Acoustic panels are essentially porous devices that are either hung on the walls or from the ceiling. Sound waves enter the panels causing the minute fibers to vibrate.

This thermos-dynamic process essentially converts sound into heat. Since most restaurants are in commercial areas, attention must be paid to fire safety. Panels that are safe for use in commercial applications will have been tested by an independent lab to ensure they pass ASTM-E83 (United States), Can/UL S108 (Canada) or EIN-36535 (Europe).

Season 2 ‘Top Chef Canada’ contestant, Trevor Bird’s Vancouver restaurant, ‘Fable’ features exposed brick walls, a creative chalk board wall and an open kitchen concept. With limited wall space to make acoustic improvements, stock beige fabric clouds were hung from the ceiling. spaces (high ceilings) with hard surfaces (wood, metal, stone, tile, glass) which are very reflective of sound. This wide variety of sound in restaurants bouncing off these reflective surfaces increases the baseline volume causing people to talk louder. The increased noise (noise floor) causes the music to be turned up and this cycle is repeated resulting in a high volume, unintelligible mass of sound.

There are presumptions out there that attempt to find justification for higher noise levels. Some think that the energy in the room makes it more exciting which in turn will perhaps increase alcohol sales or that the noise may cause tables to turn more quickly. Although these may hold some degree of truth with a segment of a younger crowd, the real question here is who is your clientele? Who are you trying to attract? More importantly perhaps, based on the Zagat survey response, who are you inadvertently turning off?

Selection and Placement When using a high density glass wool panel for instance, the most common choice is to install between 20% to 25% wall coverage. Alternatively, you can hang panels from the ceiling.

This works equally well. Placement is not critical. It is more about controlling and reducing the excessive energy build-up in a room by hanging panels wherever convenient.

The thickness and density of the panel will dictate the absorption range. The thicker the panel, the lower the frequencies you will absorb. The most common thickness is 2” or 5cm. This will easily absorb energy down into the lower registers of the voice and help reduce low frequency rumble from the music system. If under constraints such as budget or space, you can get away with a 1” thick panel which will help with most frequencies in the speech range.

Addressing Noise In order to resolve the excess noise inherent in many restaurants, owners should incorporate acoustically absorbent materials into the restaurant; either as part of the initial design, or as an aftermarket addition. In the design phase, acoustic panels can be strategically placed within the ceiling structure or on walls and incorporated into the design of the space. Similarly, post construction, ceilings and walls offer opportunities to help tailor the acoustics of the space.

Some restaurant owners hesitate to address the acoustics or noise problem in their restaurants believing the cost to be

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Primacoustic Paintables panels installed on the walls and ceiling of a cafe in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Paintables were painted by a local artist to add to the shop's decor.

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Just how LOUD is it?

A handy tool for all bar owners looking to keep things quiet (or at least less dangerous) on-premise when it comes to noise is a digital sound level meter. This simple handheld device, carried around the floor of a venue, can register the level of noise being emitted.

Kingfishers pub in Maple Ridge, BC provides a beautiful view for customers but the glass wall and high vaulted ceiling contributed to long echos and poor intelligibility. Broadway acoustic panels installed on the ceiling retain the esthetic but fix the sound issues.

The best time to test this, of course, is at a peak business hour with a standard sized crowd in the bar, as human bodies absorb some soundwaves. So get the place packed, crank up the music and the chatter and glassware crashing and the blenders running and grab you level meter and check things out.

For reference, here’s a few numbers to keep in mind when checking your own noise levels on-premise.

Below are the typical recorded decibel (dB) levels of some everyday noise you might come across: • Normal conversation (3' - 5’ apart) = 60dB – 70dB • City traffic (from sidewalk) = 85dB

On the other hand, if live performances are held in the restaurant, you may want to consider adding a mix of 3” thick panels to the room to help control the deeper bass.

• Loud rock concert = 115dB • Jet engine = 140dB • Death of hearing tissue begins at 180dB

Architectural Concerns A common concern is how the panels will integrate with the existing esthetics of the room. Most panel manufacturers offer basic neutral stock colors but panels can also be covered on site using any decorative fabric so long as it is breathable. More recently a paintable panel has come to market that enables the user to spray the panel on site using standard latex paint to match or compliment an existing color scheme. Available with straight or beveled edges, shipped in a white finish, paintable panels can also be used as an artist would use a canvas.

If you are handy with a screw gun, you can easily fix the acoustics in a restaurant in a matter of hours. Once done, you can be sure that customers will return… so long as the food and service is up to their expectations.

See and hear the difference acoustic treatment makes in less than 90 seconds. (http://www.primacoustic.com/beforeaftervideo1.htm)

So unless the name of your club is Jet Engine, keep things well below 140db.

Peter Janis is President of Primacoustic, a division of Radial Engineering Ltd. Primacoustic is a market leader in high performance acoustic products offering a wide array of acoustic solutions that span all market segments.

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November 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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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

• interchangeable Bar tops and configurations • Battery operated 16 color led lighting system • custom interchangeable Panels • company Branding • folds to 5 inches for storage and transport • made from aircraft aluminum CONTACT Ultimate Bars (714) 849-1340 www.ultimatebars.com www.facebook.com/ultimatebars www.twitter.com/ultimatebars

How To:

se Land a Lea Big or Small

Is Bigger Really Better?

Leasing the Right Size and Shape of Bar Space

By Jeff Grandfield and Dale Willerton – aka The Lease Coach

S

o often, bar tenants come to The Lease Coach stating that they are not making any money because their rent is too high. Sometimes, this is a true statement but, more often than not, the bar tenant has simply leased too many square feet.

We remember consulting to a client leasing 8,000 square feet of space who couldn’t afford to pay the rent. When we checked with neighboring tenants it turned out our client was actually paying less per square foot than anyone else. It wasn’t the rent per square foot that was killing his business but the amount of area he had been talked into leasing by the landlord’s leasing representative. We see this scenario far too often … leasing representatives and real estate agents,

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typically, receive a commission from the landlord for signed lease deals (the incentive increases with a tenant signing for a longer term, agreeing to pay a higher rent or leasing more space); however, the unknowing tenant often signs the lease agreement and becomes legally bound to the terms. In this case, by negotiating for our client to surrender 3,000 square feet of space back to the landlord the rent decreased by $45,000 per year and the business returned to being viable.

Don’t learn your lesson this way; it’s too expensive.

Occasionally, we deal with the reverse of this scenario.

A tenant told us his space was too small. If we could expand the business he could see many more customers. We negotiated for this tenant to lease the adjacent space (which November 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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How To:

meant relocating the neighboring tenant) and he achieved his goal. Landlords, generally, prefer to work with a tenant who wants to expand versus one who needs to downsize.

Since most landlords charge rent on a square footage basis, it makes good sense for us to scrutinize your size requirements carefully. Additionally, in most cases, you will be paying operating costs or CAM (common area

tenant. Since the expansion portion of the project was only in the construction phase, we suspected the landlord still had time to move other newly-interested tenants around and suggested to the tenant we walk away from the deal as a negotiating strategy. As expected, within a few days the landlord reconsidered his position and predictably came up with a much better location for the tenant.

Phantom Space is one of our favorite topics. This is where the lease agreement states the tenant has “x” number of square feet, but when the area is measured the real square footage is much less. Since tenants are paying rent by the square foot, landlords can benefit greatly (even if unintentionally or accidentally) by leasing out more than 100% of the building. An unscrupulous landlord could be taking advantage of his/her tenants or this might simply be a mistake but either way it costs the tenant money. Don’t be like most tenants who take the landlord’s word for it; have your space professionally measured.

In one case, we measured a client’s premise and discovered that, instead of the reported 4,400 square feet, the tenant’s space only contained 3,600 square feet. The landlord had purchased the building a few years ago and

Since most landlords charge rent on a square footage basis, it makes good sense for us to scrutinize your size requirements carefully. It has been our experience that the main reason bar tenants end up leasing the wrong amount of square footage is due to availability, or lack thereof. maintenance) fees based on a square footage basis too. It has been our experience that the main reason bar tenants end up leasing the wrong amount of square footage is due to availability … or lack thereof. If you need about 5,000 square feet for your bar but the only two spaces remaining available for lease are smaller and larger you will have a dilemma. A smaller space often has less frontage as well.

This gives you less storefront exposure, which is critical for bar operations.

When choosing between locations that are modestly too big or too small, bar tenants should almost always decide which space is in the better location. With adjacent and very comparable units, we would normally advise the tenant to be more conservative and lease the smaller location. Bar tenants who tell us their location is too small are usually profiting but want to expand to increase their sales. Whereas bar owners who tell us their location is too big often want to downsize to reduce rent payments as a means of improving their bottom line.

Consider also the functional shape of the premises for your bar. In one situation, the landlord was expanding his strip mall claiming that only one CRU (commercial retail unit) was left. Unfortunately, this unit housed a large utility room in the back – making that area unusable for almost any 24

Bar Business Magazine November 2015

never questioned the previous landlord’s measurements. We not only got the tenant a refund for previous months she had overpaid but also a $1000/month rent reduction for the remainder of the Term.

Much commercial space is measured incorrectly. In most instances, a substantial incorrect measurement can be defined as a discrepancy of 5% or more. In actuality, we’ve discovered that more often than not measurement discrepancies will favor the landlord. Having your

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commercial space professionally measured by an independent expert will provide peace-of-mind and is highly recommended.

Dale Willerton and Jeff Grandfield - The Lease Coach are Commercial Lease Consultants who work exclusively for tenants. Dale and Jeff

are professional speakers and co-authors of Negotiating Commercial Leases & Renewals For Dummies (Wiley, 2013). Got a leasing question?

Need help with your new lease or renewal? Call 1-800-738-9202, e-mail DaleWillerton@TheLeaseCoach.com or visit www.TheLeaseCoach. com. For a free leasing CD entitled Leasing Do’s & Don’ts for Commercial Tenants, e-mail DaleWillerton@TheLeaseCoach.com.

THIS ONE IS Prett y Big: 8,000 Square Feet in Chicago Chicago-based hospitality company DineAmic Group this year opened their seventh venue, Bar Siena. Following the opening of their steakhouse, Prime & Provisions, and working off the success of Siena Tavern, DineAmic will open a two-story, 8,000-square-foot spin-off concept.

"When we first created Siena Tavern, much of our inspiration came from a quaint, casual and energetic bar and restaurant called La Taverna in Siena, Italy. That inspiration led us to create a more polished and expansive version better suited for River North,” says DineAmic Group partner Lucas Stoioff. “Bar Siena will be closer to our original inspiration in size, style and energy.”

The rustic, two-story space offers casual bar seating on the ground floor and a more refined dining room on the second floor, with a 25-feet-by-25-feet opening in the center, which unites the two levels.

The first floor prominently features a peninsula-shaped bar clad in ashed wood with stone inlays and finished with a custom hammered zinc bar top. While seated at the bar, guests will have a straight view into the open kitchen where a dome-shaped, red mosaic tile pizza oven bearing the name “Bella” is a notable attraction. Handmade, imported from Italy, and reaching temperatures of over 600 degrees, Bella will be the hottest girl in town.

Overhead is a wooden, steel-braced frame that serves as the armature that suspends flat screen televisions, liquor bottles and antique kitchen paraphernalia. The bar room is encompassed by whitewashed brick walls, pipe and filament bulb deck lamps and square tufted leather booths. Antique mirrors wrap corners and provide a surface for hand-lettered menu items. A DJ booth, complete with a collection of vinyl records, will be situated off the stairs. The room will be unique, energized and inviting, capable of being a casual eatery or a bustling bar.

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Upstairs, guests will find a more refined dining area. A palette of spice tones enriches the space. Walnut tables and plush, cinnamon upholstered chairs provide warmth and comfort. Large windows punctuate the perimeter brick walls and offer sweeping views of the Chicago skyline.

Linking the two stories is an arresting illuminated sculpture inspired by Siena Tavern’s olive tree icon. The sculpture, composed of dozens of curvilinear iron “branches,” will begin as small wires entwined in the TV and pot rack feature that hovers over the ground-floor bar and then rises up through a large opening in the second floor, sprawling and winding its way up to the second-floor ceiling.

Custom-made by local ironworkers, the sculpture will be peppered with hundreds of LED lights, which allow it to double as an organic, one-of-a-kind chandelier. It will provide the right dose of glitz and glamour to the otherwise understated design.

"The West Loop has a remarkable food scene and is home to many of Chicago's most brilliant hospitality concepts," says David Rekhson DineAmic Group partner. "We are very excited to be opening in an area where people pay attention to and appreciate distinguished restaurants and bars."

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Shutterstock / Sandra Cunningham

Festive Wines yule love

By Joe Roberts

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Celebrate the season with a holiday wine guide for adding some spice to your on-premise selection this winter.

C

ertain beverages just seem to make more sense in certain seasons. Margaritas don’t necessarily scream fall foliage, but they do nudge us to find a spot poolside in the summer.

Each wine also suggests a certain season, and certainly the vinous world is so diverse that we could spend several seasons pairing different wines with the changing temperatures and seasonal ingredients without running out of new options for slaking our thirst (and our curiosity).

When the chilly winds and snow of winter start to blow, certain wines that make sense in the spring (such as fresh rosé) or summer (think spritzy and light Vinho Verde) get overpowered by the blustery weather and heartier, warming holiday fare. But there are plenty of wine styles to explore that are perfect for the winter season. Here are a few wine options if you’re on the hunt for winter warmers.

port Port hails from one of the oldest official wine regions on the planet, the Douro in Portugal. Port is fortified with neutral grape spirit during alcoholic fermentation, which stops the process before all of the grapes’ sugars can be converted into alcohol, and preserves some of their natural sweetness in the finished wine.

Because it’s fortified, Port packs a warming alcoholic sensation with every sip: just the thing for warming you up on cold winter nights. While there are many styles of Port, the two most common are Tawny and Ruby. Both are usually sweet and ready to drink upon release.

Tawny Port spends extended time barrel-aging, taking on flavors of toasted nuts, caramel, and dried fruits – think pecan pie and you’ll get the picture.

Ruby Ports emphasize the fresher dark berry fruit, and are a great match for chocolate desserts. www.barbizmag.com

MADEIRA The tiny Portuguese island of Madeira became famous for creating a style of fortified wine that could survive long journeys overseas. Today, Madeira producers recreate the conditions of those voyages by fortifying their wines, blending them, and exposing them to warm temperatures and oxygen throughout an extended barrel aging.

The result is a wine redolent with dried fruit, Sherry-like notes, toast, nuts, and toffee, which naturally conjures up images of winter desserts. As with Port, the fortification process raises the alcohol level of Madeira to about 20 percent, so it also does admirable duty as a winter warmer.

Madeira is nearly as versatile as Port, available in different barrel-ages, and styles from dry (Sercial) to very sweet (Malvasia). What’s more, because Madeira wine is so hardy, you don’t have to fret over leaving some behind in the bottle. Given the right storage conditions, good Madeira can be enjoyed for years without it changing its primary flavors, so you can look forward to a sip for many winter seasons to come.

tokaji The small Hungarian area of Tokaji was once the epicenter of the fine-wine world, primarily for its sweet wine made from grapes that have shriveled on the vine due to natural processes, which concentrates the fruit’s sugar and acidity. The wine from here was so well regarded that it has been said that Louis X V of November 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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France called it “Wine of Kings, King of Wines” when pouring it for Madame de Pompadour. It’s difficult to get a higher recommendation than that.

Tokaji production relies on a special fungus called botrytis that affects the grapes and turns them into raisins while still on the vine. This might not sound appealing (and those grapes certainly don’t look appealing when they’re picked, either), but the fermented results are anything but icky – just ask the next member of French royalty you happen to bump into.

While there are a few styles of Tokaji, the most wellknown is Aszú, which has explosive flavors of sweet apricot, coffee, orange rind, citrus zest, and golden raisins. It’s most impressive feature, however, might be its vibrant, lip-smacking acidity, which helps it hold its own not only as an aperitif, but also as a match for desserts of nearly all kinds.

doux What would New Year’s Eve be without a glass of bubbly to toast the flipping of the calendar? For starters, it would be a much less classy and less festive evening.

Sparkling wine is probably already a part of your winter holiday plans, but there’s an under-appreciated style of bubbly that is especially luxuriant, and therefore a good match for the indulgent holiday season.

Doux sparkling wines are a sweet style of bubbly.

While almost all sparkling wine has some small amount of sugar added to help balance its racy, piquant acidity, Doux sparkling wines ratchet that up a notch, adding over five percent sugar by volume.

At that level, the sweetness is noticeable above the vibrant acid and drying bubbles, imparting a richer mouth feel than styles made with less sugar.

With Doux sparkling wines (particularly the better examples from France, the U.S., and Italy), you get the apple and pear fruitiness, floral aromas, and hints of toast that are part of the drier sparkling wine bottlings, as well as sugar to satisfy your sweet tooth (and match up with holiday cakes).

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ICE WINE

Few people would want to join pickers harvesting grapes for one of the most beguiling dessert wines from Canada, Germany, and the U.S.: ice wine. Ice wine harvests typically take place at night, in the frigid cold, when temperatures reach a bone-chilling 17 degrees F. It’s then that the grapes freeze, and the ice surrounding them draws out the water within the grapes, concentrating their flavors, acidity, and sugar.

While this style of dessert wine is expensive – hey, those poor folks hand-harvesting grapes in the freezing cold need to get paid! – it’s worth a look if you prefer sweet wines that are intense, but also have a vibrant mouth feel that isn’t overly cloying.

With the best ice wines, you’ll get citrus, stone fruit, and candy aromas and flavors that are focused, intense, fresh, and pure. This all comes with ice wine’s bright acidity, which helps it feel refreshing despite the high concentrations of sugar. And what could be more apt for winter than wine made from frozen grapes?

This holiday season, you don’t have to reach for the same vino that helped you ring in the seasons so far.

Instead, consider trying out one of the dessert wine styles above, and treat yourself to a tasty new drinking experience, while you enjoy the sweet treats that mark the coming of winter and the holiday season.

Joe Roberts is a certified wine specialist. Joe is known for creating 1 Wine Dude, a wine blog aimed specifically at the intermediate wine lover. In 2009 his blog was named Best Wine Blog by FoodBuzz Blog Awards and again in 2010 by Wine Blog Awards. Joe believes that learning to appreciate wine doesn’t have to be expensive or elitist. His opinions and thoughts about wine have been cited in the New York Times, L.A. Times and the Washington Post. This was originally posted at https://www.fix.com/blog/winesfor-the-winter-holidays/

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Epour Technologies Launches Patented Wine By The Glass System allows retailers to significantly increase the profitability of each glass served by eliminating wine quality and wine service losses. Costs such as trash removal, storage needs, server training are significantly reduced. The consumer receives an exact pour size quality wine at temperature every time.

E

Pour Technologies recently announced the commercial launch of its innovative high volume/high value system for serving wine by the glass. The countertop system utilizes a patented pumping, temperature, and pour control system to maintain consistent quality and pour accuracy with every glass poured. The 9 liter oxygen inhibiting bag in tray system

The ePour system conceived by Ed O’Keefe, Jr. ePour’s CEO and founder of award winning Chateau Grand Traverse Winery, Michigan’s largest winery. “We have been working on this high volume/ high quality wine by the glass system for several years and we believe ePour will completely revolutionize the economics of wine by the glass sales,” he states.

“I initially started to develop the ePour system to improve efficiencies in our winery tasting room. It has evolved to have much broader applications.” The system is designed to transform wine by the glass service in restaurants,

winery tasting rooms, wine bars, casinos, cruise ships, hotel lobbies, convention centers, banquet facilities — any retail operation offering quality wines by the glass. Operated by wait staff or as a self-serve machine allows the bar staff to focus on bar orders. The pour sizes are fully programmable for service by the glass, carafe, or bottle.

Visit www.epourtech.com.

Epica Wines Launches Label Design Contest

E

pica Wines, the adventurous Chilean wine brand that inspires epic lifestyles, invites consumers 21 and older in Chicago, Miami, New York, Ontario and British Columbia, to participate in “Reset Me” a label design contest with a $5,000 cash prize and the chance for the winning design to be featured on limited edition Epica wine bottles. Online submissions will be accepted between now and November 23 and will be evaluated based on creativity, alignment with Epica’s “Good Taste Has No Rules” positioning, and originality. Contest rules and entry method can be found online at http:// epicawinescampaigns.com/.

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“Epica is a brand that believes there is no perfect path to follow. Everyone has their own destiny, their own timing and their own vision for what they want to make out of their lives. As a brand, we can relate to those consumers who live life without regrets and seize every moment and opportunity,” said Sebastian Reitze, global marketing manager for Epica Wines. “We are thrilled to offer this opportunity to adult consumers and look forward to seeing how they capture Epica’s essence in their designs.” For more information on “Reset Me” contest, contact William Bell Murillo or Berenice Gonzales at vspt@formulatin.com.

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The Countdown Begins

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Bar Business Magazine November 2015

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The countdown to New Year’s Eve doesn’t begin with one minute left in 2015, it begins now, as bar owners should be planning their on-premise events for December 31st as soon as Halloween is over. Here are some tips to getting started.

By Chris Ytuarte

T

here are several nights each year considered to be the biggest on-premise moneymaking opportunities bar owners are going to have: St. Patrick’s Day, the night before Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Eve are, arguably, the three most important. Quite often, the former two sell themselves, while the latter, NYE, as it shall be known henceforth, can require some proactive planning and marketing beyond what most proprietors are prepared for or used to.

There are a multitude of challenges facing bar owners planning a NYE event. The scope, for one, can be much larger than a typical on-premise happening.

There are tickets to be sold, entertainment must be booked, promotional platforms identified, and marketing plans enacted. And then you have to pull the whole thing off.

We spoke with K.C. Fox, Category Marketing Manager of Music & Entertainment at Eventbrite, (www.eventbrite.com), a global platform that allows event organizers to plan, promote, and sell tickets to events and publish them across Facebook, Twitter and other social-networking tools directly from the site’s interface. It also enables potential attendees to find and purchase tickets to these experiences. According to Fox, if you’re reading this and haven’t started planning for your NYE event, you’re already behind the competition.

“New Year’s Eve is obviously a big event holiday and is one of the biggest nights of the year for us,” says Fox. “We see a lot of bars and restaurants creating NYE events on our platform, so in order to help our organizers we did a little bit of research and looked at our own event data. We have millions of events on Eventbrite and tons of data points to analyze, and we also did a survey to understand what folks are looking for in New Year’s Eve events.”

That survey, of more than 1,000 people in the U.S., ages 18 and over, was conducted between September 14th and 17th, and when combined with internal data from Eventbrite events over the past year, uncovered some vital information that helped Fox and her team develop several tips for owners planning NYE parties:

75% of New Year’s Eve event hosts put their tickets on sale by Thanksgiving “We know that for our most successful NYE events, those who have sold 90% or more of their tickets, about www.barbizmag.com

20% of their tickets have actually been sold by Thanksgiving,” says Fox. “We know that, while a lot of folks do procrastinate, most do start thinking about NYE plans right after Halloween, so it’s important for bars and restaurants to get those events online early just to be a part of the conversation. We also know that it’s important to publish early so people can drum up their friend group and share what their plans are going to be.”

One out of three people (ages 18-34) would be more likely to go to a NYE event if all their friends were going “So it’s really important for bars and restaurants to make sure that their events are sharable on social media and able to facilitate group buys for whatever tickets or covers they plan on charging, and reward the social leaders who are going to be bringing their friends to the event,” says Fox. “We also know that Millenials are a core target audience for bars and restaurants, so we do have data that is specific to Millenial behaviors. We found out that 75% of Millenials do want to go out for NYE, so that’s a good reminder for bars and restaurants to make sure they are able to table this specific demographic for their event.”

75% of the 1,000 adults surveyed prefer a New Year’s Eve event that’s more casual and allows them to dress for comfort “Obviously you want your event to be super swanky, but make sure people know that if they want to rock jeans that is totally ok too,” says Fox. “We know a lot of bars and restaurants are competing with house parties and people just staying in, so it’s important to communicate that any attire is great for New Year’s Eve this year.”

There are two consistent spikes in ticket sales ­— one right after the event goes on sale and then again a week before the event takes place “We see across industries there is a natural low between those two spikes, but we have seen over time that a lot of organizers are using services to market their events online using tools such as AdHusky (www. adhusky.com) or Boostable (www.boostable.com),” November 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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“It’s really about making sure their friends are going. That’s the bigggest hook. A lot of bars and restaurants are going to have great DJs and top shelf liquor, etc. The big reason people decide to go to an event or not is if their friends are going to be there.” explains Fox. “What we did at Eventbrite is partner with these tools that a lot of our organizers were already using so that they are actually integrated with our products. So during this lull it’s very easy for organizers to create a Facebook ad and promote it to a really specific audience or re-target and send messages to people who have already visited their event page but haven’t yet bought tickets. There are a ton of online tools we offer to help continue to sell tickets during that natural lull.

“And visual approach on social media is the best thing bars can do — photos and videos from last year’s 32

Bar Business Magazine November 2015

NYE party. A lot our of most successful event organizers use those visual aspects on their actual event page, as anything that can really communicate to potential patrons what the experience is going to be like, the better.”

There are upsell opportunities for NYE. “We see a lot of our successful organizers creating multiple ticket types for their NYE events, offering VIP packages,” says Fox. “That can range from allowing patrons to cut the line when they get to the www.barbizmag.com

bar to having an open bar for a set period of time.

Because we know folks are more willing to spend for this holiday we know it’s a great opportunity to offer multiple price points for different tickets.”

Seek out sponsorship opportunities.

“Chances are this is going to be a big event for bars and restaurants and they may have more upfront costs than they would on a normal night, so sponsorships are a really great way to offset that expense,” Fox emphasizes. “For those of our organizers who do publish their events early, they are way more likely to bring on quality sponsors because they have more opportunity to promote that sponsor to their attendees.

Normally sponsors are going to want some brand presence at the event itself, but if an organizer is able to communicate that they can message to their email list or include a sponsor logo in the advertising they’re going to do, the more likely they’re able to bring on a quality sponsor who is willing to spend more.

“The best sponsors are also partners. If there is any way to make it an in-kind relationship or figure out a way you can each promote each other, it’s great.

Alcohol is one of the most common sponsorships we see for NYE, but it could be anything. A trend here in San Francisco is around local alcohol distributors, so you’re not necessarily working with the big brands but kind of understanding who the key players in the community are who might be interested in reaching a different audience or a brand just getting started that really needs to get its name out there. Local brands are a great place to start.”

In getting bar owners started in building and promoting their NYE events, Fox also points out that there are certain operational pitfalls to avoid, both in leading up to December 31st and on the night of. She recommends initiating some sort early-bird pricing or benefits for your regular patrons in order to ensure their attendance (and a good time, which is especially important for those folks who keep you busy the other 364 days of the year). Fox also points out that, whether it’s locals or new customers, nobody likes to be overcrowded. After all, that’s what Times Square is for.

“Definitely don’t oversell your event,” stresses Fox. “We know that check-in can really be a pain for NYE events, especially for bars and restaurants that aren’t used to having a queue outside their bar and actually checking people in. At Eventbrite we have a really easy check-in process through Eventbrite Neon, so bars can use their iPhone to scan tickets and check people in pretty quickly and easily. If they are able to encourage folks to keep their tickets on their mobile phones, it’s a really fast process; they don’t have to look at a list and check people off and look them up. The checking of IDs would still have to be done at the door.”

So get started early, keep working and promoting right up to the day of the event, and for NYE specifically, find ways to keep your customers in the www.barbizmag.com

bar even after the ball drops at midnight. (Fox recommends a VIP post-party, or late night food available only after the ball drops.) And remember, at the end of the day, this business is about being social, whether it’s December 31st or April 3rd, and that is what is going to make your NYE event work.

“It’s really about making sure their friends are going,” says Fox. “As long as the event is easily sharable and encourages buying in bulk — if you buy four tickets you get a 20% discount — that really encourages people to be a social leader and bring their friends.

That’s the biggest hook. Because a lot of bars and restaurants are going to have great DJs and top shelf liquor, etc. The big reason people decide to go to an event or not is if their friends are going to be there.”

Knock Times Square New Year’s Eve off Your Bucket List The Fourth Annual Supernova Ball Drop takes place from 9:00pm – 3:00am on December 31st, 2015 at the Novotel’s Supernova, a newly redesigned, sophisticated event space with a heated outdoor terrace providing for spectacular views. Every area of the space inside the venue and on its 5,700-square-foot terrace has unblocked views of the ball drop, which makes it a cannot-miss event for New Yorkers and international revelers, who travel from more than 15 countries to experience the magic and energy of Times Square.

The elegant venue offers unmatched ambience and energy. This year’s entertainment program at Supernova features aerial acrobatics performers to entertain guests with a Cirque Du Soleil-inspired show, and famous DJ Pollux Star (a.k.a. “the People’s DJ”) spins the best tunes as guests hit the dance floor, conveniently located in the center of the space.

Supernova Ball Drop is also offering to two lucky guests the chance to win an exceptional New Year’s Eve VIP package worth $10,000 at Supernova. Enter to win the contest at www.TimesSquareBucketList.com.

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Northern Exposure

By Chris Ytuarte

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While Manhattan’s venerable venues remain and Brooklyn’s burgeoning bar scene booms, we venture north of New York City to find a simple, seasonal approach to cocktails and tapas in the city of New Rochelle, at the aptly named NoMa Social.

S

ay the acronym “NoMa” out loud and two things might come to mind, depending on where you’re from: for Bostonians, that is how they pronounce the first name of longtime Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. If you’re from New York, “NoMa” was what you said to you mother when she asked if you were the one who broke the vase in the living room. But if you reside anywhere near New Rochelle, NoMa is where you go to be social.

In the lobby of the Radisson Hotel in New Rochelle, New York, you’ll find NoMa Social, a restaurant and lounge that has been widely reviewed — both locally and by The New York Times — as a go-to destination, worth the trip and easy to reach from anywhere in the region. NoMa Social conveys a setting in which customers can enjoy a comfortable, interactive dining and drinking experience, enhanced by late-night dining and dancing on Friday and Saturday evenings. And NoMa, in case you were wondering, stands for “North of Manhattan.”

“NoMa was renovated about five years ago, though it originally opened about 35 years ago,” explains Mike DeFalco, Food & Beverage Manager at NoMa Social. “It’s now a tapas bar and lounge while also offering full service catering and private events.”

About 20 miles northeast of midtown Manhattan, just across the New York City line and into Westchester County, you can find yourself in the city of New Rochelle. With a population approaching 80,000, the term “city” is, of course, somewhat relative in comparison to the five boroughs of its southern neighbor (the current New York City population is approaching 8.5 million). But Donald Trump has built apartment towers here; prominent businesses are headquartered here (including several spirits brands); and New Rochelle is the second largest city in all of Westchester County, trailing only Yonkers in total number of residents.

So it’s no surprise that the local nightlife scene has a lot to offer, and NoMa Social is at the center of it all.

“We just unveiled a new cocktail list for the season, offering a variety of mixed martinis and craft beers,” says DeFalco. “We also unveiled the new tapas menu for the season, which offers 25-plus selections, as well as wood-fired pizza and plates to share. I’m very hands-on with our

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offerings. We try different things. We try to bring in creative fruits and spices, and we do work with our bartenders to help create the drinks. Our menu changes every season. This time of year we do a lot with butternut squash and we do a lot with the fish in season, so we’re doing trout and octopus right now. We’re also doing things with Mexican street corn and different cured and aged meats.”

NoMa Social offers award-winning and mouth-watering Mediterranean-style tapas, entrees, and specialty cocktails, and management encourages interaction with their uniquely designed 2,000-square-foot environment. Numerous couches and low cocktail tables allow for dining and discussion, with traditional seating both inside and outside the venue available as well.

Seasonal fare at NoMa Social

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The bar at NoMa Social also makes drinks for hotel room service.

Small plates at NoMa Social The venue’s design is a point of pride. NoMa Social was awarded the 2013 Carlson Brand Renovation of the Year Award in honor of the impressive improvements the restaurant made to its sophisticated atmosphere. The prestigious award recognizes the efforts and success of the stylish renovations and the importance NoMa Social places on the comfort and satisfaction of their customers.

Colby Brock, interior designer and project manager for 36

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In addition to capturing a large portion of its clientele from the nearly 80,000 locals in New Rochelle and neighboring towns, NoMa Social sees in-house patronage from its host Radisson.

NoMa Social, was responsible for overseeing the multimillion-dollar transformation the restaurant underwent in those years. NoMa Social also won Carlson’s 2012 Corporate “Renovation Excellence Award” for the same distinction.

In addition to capturing a large portion of its clientele from nearly 80,000 locals, plus neighboring towns like Pelham, Larchmont, and Mamaroneck, NoMa Social has the benefit of attracting in-house patronage from its host hotel. www.barbizmag.com

“I would say right now it’s at about 60/40, with 60 percent of our business being hotel guests and 40 percent coming from outside,” says DeFalco. “All of our food and drinks are available for room service and available for takeout. We also feature a separate banquet facility that caters to events, and we have done collaborations. For example: There may be a wedding reception in the banquet facility and what we’ll do is collaborate with the hosts of that event to bring the afterparty to the lounge.”

Beginning in September, NoMa Social restaurant and lounge has started bringing customers “back in time” every Friday and Saturday night, and will do so through New Years Eve. Customers can enjoy themed, fun-filled evenings with live performances and music surrounding some of the most fabulous genres and decades.

The venue kicked off these events with “A Night of DooWop” featuring a live performance by The Tee-Tones, followed by NoMa’s Flamenco Revolucion party on Saturday featuring DJ Bent.

The performances by both The Tee-Tones and Flamenco Revolucion motivates guests to get up on their feet, let loose and have fun with family and friends after the long and tiring work week. NoMa Social never charges a cover and there is always complimentary parking, so there’s absolutely no excuse to miss out on these weekly celebrations.

NoMa Social has also hosted high profile events including celebrity guests like Christina Milian, Perez Hilton, the Real Housewife of Orange County Tamra Barney-Judge, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, stars of Big Rich Atlanta, Mob Wife Drita D’Avanzo and Patti Stanger of Millionaire Matchmaker. Female cast members from The Jersey Shore reality show also recently partied at NoMa Social.

“Our events bring a diverse crowd to NoMa Social,” says DeFalco. “The bands are varying so they have a mixed following, which is going to help us get exposure to different crowds and markets.”

Each year, Westchester Magazine has its readers select the area’s best restaurants, and NoMa Social was honored with a Best of Westchester Award for 2012 and 2013, a point of pride for the venue and its staff, including Executive Chef Bill Rosenberg, who has earned critical praise throughout his 20-year career as executive chef for some of the New York metro area’s top restaurants. Prior to joining NoMa Social, Rosenberg was executive chef/owner for more than ten years at F.I.S.H., in Port Chester, New York, which was rated by Zagat as one of America’s top seafood houses.

According to DeFalco, the seasonal approach to tapas and other dishes that Chef Rosenberg takes in the kitchen also rubs off on the bar staff, and pairings are taken into consideration when each new cocktail menu is created.

“You don’t want to do too many cocktails that are heavily acidic because that does actually affect the flavor of the www.barbizmag.com

food,” says DeFalco. “You want to consider offering a variety of different flavors that can compliment. For example, we might do something with vodka and pineapple or we might also do something with tequila, triple sec, and fresh basil. All the fruit is cut fresh, daily. Ingredients like mint leaves and basil, our chef brings in from the market daily.”

Between nightly events, room service preparations, standard on-premise demands, and a bustling local clientele who want to come north of Manhattan to be social, DeFalco insists that NoMa Social’s busy environment is never allowed to affect the most important aspect of their business — great product. From “The Femme Fatale” made with Sparkling Cava to the “Scooby Snack” made with Malibu, Banana and Melon Liqueur, to drinks under 150 calories like the “Gummy Bear” and the “Thinny,” there’s bound to be a cocktail on the menu that will satisfy.

“The quality of a cocktail is always more important, is always more of a priority, than simply expediting it,” DeFalco says. “To compliment that, if need be, we’ll have additional bartenders on, but we won’t sacrifice the quality of a cocktail to make things move more quickly. We also don’t believe in pre-made components. Some places will pre-muddle ingredients or will bottle some pre-mixed ingredients; we don’t do that. We do everything fresh.”

So head north; socialize. This is NoMa.

Seasonal craft cocktails

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Inventory Bota Box Introduces Nighthawk Black Blend

Hochstadter’s Vatted Straight Rye Whiskey

Bota Box, the nation’s leading ecofriendly wine producer of premium 3-liter varietals, unveils Nighthawk Black, a distinct new addition to the Bota Box portfolio. A unique, full-bodied California dark red blend of Zinfandel, Syrah and Petite Sirah, Nighthawk Black is available nationally in the flagship 3-liter Bota Box format as an ongoing year-round item, as well as in the Bota Mini 500ml Tetra Pak format as a seasonal item. Rooted in the spirit of adventure, Bota Box heads outdoors and into the twilight with the Nighthawk Black package. Featuring the same eco-friendly packaging as the 12 varietals in the Bota Box Premium 3-Liter suite, Nighthawk Black is made from unbleached, post-consumer fiber and is 100 percent recyclable. The carton is printed with VOC-free inks, and is constructed with corn starch over synthetic glues. State of the art bag-in-box technology allows consumers to enjoy wine from Nighthawk Black for up to four weeks after opening. The equivalent of four 750ml glass bottles, Bota Box Nighthawk Black is now available nationwide at a suggested retail price of $22.99, and Bota Mini 500ml Tetra Paks are shipping now and available at a suggested retail price of $5.99, while supplies last. For more information, visit www.botabox.com.

The Cooper Spirits Co., an independent producer of innovative, integrity-driven spirits, today announces the national launch of Hochstadter’s Vatted Straight Rye Whiskey. The 100-proof spirit is the first rye whiskey to officially designate its blend of straight rye whiskeys as vatted. Hochstadter’s Vatted Straight Rye Whiskey will begin its rollout in Fall 2015 at a suggested retail price of $34.99 for a 750 ml bottle. The five straight rye whiskeys used in the blend range from 4 to 15 years old and were sourced from distilleries across North America — Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Alberta, Canada. Round and concentrated on the palate, Hochstadter’s Vatted Straight Rye Whiskey exudes notes of blackstrap molasses, nutmeg, mace, clove, German-style rye bread and sour cherries. At 50 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), it is well suited for mixing in classic rye cocktails like Manhattans, Sazeracs, Old-Fashioneds and Juleps, as well as for sipping straight or on ice.

Cooper studied the creation process for vatted malts and applied the time-honored techniques to produce the best possible straight rye whiskey. Each of the five whiskeys in the blend was curated from Cooper’s extensive collection of more than 50 straight rye whiskeys of various ages. Visit www.cooperspirits.com.

Sangria for Thanksgiving

New SKYY Infusions Coastal Cranberry for the Holidays

Thanksgiving is better when it’s shared with family and friends. That’s the purpose of Sangria LOLEA N.3, the new brut sangria from Bodega & Company. The refreshing cocktail is made in the Spanish tradition and updated with a unique mild taste. The special blend is derived from the reduction of the wine with green apple, cinnamon and elderberry flowers resulting in a fresh tart flavor, slightly sweet with a fresh aftertaste and lingering aromas of the natural flavors.

Thanksgiving celebrations are veering from the traditional food items and are incorporating new recipes from the next generations of families. Sangria LOLEA N.3 fits perfectly into these new practices. The innovative award-winning Sangria LOLEA bottle with swing-top cap will entice guest to enjoy the bottle design almost as much as the contents.

The new Spanish import, available in 750 ml bottles, is priced from $14.99 to $19.49. To learn more visit www.sangrialolea.com.

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SKYY Infusions Coastal Cranberry captures the bright essence of cranberry with a dry, alluring aroma and lively taste that is both sweet and tart, giving any cocktail a festive twinkle. To create this infusion, delicious, rich cranberries, grown in the heart of “Cranberry Country” in Massachusetts, are wet harvested at the peak of flavor across 200 fog-filled acres of bogs. Their fruit essence is extracted, then infused into SKYY’s premium distilled vodka to create a real, true-to-fruit flavor sure to help spread holiday cheer to all. The newest addition to the SKYY Infusions lineup will also feature prominently in SKYY’s upcoming “Let’s Holidayy” campaign. The 360-degree marketing effort includes dramatic out of home advertising; extensive social media outreach; on- and offpremise activations; and other activities calling attention to not only SKYY, but to the phenomenon known as the ugly holiday sweater. During November and December, holiday revelers in major markets will be surprised to see familiar sights in their everyday lives “ugly-holiday-sweaterbombed” – actually wrapped in ugly sweater knit prominently featuring the SKYY logo. For more information, visit www.facebook. com/SKYYVodka.

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Narragansett Unveils Reanimator Helles Lager Narragansett Beer today announces the release of Reanimator Helles Lager as the third installment in its Lovecraft Series of beers celebrating the works of famed horror author and Providence native, H.P. Lovecraft. The new brew inspired by Lovecraft’s classic tale, “Herbert West—Reanimator” brings life back to Narragansett’s previously retired Bock beer, a play on Dr. Herbert West’s obsession with resurrecting the dead. Reanimator Helles Lager is made with an invigorating blend of pale & pilsner malts and brewed with Northern Brewers Hops. This recipe, which once served as the base for Narragansett’s Bock, is then dry-hopped with Czech Saaz, Hallertau & Citra hops to give this smooth, malty traditional Bavarian offering a sophisticated spicy twist and a pleasing floral hop aroma. Brewed under the supervision of Sean Larkin, Head Brewmaster for Narragansett and owner of Revival Brewing, Narragansett’s Reanimator Helles Lager is 6.5% percent Alcohol By Volume and 35 IBUs (International Bitterness Units), and is priced between $11.99 - $12.49 SRP per six pack of 16-ounce tallboys. The Reaminator Helles Lager can features a vibrant illustration by Cranston, R.I. resident Aaron Bosworth that depicts the boxer from Lovecraft’s story coming back from the dead. For more information visit www.narragansettbeer.com.

First South African Single-Grain Whisky Hits U.S. Bain’s Cape Mountain Whisky, South Africa’s first and only 100 percent single-grain whisky, is now launching in target markets throughout the Northeast including New York and Massachusetts, and expanding its distribution base in much of the Midwest. The launch follows a successful trial listing of Bain’s in select accounts in the Midwest this past July. A multiple-award winning product of Distell Group Limited, South Africa’s leading producer and marketer of wines, spirits, ciders and RTDs, Bain’s is produced by renowned Master Distiller Andy Watts at the historic James Sedgwick Distillery in Wellington, South Africa. Bain’s will be available for retail at SRP $29.99. Bain’s is crafted from 100 percent South African Yellow Maize, together with naturally pure Cape Mountain water that flows over 850-million year-old sandstone.

To learn more visit www.bainswhisky.com.

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Egan’s Irish Whiskey Hits U.S. Market Egan’s Irish Whiskey has partnered with BevBiz Marketing to launch in Chicago, Boston, New York, and California. BevBiz Marketing, a full-service agency specializing in streamlined, custom solutions for beverage brands looking to succeed in the U.S. market, was selected by P&H Egan Ltd to head distributor management, local sales, trade and consumer public relations, social media marketing and other marketing communications for Egan’s Irish Whiskey. Representing 160 years of family heritage, P&H Egan is reviving the historic brand with its first expression, the charismatic, Egan’s 10-year-old Single Malt. Following the launch, BevBiz will continue to work closely with Egan’s to drive sales and increase trade and consumer awareness and engagement to make Egan’s top of mind in an incredibly competitive category. While the whiskey category has emerged as one of the fastest-growing, premium spirits category in the world, BevBiz believes that Egan’s positioning within the emergent, superpremium Irish single malt category is what sets it apart from the growing competition. For more visit www.BevBizMarketing.com.

Anchor Debuts Anchor Barrel Ale™ Anchor Barrel Ale (7.5% ABV) was brewed as a tribute to pioneer brewer, distiller, and visionary Fritz Maytag. In 1965—at twenty-seven years old— he rescued America’s smallest, most traditional brewery from closure, igniting a revolution in craft brewing that continues today. With the founding of Anchor Distilling in 1993, Fritz blazed a new trail toward the creation of craft-distilled whiskeys and gins. The Anchor Argonaut Collection honors that pioneering spirit with unique and daring beers, available for a limited time in 4-packs. Anchor Barrel Ale joins Flying Cloud Stout™ (7.4% ABV) and Double Liberty IPA™ (8.2% ABV) as the third brew in the Argonaut Collection. Aged in used Old Potrero® Whiskey barrels and on their charred staves, this full-flavored beer delivers a rich complexity with whiskey notes and woody aromas that are well balanced by its coffee, toffee, and roasted malt flavors.

Anchor Barrel Ale is a blend of beloved Anchor ales, each aged separately before combined. The intricate aging process and harmonious blend of Anchor beers results in a full-bodied brew with subtle charred oak flavors and a remarkably smooth finish.

Anchor Barrel Ale is available now nationwide in 4-packs and on draught for a limited time as well as on tap at the Anchor Brewing Taproom.Learn more by visiting www.AnchorBrewing.com.

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Inventory Wicked Dolphin Releases Gold Reserve Florida’s Top Craft Rum producer, Wicked Dolphin, just released the long anticipated Wicked Dolphin Gold Reserve Rum. The newest edition to the highly awarded Wicked Dolphin Rum line is made with 100% Florida sugarcane and has been aged for 3 years. Wicked Dolphin Gold Reserve was handcrafted from two distinct fermentation styles using both Florida sugarcane and Florida molasses. The heat and humidity in Florida play a large factor in Wicked Dolphin’s rum making process, the South Florida climate leads to a faster aging process which allows for a more mature taste to this 3 year old rum. Wicked Dolphin barrels are then blended and finished to create a smooth and sweet buttery start, followed by a deep oaky finish. To keep with a clean, honest taste, Wicked Dolphin does not add caramel or sugar to its rum. Wicked Dolphin Gold Reserve is best enjoyed over ice or in classic cocktails. Wicked Dolphin Gold Reserve is available in 750 ml bottles at 40% ALC/ VOL 80 Proof for a retail price of $32.99. For more information about Wicked Dolphin, visit www.wickeddolphin.com.

Booker's® Bourbon Makes Final 2015 Roundtable Batch Booker's® Bourbon, one of the few bourbons available uncut and unfiltered1, announces the release of the sixth batch in its 2015 limitededition collection, Batch 2015-06, also referred to as "Noe Secret." At an exclusive live tasting, Fred Noe, 7th Generation Master Distiller, and the Booker's Bourbon Roundtable — a collection of esteemed bourbon experts, enthusiasts and writers — selected the latest expression.

Booker's "Noe Secret" batch is a testament to the robust recipe first created by founding distiller Booker Noe, 6th Generation Master Distiller and Fred Noe's father. "Noe Secret" is the third and final batch this year to be selected by the Booker's Bourbon Roundtable, with the guidance of Noe. Uncut and unfiltered1 — like all Booker's Bourbon batches — "Noe Secret" features the robust flavor and natural proof that Booker's Bourbon is known for and will be available nationwide beginning mid-November with a suggested retail price of $59.99 per 750 mL bottle. For more information on Booker's Bourbon, visit www.BookersBourbon.com.

Grant’s Ale Cask Finish Blended Whisky

Wyoming Whiskey’s Releases First Barrel Strength Bourbon

William Grant & Sons, the independent family owned spirits company, is thrilled to announce the launch of Grant’s Ale Cask Finish Blended Whisky, the only blended Scotch whisky available in the US finished for up to four months in barrels that have previously held ale. Created by the Grant’s blending team, led by renowned Master Blender, Brian Kinsman, together with a small Scottish brewing company, the ale casks give the whisky a distinctively creamy, malty and honeyed taste. The inspiration behind the blend derived from Kinsman’s observation that whisky lovers enjoyed pairing a pint alongside their Scotch whisky. The team decided to marry the two flavors in a blend and brokered a partnership with a local brewing company to develop the first ever ale cask finish whisky.

Grant’s Ale Cask Finish won a silver medal at the recent Global Scotch Whisky Masters 2015. It will be available in select local markets in a 750ml bottle with an ABV of 40%. Recommended MSRP is $19.99. www.grantswhisky.com

Wyoming Whiskey has released its first-ever Barrel Strength Bourbon this month. Ten gallons of 116-proof and twelve gallons of 120-proof bourbon sold out before it could even hit shelves.

Retailing for $199 in a paperless, minimalist bottle with enamel labeling, a grand total of 111 bottles were produced. Of those, 96 were made available for sale. The Barrel Strength Bourbon was selected for its excellence by Wyoming Whiskey distiller Sam Mead, with the support of industry specialist Nancy Fraley. The extremely limited Wyoming Whiskey Barrel Strength bourbon boasted a glowing review by The Whiskey Cast’s Mark Gillespie in episode 553 on Sept. 19. The time stamp of his Barrel Strength tasting notes is from 49:00 to 51:00 minutes. Wyoming Whiskey is also releasing two pallets of Single Barrel Bourbon that represents the top 1% of barrels from their three warehouses.

The Single Barrel has won numerous medals from international and craft spirits competitions and sells out almost immediately. It will be allocated to a number of select markets across the country. To learn more, visit wyomingwhiskey.com.

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Holiday Happenings

December 2015

5

1 December 1: Basketball Day. The bad news: The Knicks are terrible again. The good news (for bar owners): Watching them will require a lot of booze.

18 December 18: Answer the Telephone Like Buddy The Elf Day. “Bill’s Tavern. You sit on a throne of lies.

How can I help you?”

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December 5: Sachertorte Day. Sachertorte is a type of chocolate cake invented

by Austrian Franz Sacher 1832 for Prince Wenzel von Metternich in Vienna.

To be served with German beer. Got it?

December 10: Nobel Prize Day. Feel free to nominate Bar Business Magazine.

We deserve it.

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December 21: Ann & Samantha Day. Anyone with these two names today gets a free drink.

Bar Business Magazine November 2015

December 26: Boxing Day. Honor this Canadian holiday by showing old tapes of great Mike Tyson fights.

Why not?

December 12: National Wreaths Across America Day. The easiest and simplest way to get your bar into the holiday spirit is throwing a quick wreath on the door.

Instant festivity, installed.

December 14: Monkey Day. Celebrate this day by serving up specials on cocktails made with the amazing Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin. Maybe with some German Sachertorte leftover from Dec 5?

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December 28: Endangered Species Act Day. Yes, the civilized bar patron does still exist in its natural habitat, but it has become more rare every year.

December 30: Bacon Day. Not so fast… http://www.npr.org/ sections/thesalt/2015/ 10/26/451211964/badday-for-baconprocessed-red-meatscause-cancer-says-who

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Index of Advertisers Company

web site address

page #

Agave Loco LLC (RumChata)

www.RumChata.com

3

AMI Entertainment Network LLC

www.amientertainment.com

5

Barzz.net

www.Barzz.net

14

HarborTouch CA

www.iHarbortouch.com

C2

Touchtunes

www.TouchTunes.com

9

Ultimate Bars

www.ultimatebars.com

22

Inventory Companies

Anchor Barrel Ale

www.AnchorBrewing.com

Bain Whisky

www.BainWhisky.com

Bota Box Wine

www.BotaBox.com

Cooper Spirit Co., The

www.CooperSpirits.com

Egan’s Irish Whiskey

www.BevBizMarketing.com

Narragansett Beer

www.NarragansettBeer.com

Sangria LOLEA

www.SangriaLolea.com

SKYY Vodka

www.Facebook.com/SKYYVodka

To advertise in Bar Business Magazine contact Art Sutley Phone: 212-620-7247 Email: asutley@sbpub.com

www.barbizmag.com

November 2015 Bar Business Magazine

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Owning Up

“We Don’t Need Your Two Cents!”

In Daytona Beach, Florida, one restaurant owner is taking a stance against what he — and many others in the nightlife industry — feel is an antiquated monetary system that hinders expedient delivery of service to customers. To coin a phrase, Mario Stemberger is

By Chris Ytuarte tired of being nickeled and pennied on-premise.

W

ell aware that the US Mint is currently creating pennies and nickels at a cost of more than twice their worth, Chef Mario Stemberger, owner of the Dancing Avocado Kitchen, sees this as an insult to simple economics. “If the government is going to waste our time and money with insignificant change, we’re just going to have to remove it from our registers,” said Stemberger. The Dancing Avocado Kitchen has since removed the pennies, nickels, and dimes from its register, enabling a smoother, faster restaurant environment.

Every register transaction at the Dancing Avocado Kitchen now comes out to the nearest quarter. The restaurant has adjusted its prices for meals, drinks, charms, and rubber ducks, taking into account the current Florida state tax rate. While some may question the accounting of this method, Stemberger assures his patrons that roughly every forty transactions, either the restaurant owes you a penny or you owe the restaurant a penny. And to alleviate any potential grievances, there is now a large dish of pennies located at the register, left over from the restaurant’s excessive supply, for 44

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you to take or leave a penny as you wish.

“Time spent counting and handling small change was time and energy best spent elsewhere,” said Stemberger. Time that was previously spent handling customer transactions and keeping a fully loaded register has now been time that has been refocused on other restaurant activity. Stemberger calculates that his team members use up to 3.5 hours per week, or 182 hours annually, to count the mostly-zinc pennies, mostly-copper nickels, and mostly-nickel dimes. Now, the Dancing Avocado Kitchen staff can spend these hours providing its patrons with an even better dining experience.

The Dancing Avocado Kitchen is well known in the Daytona Beach area for their slogan, “Where carnivore and herbivore eat together in harmony.” It has been voted ‘Best Vegan Restaurant’ and has received numerous 5-star reviews by newspaper, radio, and magazine alike.

For more information visit dancingavocadokitchen.com. www.barbizmag.com

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There’s an app for that.

Introducing the new Bar Business app Bar Business Magazine App https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bar-business-ma...

•Educational bar, hospitality, and nightlife news updated daily •Full access to all previous/archived editions of monthly magazine •Automatically receive new issues on IOS5 or higher •Download and save individual pages to enjoy offline or on the go

http://kaywa.me/gBf2B

Download the Kaywa QR Code Reader (App Store &Android Market) and scan your code!

•Social media integration to easily share news