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For most, summer is the beverage season in the sun. There's nothing like heat and humidity to make people belly up to the bar. Thirst is a serious motivator and your parched clientele will be looking to you for relief. Summer is also a season ripe with marketing opportunities. There is a wide array of drink types and styles that lend themselves to summer promotions, more than at any other time of the year. Between the thinning ozone and rising temperatures, your clientele will be developing a palpable thirst. The question is—how do you best revive their wilting spirits? Don't wait for things to happen, formulate a plan. Flex your creative muscle and devise summer drink specialties that reflect the individuality of your establishment. So if you're not fully prepared for the annual summer invasion, here are a few tips. Of all the marketing devices at your disposal, none will be more effective than a well-conceived summer drink menu. When it comes to creating your drink menu, remember this is the age of do-it-yourself layout and design. Elaborate menus with captivating graphics are impressive, yet they are arguably only marginally more effective than a well laid-out, desktop published bill of fare. Aside from being far less expensive, a low-tech menu can be frequently modified and inexpensively to reflect product or price changes, and unpopular items can be replaced with more viable offerings. When constructing a bar menu, keep the type face large, and easy-to-read. Low lighting conditions necessitates printing your menu on a light colored stock. Use the front panel of the menu for your company's logo and artwork. Be creative. The objective is to grab your guest's attention such that they peruse its contents. Don't forget to put your address and phone number somewhere on the front panel. Often these menus are kept as mementos. The inside, left-hand panel is an ideal place to market your summer specialties. Include a brief, enticing description of drink, with only a mention of its main ingredients. A rambling list of every ingredient reads more like a shopping list. The right-hand panel should be devoted to marketing your draft and bottled beers. The back panel is reserved for promoting your bar food menu and merchandise. SUMMER
SUPER-PREMIUM SPIRITS Bacardi has introduced what was once a closely guarded family secret. BACARDI 8 is a luxuriously rich rum, aged eight years in small oak casks, during which time it developed a rounded complexity similar to a well-aged brandy. It is made according to the same recipe, and using the same materials and aging process which Don Facundo Bacardi created in 1862 in Havana, Cuba. Bacardi 8 was bred to be savored in a snifter, but also try chilling it with a splash of fresh lime juice and served straight-up. Also consider sampling the world's first single-barrel rum, CRUZAN ESTATE SINGLE-BARREL RUM, from Todhunter Imports. Hand-crafted Cruzan Estate is triple-distilled from a blend of aged rums made at the Cruzan Distillery in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. The rums are aged—up to 12 years—in heavily charred, American oak barrels prior to bottling. Cruzan's proprietary aging techniques darkens the rum, adds the alluring taste of oak and intensifies the rum's aroma and flavor, lending a subtlety and complexity to the already rich Caribbean rum. First created in Santiago, Cuba in 1872, RON MATUSALEM GRAN RESERVA is an elegant aged rum with a sultry, well-defined flavor and abundant, spice-laced bouquet. Its deep amber color speaks volumes of its aging and Cuban heritage. Gran Reserva is world-class, a superb addition to your top shelf. United Distillers imports one
of the truly singular rums in the world, PAMPERO ANIVERSARIO.
This award-winning rum is distilled in Venezuela and is a special
reserve blend of 6- to 8-year old rums. It has a remarkably deep
amber-red color that is a sight to behold. It has a fabulously
rich flavor and a comparably intriguing aroma. It was recently
awarded a Platinum Medal at the World Spirits Championships held
in Chicago. One sip and you'll know why the judges awarded it
their highest honor. SHAKING
UP THE HITS From a marketing standpoint, production value encompasses color, aroma, consistency, and presentation. Specialty drinks must look special, like something one couldn't easily concoct at home. Unusually colored drinks attract attention and stir the imagination. Don't discount the importance of aroma—the better a drink smells, the better it sells. Even the act of hand shaking a drink enhances its production value. The sights and sounds of a drink being masterfully prepared certainly improves its marketability. Perceived value in a specialty drink renders down to good quality at a fair price. Sticking with high quality brands and products is an unerring strategy. Likewise, people know when they're being gouged on price and rarely will they allow themselves to be consistently taken. Offering a balanced line-up
of summer specialties is the key to a creating an ultimately successful
beverage menu. Ensure that you offer your guests a broad range
of signature drinks from which to choose, a selection designed
to meet any taste preference.
SUMMER MIXERS
Don't overlook the obvious. America's favorite summertime potable is lemonade, and fortunately it makes an unsurpassed mixer. Lemonade marries beautifully with all styles of rum, including flavored rums such as Bacardi Limón and Redrum, gin, vodka, tequila, and liqueurs such as Midori and Disaronno Amaretto. Even conventional concoctions are inspired when you add a splash of such relatively exotic flavors as papaya juice, mango, kiwi or tangerine juices. Making a popular revival are old stand-bys as Dr. Pepper and Squirt. They are both excellent mixers with scores of applications behind the bar. THE ULTIMATE THIRST QUENCHER
SPLENDID WHEN BLENDED
Consider offering your clientele the patriotic E PLURIBUS UNUM, featuring a blend of Frangelico, Chambord, Kahlúa and chocolate ice cream. While it won't be the first choice of those on a diet, it will be the first choice of ice cream lovers. Another adventurous summer libation is the BANANAS BARBADOS, a tempting Caribbean specialty made with equal parts of Mount Gay Eclipse and Myers's Jamaican rums, creme de banana and vanilla ice cream. The KOALA BEAR is a palate pleasing specialty made with ice cream laced with banana and dark creme de cacao. SUMMER
SPARKLERS
One last thing, you're
going to have to put your specialties into something, and the
summer is an opportune time to use plasticware. Open up the patio,
rake out the volleyball court and let your guests enjoy the sun
without the headache and worry of broken or stolen glassware.
The new generation of plastic glasses is attractive, sturdy and
cost-effective. They expand your beverage service horizons—and
give everyone a breath of fresh air. The recipes below are excerpted from the latest edition of "The Original Guide to American Cocktails and Drinks" by Robert Plotkin.
The Original Guide to American Cocktails and Drinks - 5th EditionThe professional bartender's first choice in drink guides! This edition spans the breadth of mixology, including all the classic cocktails, infusions, the hottest Cosmopolitans, colorful and refreshing tropical drinks and ice cream drinks, Martinis and Manhattans, coffee drinks, plus much more. It also includes a great index and reviews of the hottest liquors and liqueurs on the market today. Improving since 1998, now in its 5th edition. ~ by Robert Plotkin ~ 344 pages ~ 6" x 9" ~ Item#: BCD05 ~ $14.95 ~
The Original Guide to American Cocktails and Drinks - 5th Edition - Downloadable |
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