The American Mixologist Online® Newsletter Vol. 13, No. 30 All Rights Reserved
Drinks

What if you found out that there was a large and growing segment of the population that you weren't catering to? These are people who want to enjoy the vitality and ambiance of your establishment, and are primed and ready to spend some of their hard-earned discretionary income. However, since you haven't identified their particular wants and needs, they go and spend their discretionary income at someone else's business.

Well, that's essentially what's happening if you don't actively market alcohol-free beverages. More than a passing fad, these products are now part of the dynamics of our industry. Today, people are more predisposed to socializing without alcohol. There are numerous reasons why, including stricter DWI laws, health concerns, caloric content, and, of course, personal preference. This trend has propelled alcohol-free products into a multi-billion dollar industry, and the fastest growing category of beverages in the country.

In addition to increased consumer demand, another reason to market non-alcoholic products is that they usually command higher profit margins than their more potent counterparts. Also, marketing alcohol-free beverages incurs no third-party liability, and precipitates no service-related problems. From a management standpoint, incentives for selling non-alcoholic beverages are rife.

Attitudes are changing toward the marketing of these products. Long gone are the old stigmas and stereotypes surrounding alcohol-free beverages and the people who order them in bars.

Even though everyone from cowboys to yuppies seem to be drinking non-alcoholic beverages, taking best advantage of the trend requires establishing an objective. For example, current thinking suggests that non-alcoholic beverage sales should account for 10-14% of gross sales. For many mainstream nightclubs and bars that would constitute doubling their alcohol-free sales.

Developing a marketing strategy is the necessary first step to achieving your sales objective. To be effective, your strategy requires two essential elements: you need to decide what non-alcoholic drinks and beverages you're going to market, and how you're going to market them.

• NON-ALCOHOLIC LIQUEURS — These innovative liqueurs are produced with all the attributes and characteristics of the more recognizable brand names, with one obvious exception, they don't contain alcohol. One of the leading brand names, D.J. Dotson Triple Sec, has a rich, savory flavor and an enticing aroma that makes it excellent in margaritas, kamikazes and Long Island iced teas. Non-alcoholic liqueurs cost a fraction of regular cordials, and make an invaluable contribution behind the bar.
• NON-ALCOHOLIC BEERS — Non-alcoholic brews have ascended in quality to the point where, in many instances, they are indistinguishable from the alcoholic versions. American category leaders are O'Doul's (Anheuser-Busch), Sharp's (Miller) and Coors Cutter. Leading imports include Clausthaler and Haake Beck (Germany), Moussy (Switzerland), Kaliber (Ireland) and Buckler (Holland). Few bars today are successful at marketing only one label of non-alcoholic beer. Give your customers a selection of non-alcoholic beers to choose from.
• ICED TEA — A singularly American institution, over 35 million gallons of iced tea are consumed in this country each year, which equates to about 7 glasses per person. Its tremendous appeal is only surpassed by its exceptionally high profit margins. There are now numerous specialty teas on the market ideal for making flavorful and distinctive iced teas.
• READY-TO-DRINK ICED TEAS — The leaders in this rapidly growing, $340 million market are Snapple and Lipton, with Nestea and AriZona brands running close behind. While these ready-to-drink beverages have a higher cost percentage than freshly brewed iced teas, they are convenient, require no preparation, and have built-in consumer brand loyalty.
• BOTTLED WATERS — Bottled waters are skyrocketing in popularity. People are becoming increasingly more familiar with the many different types and brands of bottled waters, and as a result, savvy operators are today stocking more than just Perrier for their customers. Water is bottled both sparkling (carbonated) and still (uncarbonated). Sparkling waters vary greatly in the amount of carbonation they contain. There are those with light effervescence (Bartlett and Ty Nant), medium effervescence (Ramlösa and San Pellegrino) and high effervescence (Perrier). Still waters vary in the amount of minerals they contain, which affects how they taste. For example, Evian has a low mineral content, while Vittel has a medium to high mineral content.
• LEMONADE — This great American beverage has become a fixture in many nightclubs and bars. In addition to being a delicious, thirst-satisfying beverage, it has scores of drink-making applications. While some operators prefer to make it the traditional way by freshly squeezing the lemons, others opt to market one of the high-quality, ready-to-drink brands of lemonade, such as Snapple or AriZona, or use a powdered mix. Flavored lemonades, such as raspberry and kiwi, are also gaining in popularity.
• COFFEE — To best capitalize on the enormous popularity of Java, start by selecting a quality house blend of freshly roasted coffee beans. To ensure freshness, and to derive the most flavor out of the coffee, grind the beans just prior to brewing. Also, brew smaller pots of coffee more frequently to prevent the coffee from sitting too long on the burner. Once you've mastered regular coffee, consider branching off into specialty coffees, iced coffees, espresso, cappuccino and Cafe Au Lait.
• ADULT SODAS — Believe it or not, Dr. Pepper, root beer and Squirt are making a furious comeback, and now are popularly requested at bars. In addition to drinking them straight, they also make excellent mixers. Then there are Skeleteens, a line of adult sodas produced in Southern California. With names such as Brain Wash, Love Potion #69 and Black Lemonade, Skeleteens are herbal-based sodas with a singular, spicy flavor that boggles the imagination.

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The Original Guide to Alcohol-Free Beverages and Drinks

Don't miss out on this hot new category! Serve delicious taste-tested alcohol free specialties to your customers and friends and enjoy low cost and great taste. The recipes span the breadth of alcohol-free mixology, including blended drinks, coffee, tea and cocoa specialties, ice cream drinks, and specialties made with lemonade, juices and sparkling cider. Plus reviews of the best products to use when making your creations!

~ by Robert Plotkin ~ 108 pages ~ 6" x 9" Item# ALF54 ~ $15.95 ~

Shipped in the US only

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