Category: Featured Articles
2012 Winners: Growth Brand Awards Beer
The winners of our 2012 Growth Brand Awards for beer were honored at the recent NBWA Convention in San Diego. Cheers had listed the winning brands in the September issue.
First Sip: Try It, You’ll Like It
The Huffington Post ran an article in October titled “The Aviation Cocktail: How It Made Me Love Gin Drinks Forever.” I didn’t write the piece, but I could have—The Aviation recently inspired me to try gin again, too. As a result, I am now intrigued by the botanical spirit—after all but giving up on it some years ago.
Back2Basics: Recommending Beer with Food
The options available for guests choosing beer are broader than ever. The craft segment continues to develop alongside the popular mega-brands, and a diverse selection of artisan ales and lagers is becoming more the norm than an exception. But there’s still much uncertainty as to which beers taste best with which dishes.
Drink Culture November/December
The latest news affecting on-premise operators and their customers.
Taking a Shine to Sparkling Wine
Corks are popping all over restaurants, and not just from Champagne bottles. The expanding options in sparkling wines are appealing to guests who want to celebrate everyday occasions with affordable bubbles, according to several restaurant and wine bar operators.
Upping the Cocktail Ante in Napa Valley
Wine generally dominates as the beverage of choice in most of the Napa Valley.Not that you can’t find a great local beer or cocktail to enjoy in the heart of California’s wine country, but truly inventive drinks lists have been hard to find in these parts. But that’s changing, especially with the arrival of Goose & Gander in downtown Helena.
Fun on Tap at Tavernita
Already an incredibly dynamic food and drink town, Chicago hardly needed another great bar and dining venue. But it got one with the recent opening of Tavernita, a new concept from the Mercadito Group. The trendy, River North area is home to this boisterous bar with an ambitious drinks and food program.
Marketing Matters: Everything but the Kitchen Sink
Cocktails are big. So are craft beers. There is a major drink revival. Bars have long been profit centers, but now they are becoming destinations in and of themselves. Guests are increasingly demanding when it comes to drinks, and smart restaurant operators are getting more creative to meet their needs.
When so much media focus and consumer attention is paid to bar programs, it’s important to differentiate yourself. Defining a clear and unique concept is the first step, and the one most often missed. Are you a rum bar? A vodka joint? Do you skew creative or classic?
Back2Basics: Selling Ciders
All you have to do is walk outside and inhale a deep draught of the crisp, earthy autumnal air and you’ll know that apple cider is what you should be drinking right now. It should also be what you’re selling, in one of its many forms. The key to making money with cider is to understand the different types.
Keeping it Cordial
The cordials category used to be defined by an after-dinner snifter of Cognac or a glass of Kahlua on the rocks. And it’s true that classic styles and brands of liqueurs remain popular with many guests: According to the Beverage Information Group, Cheers’ parent company, Jagermeister is the leading brand in liqueurs and cordials, followed by DeKuyper, Baileys, Southern Comfort and Kahlua.