Innholdsfortegnelse for July/August 2024 i Market Watch

Last year we saw a slight slowdown in Tequila’s red-hot run of more than a decade, but believe me, the category is just catching its breath. On a percentage rate basis, Tequila’s growth was “only” 5% to 31 million cases. The performance was better than the overall spirits market, and consider that Tequila’s volume has roughly doubled since 2015. In years past, Tequila’s sweet spot has been at the luxury tier ($40 a 750-ml. and above), but now the main action is at the super-premium tier ($25-$40), where volumes were up 13% last year. This is a good thing, as we’re seeing Tequila broaden its presence to include a wider array of options across the entire premium space. Also, new items like flavored and cask-finished Tequilas are adding even more…

TL CARAJILLO INGREDIENTS: 1¼ ounces Licor 43;¾ ounce Mr. Black Cold Brew liqueur;½ ounce Highland Park 12-year-old Scotch;1 ounce cold brew coffee;Salt to taste. RECIPE: In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine Licor 43, liqueur, Scotch, coffee, and salt. Shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass. MIDNIGHT MARAUDER INGREDIENTS: 1 ounce Flor del Desierto Sierra sotol;¾ ounce Empirical Ayuuk pasilla mixe spirit;½ ounce blackberry-infused Punt e Mes vermouth1;½ ounce pepper syrup2;½ ounce tomatillo juice;¼ ounce citrus blend (equal parts lemon and lime juices);Blackberry. RECIPE: In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine sotol, Empirical Ayuuk, vermouth, syrup, and juices. Shake and strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube and garnish with a blackberry. 1 Vacuum seal 345 grams blackberries and 750-ml. Punt a Mes and sous vide at 55º…

Rum has been a bit slower than other spirits to catch on in a major way with U.S. drinkers, which Tim Stevens, beverage director at The Floridian in St. Augustine, Florida, attributes to a lack of real understanding of the spirit. “There’s still a heavy stigma that all rum is horrible hangover juice or all rums are sweet or spiced,” he says. “It’s sometimes a task to reintroduce rum to every guest, but I encourage anyone I work with to explain and dive deeper into spirits like rum that the public is less knowledgeable about.” Daniel Grajewski, beverage director for José Andrés Group, which has restaurant concepts across the country, notes that rum is popular with many of his guests. “However, the popularity and level of interest or knowledge about…

Sonoma, California’s 3 Badge Beverage Corp. has named Keith Casale as COO. With this appointment, Casale returns to 3 Badge, where he initially joined the team in 2010 and served as CFO. In his new role, Casale will lead efforts to increase efficiency in the company’s operations, as well as drive growth and build market presence for 3 Badge’s brands, which include Bozal mezcal, Uncle Val’s gin, Kirk & Sweeney rum, Pasote Tequila, and Quechol sotol, as well as Gehricke wines from Sonoma, Subterra wines from California’s Central Coast, Cedar + Salmon wines from the Pacific Northwest, and Guinigi wines from Italy. Gruppo Marchesi Frescobaldi has promoted Fabrizio Dosi to CEO, succeeding Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja. Dosi joined Frescobaldi in 2019 as COO and has prior experience at Gemini Consulting,…

DoorDash Expands Alcohol Services…. Delivery app DoorDash has expanded its alcohol delivery services, partnering with a mix of new grocery and beverage alcohol chains across the U.S. The move further solidifies the company’s position as “the category share leader for third-party liquor store delivery sales,” according to DoorDash. The new partners include Food Lion, Hannaford, Giant Food, Martin’s, Stop & Shop, Buy Rite Liquors, Big Red Liquors, Spirits Unlimited and Stew Leonard’s Wines & Spirits. The new outlets join existing DoorDash retailers like Total Wine & More; Walgreens; Spec’s Wine, Spirits & Finer Foods; ABC Fine Wine & Spirits; and Duane Reade. The app lists 100,000 alcoholic beverages across thousands of retail stores in 32 states. “In 2023, the total number of liquor stores available on DoorDash in the…

Laphroaig Càirdeas 2024 Cask Favourites Suntory Global Spirits has announced the 2024 iteration of Laphroaig Càirdeas. For this year’s edition ($110 a 700-ml.), master blender Calum Fraser used 10-year-old casks, a callback to the first release, which was also 10 years old. Similar to the Càirdeas Triple Wood release in 2019, the whisky was first aged in heavily charred first- and second-fill Bourbon barrels and quarter casks before being finished in Pedro Ximénez Sherry casks, as 2021’s PX Cask release was. Cask Favourites was bottled at 52.4% abv, cask strength, as many Càirdeas whiskies are. The whisky is now available via ReserveBar. For more information, visit Laphroaig.com. Highland Park Cask Strength No. 5 Edrington’s Highland Park has released Cask Strength No. 5, the latest full proof offering from the Orkney,…

The Tequila category’s growth in the U.S. may have softened slightly last year following fourrr years of consecutive double-digit gains, but total depletions still rose by a very respectable 5%, according to Impact Databank. Tequila remains an impressive and constantly growing bright spot in the spirits industry, earning new fans each year. “Over the past six years our sales within the category have grown over 75% and I don’t see that ending soon,” says David Marberger, owner of Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits in Annapolis, Maryland. “Time will tell if the swell will reach the level of what Bourbon went through, but for now we’ll just enjoy the growth.” Last year Tequila represented 11% of Bay Ridge’s total spirits sales, behind Bourbon at 22% and vodka at 18%. Marberger adds…

Internationally themed but locally minded, Cocktail Kingdom Hospitality Group is building an empire in New York City with its four upscale cocktail bars, each offering a distinct drinking experience and expertly crafted libations. The company, led by founder and CEO Greg Boehm, operates some of the most highly regarded venues in Manhattan, bars that continue to garner accolades from both the on-premise industry and the public at large. The bars are destinations, for sure, but they also aim to be approachable neighborhood hangouts that just happen to offer top-notch drinks and service. That’s the key to success, according to Boehm. “The common thread between all four of our concepts is travel and an international scope,” Boehm says. “They’re extremely individual, each location, but they complement each other by being very…

Beer drinkers across the country are increasingly finding that one of the best ways to beat the summer heat isn’t just by tossing back a cold one but by sipping on an icy beer slushy. And brewers and retailers selling these refreshing beverages have discovered that they’re an allure for new customers while also providing some nice margins. “People get excited about coming to our tasting room or outdoor patio on a hot summer day for a cooling beer slushy,” says Mark Osborne, owner of Adroit Theory Brewing in Purcellville, Virginia, which has been serving up the frozen treats since 2016. Offering three different slushies a week, each produced in a 5-gallon batch, Adroit Theory isn’t the only Virginia brewery serving up such drinks. “I’m definitely seeing more breweries making…

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits chairman Harvey Chaplin, a self-made entrepreneur who turned a modest Florida spirits and wine distributorship into a national, multi-billion dollar powerhouse, passed away Sunday, June 9 of natural causes at the age of 95. “Harvey was undoubtedly one of the great pioneers and visionaries in our industry,” says Marvin R. Shanken, chairman of M. Shanken Communications and publisher of Market Watch Magazine. “He left an indelible mark on the wine and spirits business.” Chaplin began his career in 1944 while still in high school, working in the mailroom at Schenley Industries, one of the largest liquor companies of its day. He stayed at Schenley for 16 years, rising through the ranks to become assistant director of sales. In the 1960s, he moved to a Schenley…

San Francisco native Nicolas Torres has been bartending in his home city for more than 15 years. “I grew up around service—when I was a child my parents owned a bakery in the Bay Area—and I got into bartending because I had service experience in mom-and-pop environments,” he says. “But I wasn’t really into cocktails until 2010, which is when I created my first menu at Zoe’s, a small cocktail bar and eatery in the Mission District. I was there for the opening, so I got to see the beginnings of a project and what to look out for.” From there, Torres bartended at different types of venues throughout the city and in 2014, he made a fortuitous connection. “I met Chef David Barzelay when I was bartending in The…

HOTEL NACIONAL By Evan Williams Ingredients: 1½ ounces Ron Zacapa 23 rum,¼ ounce Giffard Abricot du Roussillon apricot liqueur¾ ounce lime juice½ ounce caramelized pineapple lactic syrup1;3 dashes Bittercube Trinity bitters;3 dashes Fee Brothers Fee Foam;6 mint leaves;Dehydrated orange wheel. Recipe: In an ice-filled cocktail shaker, combine rum, liqueur, lime juice, syrup, bitters, Fee Foam, and mint. Shake vigorously and double strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a dehydrated orange wheel. DOCTOR TALLYMAN By Tim Stevens Ingredients: ½ ounce Doctor Bird rum;½ ounce Planteray Stiggins Fancy Pineapple rum;¼ ounce Planteray OFTD rum;¾ ounce Campari aperitif;½ ounce Carpano Antica Formula vermouth;¼ ounce Giffard Crème de Banane banana liqueur;Bar spoon rich simple syrup;2 drops saline solution;Orange twist. Recipe: In an ice-filled mixing glass, combine rums, aperitif, vermouth, liqueur, syrup, and saline.…

Cocktail history credits the Espresso Martini’s invention to a British bartender in the 1980s, and 40 years later, the drink is absolutely thriving. Many bartenders say the drink’s current resurgence started at the tail end of the Covid-19 pandemic, when people returned to the on-premise looking for drinks that were both familiar and fancy. One of the cocktail’s key ingredients—fresh espresso—is not easy to make for at-home bartenders, so the drink was a natural choice for consumers who returned to bars looking for an indulgence. “This current trend began just after the pandemic,” says Sarah Clark, beverage director at The Dearborn in Chicago. “The revitalization of classic Martinis (at home) began with people who were at home with time on their hands, but espresso isn’t something that’s readily available in…

On-Premise News: Suntory Global Opens Pennsylvania Whiskey Center Suntory Global Spirits is opening a new James B. Beam Pennsylvania Whiskey Heritage Center in partnership with West Overton Village & Museum. The western Pennsylvania site features The Overholt Stateroom, a vintage-inspired lounge that highlights the origins of Overholt whiskey; artifacts that represent the region’s agricultural, industrial, and cultural heritage; and The Sam Komlenic Gallery, featuring 250-plus whiskey bottles from the late 19th to late 20th centuries, with an in-gallery app to guide visitors. While Suntory’s Overholt brand is now produced in Kentucky, the company says West Overton remains its “spiritual home” as the place where founder Abraham Overholt and his family set down roots in the early 19th century. Rosebank Reopens To The Public Last summer, Scotch whisky distillery Rosebank restarted…