November 2017
THE HOW-TO PUBLICATION
BAR BUS NESS MAGAZINE
Plus: Tips for relocating or expanding a brewery
FALLING for
rye Stock your bar with these whiskies
Licensing & Permits
Are you in good standing?
Menu Matters Unique Design Ideas
Holiday
Gift Guide Page 6
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Contents How Tos
16
Is Your House in Order?
18
Tuning Up: Fixing Up the Famous Saloon
November
Tips to ensure your business’s licensing and permits are in good standing. Redefining the audio/visual customer experience at Nashville’s historic honky-tonk.
Departments
4
From the Editor
6
On Tap
A letter from our Editor Ashley Bray. Industry news & announcements.
10
Behind The Bar
14
Happenings
In-depth analysis of beer, wine & spirits. Important dates for the month.
34
Inventory
38
Q+A
Featured product releases. Ross Kupitz – D’Amico & Partners
Features
24
All the Booze That’s Fit To Print
30
Breweries on the Move
If your cocktails are multi-dimensional, why settle for two-dimensional paper menus? What to know if you’re expanding/ relocating a brewery. Cover photo: SHUTTERSTOCK/ Yurchenko Iryna Contents photo: SHUTTERSTOCK/ Rimma Bondarenko
barbizmag.com
November 2017
Bar Business Magazine
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THE HOW-TO PUBLICATION
BAR BUS NESS MAGAZINE
November 2017
What’s your favorite fall cocktail that bar business has featured?
Vol. 10
No. 11
Bar Business Magazine (ISSN 1944-7531) is published by Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 55 Broad St 26th Fl., New York, NY 10004
subscription department 800-895-4389
executive offices President Arthur J. McGinnis, Jr. Publisher Art Sutley 212-620-7247 asutley@sbpub.com
editorial
Editor Ashley Bray 212-620-7220 abray@sbpub.com
“November Rain.“
Contributing Writers Scot Ferraro, Phil Gendreau & Jeff Mikolazyk, Elyse Glickman, Jess Passananti, Matthew Weinstein “RumChata Pumpkin Pie Martini.“
art
Art Director Nicole Cassano Graphic Designer Aleza Leinwand
production
Corporate Production Director Mary Conyers mconyers@sbpub.com
“Caramel Apple.“
Digital Ad Operations Associate Kevin Fuhrmann
circulation
“15th-century.“
Circulation Director Maureen Cooney mcooney@sbpub.com
advertising sales Art Sutley 212-620-7247 asutley@sbpub.com
Bar Business Magazine (Print ISSN 1944-7531, Digital ISSN 2161-5071) (USPS#000-342) is published February, April, June, August, October, and December. January, March, May, July, September, and November will only be offered in a digital format at no charge by Simmons-Boardman Publ. Corp, 55 Broad St. 26th Floor, New York, NY 10004. Printed in the U.S.A. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and Additional mailing offices. Pricing, Qualified U.S. Bar Owners may request a free subscription. Non-qualified 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 & 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 ea. Subscriptions must be paid for in U.S. funds only. COPYRIGHT © Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation 2017. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reproduced without permission. For reprint information contact: Art Sutley, Phone (212) 620-7247, or asutley@ sbpub.com. For Subscriptions, & address changes, Please call (800) 895-4389, (402) 346-4740, Fax (402) 346-3670, e-mail barbusiness@omeda.com or write to: Bar Business Magazine, SimmonsBoardman Publ. Corp, PO Box 3135, Northbrook, IL 60062-3135. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Bar Business Magazine, PO Box 3135, Northbrook, IL 60062-3135. Instructional information in this magazine should only be performed by skilled craftspeople with the proper equipment. The publisher and authors of information provided herein advise all readers 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.
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November 2017 barbizmag.com
from the editor
From The Editor
We expect the craft distilling industry to see immense growth. - David Farran, Eau Claire Distillery
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don’t have to tell you how big the craft beer movement has become over the last few years—it’s probably a market your bar or restaurant focuses on. But did you know craft spirits are gaining in momentum as well? Buzzwords like farm-to-glass and farmto-table have become commonplace in the lexicon of the hospitality industry as consumers become savvy about what’s in their food, drinks, and now even their cocktails. As a result, restaurants and bars are under pressure to deliver products that use fresh, local ingredients. (Note: You’ll even notice two new freelancers in our pages this month that are focused on the farm-to-glass movement with their mobile bartending company Seed & Sip. Check out their Behind the Bar column on page 10.) Of course craft spirits cost more, so you may be immediately eyeing your bottom line as you think about bringing in new inventory. I’ve got good news for you: According to a survey by Eau Claire Distillery, Canada’s premier farm-to-glass distillery, 61% of respondents said they would be willing to pay a premium for craft beer or spirits. The survey of 1,000 consumers explored preferences, spending habits, and purchase influences in the U.S. market and also found that 70% of respondents said they prefer craft spirits when ordering drinks, if available. Three-quarters of respondents said they would drink more craft spirits, if available. “If available” is a key phrase in those statistics, and Eau Claire believes their findings show that the craft spirits industry
is poised for massive growth fueled by consumer demand. “The survey’s findings made it clear that American drinkers have a clear preference for craft spirits, and the pent-up demand is quite similar to what we saw prior to the craft beer boom,” said Founder of Eau Claire Distillery David Farran. “We expect the craft distilling industry to see immense growth, mirroring the trajectory of the craft beer industry. Americans like their cocktails, and they value knowing where their spirits come from and how they were made.” The survey results back up Farran’s claims as 84% of respondents said they think it’s important to know where food comes from, and 67% said good ingredients are the key to making food and drinks. Brand recognition plays a large part in what consumers order, of course, but 78% of respondents who were unfamiliar with craft spirits said they would like to try them. Which means there’s some room on your back bar for new craft spirits amongst the tried-and-true brands. Visit barbizmag.com to read the full press release and to view an infographic on the survey. And feel free to drop us a line about what craft spirits you’re slinging at your establishment.
Ashley bray, Editor
November 2017 barbizmag.com
Tobin Ellis, founder and CEO of BarMagic.
Imagine bar equipment conceived by a renowned bartender, and built by Perlick Perlick’s new Tobin Ellis Signature Cocktail Station is a breakthrough achievement in underbar design resulting from an ambitious collaboration between 6-time national bartending champion and celebrated bar designer, Tobin Ellis and the award-winning engineering team at Perlick.
“Together, we’ve built a cocktail station that’s perfect for everything from craft cocktail bars to high-volume nightclubs and 5-star/5-diamond hotel environments. It’s the tricked-out station every serious bartender has dreamt about and every savvy operator has hoped for.”
Tobin Ellis
Exclusively from Perlick Contact Perlick today to learn more! perlick.com • 800.558.5592
holiday GIFT From The Editor
Guide
What do you give the bartender or bar owner in your life who has everything (spirits related, that is)? The answer is something out of the ordinary. Here we’ve compiled some unique gift offerings for your favorite industry insider. Happy shopping!
Auchentoshan The Bartender’s Malt
Alkemista Infusions An easy-to-use, all-in-one alcohol infusion vessel, Alkemista combines the ultra-fine filtering technology of fine Japanese teapots with the design of a high-quality glass liquor bottle. Users add their favorite fruits, spices, herbs, or botanicals to the stainless-steel filter, add a base alcohol to the leak-proof bottle, and let the flavors and aromas mingle until the spirit reaches the desired level of taste. The removable filter keeps unwanted particles from entering the liquid. “Fresh produce and spices offer better flavors and are way healthier than the unknown elements found in artificiallyflavored beverages,” says Alkemista Creator Jason Carignan. $59; ethanashe.com
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This limited release Single Malt Scotch Whisky is a bespoke innovation comprised of a blend of whiskies selected by the “New Malt Order,” 12 innovative bartenders from five countries. The Bartender’s Blend uses whiskies spanning five decades (the youngest being six years old), including whiskies matured in ex-Laphroaig casks, rum casks, red wine barriques, German oak casks, and American oak casks. This is the first Auchentoshan Single Malt Scotch of its kind and boasts notes of dried apricots, milk, chocolate, honey, and green tobacco leaf. $48.62; http://bit.ly/2yxoqKk
Brockmans Gin Holiday Gift Pack For gin fans, Brockmans Gin offers a handsome gift carton. Dark and sophisticated, the sleek holiday gift tube houses a 750 ml bottle and mirrors the elegant, tactile bottle while providing a premium and convenient gifting option. “Our distinctive, signature taste is created with a blend of botanicals including blackberries, blueberries, coriander, bitter-sweet orange peel, and juniper berries,” said Bob Fowkes, Marketing Director and co-Founder of Brockmans Gin. “This combination of botanicals is steeped in pure grain spirit for up to 24 hours to release the flavors and then distilled in a traditional copper still. Conventional gin aromas of juniper and angelica marry with the refreshing citrus flavors and the rounder top notes of blueberry and blackberry resulting in a gin that is so smooth it can be enjoyed on its own over ice or as the primary ingredient in a range of classic and contemporary cocktails.” $34.99; brockmansgin.com
November 2017 barbizmag.com
Lalita Dirty Martini Picks Stir up conversation with Lalita’s metal martini picks, which are available in silver or 18K gold plated and feature a hand-stitched, removable leather tassel. They add luxury and elegance to martinis, cocktails, or even hors d’oeuvres. A set of six picks comes in a keepsake, high-gloss lacquer box featuring a silver-plated garter closure and charm. $95 (silver), $125 (gold plated); lalita.com/products/dirtymartini-picks
Hennessy for the Holidays Hennessy: A Toast to the World’s Preeminent Spirit, written by the late Glenn O’Brien, is Rizzoli’s latest coffee table book about one of the world’s most vibrant spirits brands. Few know the full story of Hennessy Cognac’s history, craftsmanship, and family legacy, or how the brand has become so embedded in today’s lexicon of pop culture. Vivid illustrations by Jean-Philippe Delhomme, coupled with O’Brien’s humor, explore how the Cognac house has evolved over 250-plus years. The book features classic cocktail recipes, never-before-seen imagery, and interviews with cultural luminaries like rapper Nas, “Fab Five” Freddy Braithwaite, Futura, and more.
Jim Beam’s Little Book™ Whiskey
Hennessy is also offering the chance to gift a personalized, custom engraved bottle with the Hennessy X.O. Cognac Engraving Unit. Hennessy X.O was the first “Extra Old” Cognac ever invented that established the category. This blend is bold, rich, and complex providing a multi-faceted, sensorial taste experience.
The Beam family has launched Little Book™, the first product release from Freddie Noe, eighth generation Beam family member and son of current Beam master distiller, Fred Noe. Little Book™ is an annual, limited release series that will feature a new and unique blend each year, presented uncut and unfiltered. The inaugural batch release of Little Book, called Little Book “The Easy,” is a blended straight whiskey that features uncut and unfiltered corn, rye, and malt whiskies—representative of the three grains commonly found in a bourbon mashbill (or recipe)— balanced with uncut, unfiltered Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Little Book “The Easy” leads with caramel and oak notes then moves into flavors of toasted nuts and hints of corn grain. The finish is long and packed with peppery rye, making this liquid approachable and easy to enjoy.
$258; reservebar.com/ hennessy-x-dot-o
$79.99; beamsuntory.com/ brands/little-book
$55; amzn.to/2mbGrUW
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November 2017
Bar Business Magazine
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From The Editor St-Germain’s Holiday Cocktail Book
Ron Barceló Imperial Premium Blend 30 Aniversario Barceló Imperial is a ten-year-old blended rum aged in American white oak, and private reserves of this prestigious rum have been set aside for two years of additional aging in ex-Bordeaux casks, each with different grades of toasting. These private reserves were then blended to create the limited-edition Barceló Imperial Premium Blend 30 Aniversario. Only 9,000 bottles of this “double-aged” rum are bottled annually, and only 600 are allocated to the United States. The intense amber color of this 43% ABV rum is achieved during the extensive aging process. The aroma is rich with hints of dried fruits, vanilla, and caramelcoated chocolate. The taste is that of an exquisitely aged rum with notes of mocha, melted toffee, spiced nuts, and crème brulee. Each bottle is hand-numbered with an engraved wooden display pedestal and comes in an embossed collectible tin, making it a desirable addition to any rum enthusiast’s collection.
In celebration of the effortless ‘Joie de Vivre’ that is essential to the French identity, How to Drink French Fluently, St-Germain’s first-ever coffee table cocktail book, is a passionate “Santé!” to everything in life that feels good—from spirited conversation and great food to beauty and taste to art and music. The book is a collaboration between PUNCH Creative and Camille Ralph Vidal (Global Ambassador for St-Germain French Elderflower liqueur). Working closely with some of the world’s top bartenders and tastemakers, the book shares elegant ways to elevate and savor every moment of the day. Each chapter is a historical exploration of a moment during the day and is accompanied by dozens of original and innovative cocktail recipes and food pairings. $19.99; amzn.to/2x5jecM
$120.00; ronbarcelousa.com
Oak Bottle’s At-Home Aging Cask Oak Bottle’s Aging Cask makes it easy to transform ordinary wine and spirits into extraordinary drinks in just hours to days. This bottle-shaped cask works as an oak-aging accelerator, adding subtle caramel notes, smoothness, and other oak traits to the liquid it holds. The Oak Bottle itself can be customized with a unique design through proprietary laser engraving technology. $59.95; oakbottle.com
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November 2017 barbizmag.com
NEXT GENERATION
IN ENTERTAINMENT
®
877-792-1101
Behind The Bar: RYE
Let’s talk
I
“ Rye whiskeys are gaining in popularity BY Phil Gendreau & Jeff Mikolazyk
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drink bourbon, but I hate rye,” is something that we behind the bar seem to hear all too often lately. Over the years, bourbon and rye sales have steadily increased as more and more consumers are skipping the craft beer or flavored vodka of the moment and heading straight to a brown spirit. The trend of ryes has finally begun to grow and is really making an impact in the industry. Since 2014, distilleries have been producing more and more ryes due to demand in the marketplace. Bartenders are using it more and more in cocktails and are educating their customer base, and in turn, customers are becoming
more “daring” and thinking outside the box for a flavor experience. Rye whiskeys tend to produce bolder flavors and spices than that of a bourbon. They create more complex cocktails and ultimately a better drink— in our humble opinion. This means your customers will probably be asking for rye recommendations (if they aren’t already). Recommend a rye based on what their palette is geared towards. When a customer is first tasting new ryes, we suggest three tiers. First, have them try the rye on its own with just a single cube. The next step would be a classic, well-
November 2017 barbizmag.com
Photo: Shutterstock/ Yulia Grigoryeva.
rye
Behind The Bar: RYE made Rye Manhattan. Rye pairs perfectly with the complex notes and flavors of sweet vermouth. We like to add orange bitters to our Manhattans as the cardamom and coriander flavors blend perfectly with the rye and the subtle sweetness of the vermouth. Give the drink a nice stir for 30 seconds (please don’t shake it—we beg you!) and strain it into a chilled coupe glass or over a king cube in an Old Fashioned glass and garnish with a brandied cherry or an orange shard for a perfectly balanced cocktail. The final approach is to craft a wellmade cocktail using a base spirit (in this case rye), some bitter (usually by adding bitters or a bitter liquor), and some sweetness to balance (a homemade syrup or sweet vermouth). We had the opportunity to taste and test three different ryes: Woodford Reserve® Straight Rye Whiskey, Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye Whisky, and J.P. Wiser’s Canadian Rye. First up is the Woodford Reserve Rye, which was launched in 2015 after 10 years of testing, tasting, aging, and perfecting. This particular rye was aged for four years, and it was definitely worth the wait. We were able to sit down with a bottle and do what we do best. Drink and create cocktails—we know, tough life! Since the rye mash is matured in old Woodford Reserve bourbon barrels, it leads to brown sugar, tobacco, and toasted oak on the nose. A lovely mouth feel lends to tastes of caramelized citrus peel and cedar mingling together along with a smooth and sweet spiced apple character. As we sipped on it talking about what cocktails we could create, we noticed a long finish with subtle and sweet spices. A few glasses later, the wheels started to turn and the discussion on the best way to use this spirit started to form. Serve it up with a king cube for a rocks pour, and as the cube melts and adds water to the spirit, it will really begin to bring forward some of the more complex tones in this rye. Enjoy the subtle woodsy notes from the aging in bourbon barrels. Be encased in the warm apple spice as you sip and really embrace this off-the-beaten-path expression of a rye whiskey. www.barbizmag.com
As we dove in a little more, we decided that the Woodford Reserve Rye would be best represented in a Churchill’s breakfast cocktail. Legend has it that Winston Churchill would wash down his breakfast with a whiskey and a cigar, and this absolute gem of a cocktail is a play on that. We took the Woodford Reserve and combined that with some cinnamon smoke from a charred cinnamon stick, grade-A Vermont maple syrup to add a touch of sweetness, cold brew coffee, and a few dashes of black walnut bitters to balance out the drink. The smoothness of the rye compliments the sweetness of the maple syrup as well as the bitterness of the cold brew coffee. With a little smoke from the charred cinnamon stick, we have what we believe to be a relatively simple, easily drinkable cocktail that would please even the most finicky of drinkers. It is a perfect dessert cocktail or even try it for breakfast a la Winston (we won’t judge). Next up is Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye. It’s made from a mash of 90% rye and 10% malted rye and aged for 7-8 years. On the nose it has clear notes of rye from beginning to end. It begins with the taste of stone fruit followed by warm cinnamon and clove, and it finishes with cardamom. It has a lovely mouth feel—full and spicy. Initially, you will taste a hint of brown sugar, which turns into pepper, brine, and a bit of sourness. It has a long finish with tastes of the rye grain, toasted oak, and cinnamon bark. For this delicious Canadian rye, we decided it would pair perfectly with a new cocktail we’ve been working on called Vanilla Sky. Lot No. 40 is blended with Amaro Montenegro, vanilla bean syrup, and sweet vermouth. Lot No. 40’s pepperiness is a perfect compliment to the 40 secret herbs and spices contained in the Amaro. A bit of herbal sweetness is provided by the delicious combination of the vanilla syrup and sweet vermouth. This perfectly crafted cocktail is best sipped on a cool fall night—hopefully by a fire. Finally we have J.P. Wiser’s Canadian Rye from Pernod Ricard. Aged in bourbon barrels for three to
FOR CUSTOMERS TASTING RYES, FIRST RECOMMEND HAVING IT ON ITS OWN WITH A SINGLE CUBE
the traditional
OLD FASHIONED
DATES BACK TO THE
1800’S
ADD ORANGE BITTERS TO A RYE MANHATTAN FOR PERFECTLY BLENDED FLAVORS
November 2017
Bar Business Magazine
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Behind The Bar: RYE
Classically Made Rye Manhattan 2.5 ounces Woodford Reserve Straight Rye .75 ounces sweet vermouth 3 dashes of orange bitters. Stir in tin for 30 seconds and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orange chard.
Churchill’s Breakfast
Stir for 30 seconds and strain into coupe glass. Light cinnamon stick on fire and drop in cocktail for garnish.
Vanilla Sky 2 ounces Lot No. 40 Canadian Rye Whiskey .75 ounces of Amaro Montenegro .5 ounces Sweet Vermouth .5 ounces of vanilla bean syrup Shake and strain over fresh ice into a coupe glass. Garnish with a vanilla bean.
Classic Rye Old Fashioned 2 ounces of J.P. Wiser’s Canadian Rye Whiskey 1 cube of Demrara Sugar 2-3 drops of water 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters 2 Dashes of orange bitters In a stirring glass, combine water, bitters, sugar cube, and muddle. Add rye whiskey and stir for 30 seconds. Strain over a king cube into an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with rabbit ears (orange & lemon chard). 12
Bar Business Magazine
five years with a blend of doubledistilled corn mash and still rye mash, it leads into some toffee or butterscotch on the nose followed by a smooth feel on the palate with faint caramel and grain tastes. It has a fairly short finish with a hint of rye. J.P. Wiser’s is a good introductory rye for a drinker who is just beginning their rye journey as its subtle flavors will lend themselves well to the novice rye drinker. We decided to go classic with this rye and make a traditional rye Old Fashioned. Many think a traditional Old Fashioned is made with muddled orange and cherries, however, this did not come into vogue until after Prohibition. The traditional rendition goes back to the 1800s. We begin with a demerara sugar cube, a few drops of water, and a couple dashes each of angostura and orange bitters. We muddled these ingredients together, poured it into a mixing glass, and added the J.P. Wiser’s rye. We gave it a nice 30-second stir with ice and then strained over a king cube. We like to garnish this with rabbit ears (chard of lemon and orange). The flavors of the J.P. Wiser’s blends nicely with bitters and the demerara sugar. The citrus added by the rabbit ears finishes off this beautifully balanced cocktail.
Phil Gendreau & Jeff Mikolazyk own and operate Seed & Sip, a farm-to-glass mobile bartending company based out of Rhode Island. They have operated and created cocktail menus for bars and restaurants in Providence, Boston, and Cape Cod. Seed & Sip is now their focus, and they use locally sourced ingredients from New England farms to create juices, syrups, and infusions for specialty cocktails. While using local breweries, wineries, and distilleries, they try to bring the freshest approach to any type of event. Follow them on Instagram @seedandsip. For inquiries, visit seedandsip.com or email them at phil@seedandsip.com.
November 2017 barbizmag.com
Photos (top to bottom): Shutterstock/ Andrei Mayatnik; Phil Gendreau & Jeff Mikolazyk.
2.5 ounces of Woodford Reserve Straight Rye .75 ounces of cold brew coffee .5 ounces grade-A Vermont maple syrup 2 dashes of walnut bitters
Happenings 18
December 2017
DECEMBER 18 Bake Cookies Day We think cookies and cocktails make a perfect pair, so have your kitchen whip up a few dozen.
DECEMBER 21 Winter Solstice Usher in the season of snow with cocktails like White Russians, mudslides, or a White Christmas.
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DECEMBER 12 Hanukkah Hanukkah begins today. Queue up a special list of eight cocktails—one for each night of the holiday.
Did you know this festive period begins not ends on Christmas? Keep the party going by offering specials, organizing a gift swap, or hosting a trivia/ game night.
DECEMBER 6 Saint Nicholas Day Celebrate the spirit of this figure’s gift giving by offering your patrons goodies from coupons to gift cards to branded swag.
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Bar Business Magazine November 2017 barbizmag.com
All Photos: Shutterstock.com.
DECEMBER 25 Twelve Days of Christmas
Happenings
DECEMBER 5 Krampus Night Have your patrons been naughty or nice? If it’s the former, they’ll have to contend with the Krampus. Whip up some devilish cocktails as an ode to Christmas’ favorite demonic beast.
Upcoming EVENTS
January DECEMBER 31 National Champagne Day It’s fitting this holiday falls on New Year’s Eve. If you’re hosting a party tonight, consider including a complementary champagne toast at midnight.
San Antonio Cocktail Week San Antonio, TX January 10-14, 2018
sanantoniococktailconference.com
January - February Hotel, Motel & Restaurant Supply Show Myrtle Beach, SC January 30-31 & February 1, 2018 hmrsss.com
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DECEMBER 13 National Cocoa Day Create a special hot chocolate bar today and kick the cocoa up a notch by adding chocolate, amaretto, or even raspberry liqueurs.
March international restaurant & foodservice show of new york New York, NY March 4-6, 2018
internationalrestaurantny.com
nightclub & bar show Las Vegas, NV March 26-28, 2018 ncbshow.com
DECEMBER 23 Festivus Decorate your bar with an aluminum pole and invite your customers to air their grievances. It’s a “festivus for the rest of us!”
barbizmag.com
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How To
How To: LICENSING
Tips to ensure your business’s licensing and permits are in good standing.
is your house in order? 16
Bar Business Magazine
By Scot Ferraro November 2017 barbizmag.com
Photo: Shutterstock/ Mangostar.
E
xcellent location. Top-shelf liquors. The right vibe. It all adds up to a great bar—but only if the business’s licenses and permits are in order. Regulations vary, but bars and other establishments that serve alcohol face some of the toughest hurdles before they can open. Laws can restrict where a business opens, what it can serve, and when it can serve it. If the right permits and licenses aren’t secured, a business could face fines, lost revenue, and even closure. In fact, that’s a common scenario, especially for those with multiple locations and without centralized compliance teams or regular audits of their existing or required permits. For smaller establishments, regulations often get overlooked. Unfortunately, when officials shut down a favorite watering hole, for any reason, it can make headlines, create bad PR, and bring the risks of lost time and money. Pop-up beer gardens in Philadelphia, for instance, were closed recently because of noncompliance. In Boston, a brewing company was closed for a month because it was operating without a license. Bars and other establishments that serve alcohol face special and generally more requirements than alcohol-free food and beverage businesses. Not only must businesses meet the rules of state authorities to sell alcohol, but in many cases, they must also satisfy county and municipal mandates. It can take months to acquire the appropriate paperwork, which typically must be renewed each year. What’s more, regulations vary widely from state to state and town to town. Some states, for instance, limit sales on Sundays or the hours alcohol can be sold. Others set population-based quotas for the number of liquor licenses available. In those states, licenses can even be traded on a secondary market, spiking the price to $1 million or more just for the license. Of course, liquor regulations aren’t the only rules that bars and other drinking establishments must follow. Like any business, they must maintain a general business license, sales tax license, health department license, and others depending on the location. Failure to keep these permits and barbizmag.com
How To: LICENSING licenses up to date can lead to more fines and lost revenue. Here are five steps to take to make sure you stay in compliance. 1. Open your mail. When you’re busy running your bar, it’s easy to let official mail get lost under a stack of papers. Don’t let it happen. Government officials, in some jurisdictions, send out reminders and invoices when a license is set to expire. They also might send out notices about new rules and regulations that your business must abide by. Develop a system to ensure your mail is opened promptly and appropriate action is taken so licenses don’t lapse and you stay in compliance. However, do not assume that you will get a notice in the mail, even if the local
Keep permits updated to avoid fines and lost revenue.
or state government makes changes to the licensing laws or requirements that impact you. Some jurisdictions are sporadic with their notifications and some do not send notifications at all. The bottom line is the onus is on the business owner to stay abreast of developments. 2. Complete a full compliance audit and gap analysis. Requirements are changing all the time, and new obligations can emerge. Look at all your business’s compliance requirements, compare them to your current permits and licenses, and determine if there are any gaps now or in the near future. Then, create a system to track your licenses and ensure they are renewed on time. 3. Know what you need. Before you announce a grand opening date, make sure you have fully analyzed all your compliance requirements and have
determined how long it will take to secure the needed permits and licenses. Once you are open, stay on top of business license requirements. It’s particularly important to do so when you make changes to your business, such as adding sidewalk seating or a rooftop bar. 4. Put central office in charge. Many businesses decentralize their compliance efforts and assign those duties to employees in far-flung locations. After all, compared to strategic growth plans and new branding campaigns, business licenses and permits might seem trivial. But when a local employee fails to renew a permit on time, the consequences can hit headquarters as well, especially when closures, fines, or bad PR affect the bottom line. Local employees can track licenses and renewals, but make sure headquarters isn’t left out of the loop. Place somebody in central office in charge of following up with employees on the ground to ensure that all requirements are met. 5. Get support from an expert. You know how to run your establishment, but that doesn’t necessarily make you an expert on business licenses. And, like most business owners, it’s likely that you already turn to other experts for help—a DJ to spin the best house music or a liquor distributor for top-shelf tequila. In the same way, a compliance expert is schooled in the world of government regulations and compliance. Instead of you spending time searching online or traveling from one government office to the next, compliance experts can tell you, almost immediately, what permits and licenses you’ll need to open and when they are up for renewal. They also can notify you when new mandates arise so there are never any surprises. From idea to grand opening, it takes plenty of hustle to create a successful bar. Following these steps ensures that your hard work continues to pay off. As Director of Customer Relationships and Compliance at Wolters Kluwer’s CT Corporation, Scot Ferraro helps law firms and businesses of all sizes stay in regulatory compliance. For more information, visit ct.wolterskluwer.com/ business-license-application-package. November 2017
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Tuning Up
How To: tuning up
HOW TO
Fixing Up the Famous Saloon Redefining the audio/visual customer experience at a historic honky-tonk. his past January, Nashville’s Famous Saloon, a 120-year-old, multi-level honky-tonk featuring live music, indoor and outdoor bars, and a private event space, was due for a total renovation. Owner May West sought to preserve the venue’s classic Southern charm while also enhancing the customer 18
Bar Business Magazine
experience with new technology. Following a referral from the bar’s appointed architect, West asked integration firm Tour Supply Inc. to design an automation system to give her and her staff the modern control they desired. To do just that, Tour Supply turned to ELAN. “Our staff had struggled to manage
the vibe of each room. We really wanted a system that would allow us to dim the lights from anywhere within the bar, change the music with the touch of a button, and instantly set up the stage lighting,” said West. “We took this renovation as an opportunity to modernize our operations with an automation system.
November 2017 barbizmag.com
All Photos: Aspen Brandy Lea.
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How To: tuning up
LED lighting operates on a time schedule
“We’ve taken a truly historic venue and infused it with a customer experience that only 21st century technology can deliver.” Technology integrators Chris Torri and Lance Wascom installed one ELAN gSC10 Controller, accessible through centrally located ELAN gTP7 and gTP12 touch panels and the ELAN App, to control and automate the bar’s lighting, security, audio, and video. They also installed an ELAN gMV1616 Ultra Matrix Switcher to distribute audio and video to each of the bar’s four floors, including hundreds of speakers and 14 Sony 65-inch 4K TVs. To make sure that the Sony 4K televisions received crisp signals over the long distances from the equipment rack, Tour Supply relied on sixteen ELAN HDRE receivers. Tour Supply also installed three Gefen GTB-HDBT-POLBLK Extenders for HDMI for remote HDMI input. “We relied on Gefen to extend HDMI at 4K resolution,” said Wascom, “so we don’t have to compromise the quality of the image no matter where we keep the equipment rack.” The new lighting system throughout the Famous Saloon is nothing short of show stopping. Tour Supply installed hundreds of Converging Systems RGB “Tape Light” LED strips throughout the venue, including underneath the bar itself, and integrated them into the ELAN system with time-specific “Event Maps.” This way, all of the LED lighting throughout the venue operates on a time 20
Bar Business Magazine
schedule. In the morning, the lights power on and create a pulsing effect. By the evening, the lights are fully ramped up and dancing in a dazzling show. Tour Supply also integrated a Lutron Lighting system with Radio RA keypads, repeaters, and dimmers throughout the venue, which communicates with the ELAN system and integrates with 16 Martin RUSH MH 5 Profile Moving Heads, as well as ETC and Chauvet theatrical stage lighting, for live concerts. In addition to creating specific “concert” scenes that West and her team can access with a tap on a screen, Torri installed the ELAN App on an Apple iPad Mini so that, if need be, any performer can adjust and customize the stage lighting for their show. Tour Supply also set specific scenes for audio and video, which can be changed depending on the event that the Famous Saloon is hosting, such as “dinner party” or “live event.” “All of Nashville’s musicians want to play here for this reason,” West said. “Between the high-end acoustics and the control we give them over the lights, we’ve set a new standard for bar-performing bands. Every musician that plays here loves it and asks to come back!” West also wanted to be able to check in on the venue from outside of the bar. Tour Supply designed and installed an extensive security system with 35 Flir N113ED Mini Eyeball Cameras and 27 Flir N113BD Mini Bullet Cameras, which provide the ELAN App with a
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How To: tuning up
live-streaming video feed. “Before I go to sleep, I check the security cameras on my phone from my bed,” said West. “It gives me peace of mind to know that I can always check on the building.” With a system of this caliber, Tour Supply knew they needed power back-
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Bar Business Magazine
up. That’s why they installed a Furman F1500-UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply into the AV system’s central equipment rack, with six Furman PST-8 Power Conditioners with Series MultiStage Protection Plus to guarantee that all the system’s AV components receive
clean, uninterrupted power. “We get a lot of thunderstorms in Nashville,” said West, “and even during widespread power outages or surges, we have never had a problem.” Thanks to the new enhancements and upgrades across the four-floor, 23,000-square-foot venue, West and her staff can control any system—indoors, outdoors, or on stage—remotely. “We built a really impressive and reliable system that integrates everything throughout the bar,” said Torri. “It helps the staff to better manage operations, and it enhances the overall vibe for customers looking to have a great time.” According to West, having instant accessibility to any system throughout the venue has completely transformed how the staff manages the bar. “In this business, every day is unpredictable,” she said. “Having the ability to pull out my phone and turn on the bar’s music or turn on the outdoor fans, from anywhere in the world, is exactly what I need to feel in control.”
November 2017 barbizmag.com
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ORDER APPEAL MENUS
booze ALL THE
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November 2017 barbizmag.com
ORDER APPEAL MENUS
If your cocktails are multi-dimensional, why settle for two-dimensional paper menus?
Photo: Shutterstock/ frantic00.
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here are times when simplicity fits the bill, but if your bar is known for drinks and décor with intriguing bells and whistles, then simply printing out a list with prices may fall a little flat. For this reason, bars and restaurants around the globe are pushing the envelope with multi-dimensional menu formats. In music-driven Bogota, Columbia, Café Gaira and Andrès Carne de Res DC have inserted their cocktails and snacks into theater program formats. UNICO, a Pan-Latin American venue in Shanghai, adapts album covers with permanent selections arranged like songs, and a removable “record” listing temporary drink specials. Mr. & Mrs. Bund, also in Shanghai, offers a mix-and-match cocktail menu where customers can see how much it costs to have a specialty drink made with their favorite spirit, and an iPad wine list that educates as well as spells out the vintages in stock. Peter B. at the Peninsula in Tokyo uses an iPod cocktail menu to further enliven their drink selection. In Montreal, La Distillerie puts its cocktail options into a magazine format, which is augmented with profiles on staff members, bartender tips, and handy charts that help customers decide whether a certain cocktail selection fits their preferred flavor profile of “boozy,” “sweet,” or “refreshing.” The Public School on Tap bars by Los Angeles’ Grill Concepts also have a concept that lends itself to nontraditional print presentations. “As soon as someone walks into a Public School on Tap location, they know that a scholastic theme is at the forefront of both our food and beverage programs,” says Michael Kaplan, Grill Concepts’ Area Director of Operations & Corporate Beverage Director. “The ‘school’ theme is important to the brand’s uniqueness
and playfulness and has been a big part of the buzz about Public School.” Good on Paper? Tim Garzo, Designer and Manager of Smallman Galley’s bar programs (restaurants include Iron Born, Colonia, Bahnmilicious, and Brunoise), notes that “normal” bar menus (one-sheet lists or a list fit in to a larger menu) won’t be going away anytime soon. However, his bar program and business model (a “restaurant incubator”) present an opportunity to go off the beaten path. “People walk into our building expecting a dining experience unlike what they’re used to,” says Garzo. “Their willingness to explore the unknown extends to the bar, where they’ve come to expect ingredients, packaging, and an experience outside the norm. Our biggest thought in designing a new menu is how it will resonate with customers. If you’re going with an unusual menu design, whether in theme or packaging, it takes more than just amazing cocktails to be successful. Not every menu theme or packaging will resonate with every guest. But over time, we’ve found ways to appeal to a vast majority of our guests.” Garzo cites their themed menu based on the movie The Sandlot, which is presented on a VHS case complete with a recreated movie poster cover starring the restaurant’s bartenders. “For many of our peers, there’s a sentimental attachment to The Sandlot movie itself,” he says. “For others, they might not be familiar with the movie, but the VHS clamshell harkens back to their childhood. If we don’t hook a guest with one aspect, there’s another element that might draw them in.” He also admires the menus of London’s Beaufort Bar’s for their pop-up book style, which perfectly fit its whimsical-but-posh image. In that
November 2017
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ORDER APPEAL MENUS
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Rebecca Simms, Creative Director of Huntington Beach, California-based Lazy Dog restaurants, says menu design provides customers with their first impression. It makes sense to invest in a menu that is both up to date and reflects the care put into the menu items. “We used to have booklet-style menus of six to nine pages with plastic jackets,” explains Simms. “We updated things with a hand-crafted looking menu with a leather cover (check) that feels very hand-crafted and personal. Because we pride ourselves on hand-crafted food and drink, we needed something that reinforced our message. With increasing competition, it is important to catch the customers’ eye and keep it. “We have a space in our format for a pull-out piece listing seasonal specials so it feels cohesive overall.” The Long and Short of It Garzo notes that there are no one-sizefits-all answers regarding how to go about temporary menus. Like longerterm menus, each bar or restaurant needs to consider audience, budget, and long-term access to seasonal ingredients. “Our shortest menu had a threemonth run (with most menus being designed to last at least four months),” he says. “We found that that time frame gave us enough time for our guests to fall in love with the concept but not too long that it became stale. [The time frame also] allows the cost to be offset
An “i” for an “i” “From an eco-standpoint, [technology] does make an impact as it’s reducing the paper usage in restaurants. [However], the feedback is very mixed,” says Kaplan. “As a diner, I personally do not like the iPad usage as it takes away from the
November 2017 barbizmag.com
Photo: Lazy Dog.
vein, Garzo says Smallman Galley created a menu on a custom-printed record jacket. While there are many ways his venue can go with menu design (such as a sports-themed “trading cards” menu he may do at a later date), he acknowledges clever menus can end up failing if the design is out of sync with the customers’ perception of the bar or the staff. “As bar customers become more educated on what’s in their glass, they’re able to spot what drinks or menus are just bland recreations of a dozen other bars around town,” he says. “There’s a bit of an arms race to constantly beat each other to the punch. On the flip side, though, some ideas feel forced or not fully thought out. We’ve found our best success when we’ve worked on menu themes that the entire staff is passionate about.” Genese DeBeaux, executive mixologist of New York City’s Addison Hospitality Group, acknowledges ambitious ideas may work in some bars but be a misfire for others. “Before doing final menus, there is or should be prototypes and testing involved,” says DeBeaux. ”You don’t want to go so far out of left field that it puts off the customer. “Timing is also important so you need to be sure the changes are true to the restaurant’s DNA and the guest understands why you are making changes. You need to create something that clarifies and reinforces who you are as a bar or restaurant.”
by not constantly reprinting.” He adds that materials should also fit with the restaurant as well as be durable so they can be used over several nights. At one point, his team considered a certain craft paper for one-page menus when craft papers were coming into fashion but realized it was not durable for daily wear and tear and too big of a change for customers to warm up to based on customer feedback. “We change our menu twice a year at Monarch,” says DeBeaux. “Our process involves coming up with a theme, and we build off of that. Our goal is to have our menu be a conversation starter because we know Monarch customers are always looking for something different, as well as have a story, which starts conversations. While we have a standard menu booklet format we consistently work with, it’s all about photography and design. We also have table tents that change monthly to keep our program moving forward and right in the customer’s face.” This summer, Monarch’s menu was built around vacation destinations. The team picked places from all over the world known for their unique characteristics and flavor profiles. “People love the idea of going around the world through a variety of cocktails,” says DeBeaux. “For the London-themed Royal G&T, we took it outside and shot it on a rainy day so people could get that made-in-London feel. Our Captain Cocoanut, representing Hawaii, was shot with pineapples and other tropical fruits. Jamaican Java was photographed with an avalanche of coffee beans.” Kaplan says when planning menus for the long term or for short-term promotions, it should be done well in advance and incorporate staff training on how to introduce the concept to customers. “We strive for getting the recipe and items out to our management and bar teams at least two or more weeks in advance whenever possible,” he says.
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ORDER APPEAL MENUS tactile dining experience, and in a dimly lit dining room, it causes a luminous glow that can be rather disruptive to me, my guests, and the tables around us.” The Hooch app, a possible “middleground solution” that’s been out for about a year, was designed as a marketing platform for a now 100,000plus user base of bars in nine U.S. cities and Hong Kong. Tech industry expert
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Bar Business Magazine
and CEO Lin Dai, who co-founded the expansive platform with nightlife industry veteran Aleksey Kernes (Hotel Chantelle) and digital marketing entrepreneur Jared Christopherson, argues that technology-based menus not only dazzle customers on the short term, but can make them regulars. “I may be a little biased, but I think everything is eventually going to move
towards digital,” Dai says. “Therefore, moving towards a digital cocktail menu in your bar program is going to have a lot of big advantages. The genesis of this app and how and why we designed it relates to the fact that many customers want to discover craft cocktails and bars selling them, but extensive print menus can be overwhelming.” Hooch provides customers with a photo of each cocktail at a given bar. Users of the app can click on the visuals that appeal most to them and see a list of the ingredients and the description one would find on a paper menu. This allows the customer to narrow down his choices based on his preferred spirits and flavor profiles while being assured there will be no ordering mistakes. “Visually representing a drink cuts down on disappointed customers because everything they need to know about it and the rest of a given menu is there in three dimensions,” says Dai. According to Dai, bars interested in appearing on the Hooch app must meet certain quality criteria, but it’s free to be a part of Hooch’s encyclopedic list once they pass this criteria. Customer members, meanwhile, can go to the bar to enjoy the featured “hooch” cocktail and purchase additional cocktails. The design of digital menus can also be customized on this platform. Regardless of whether or not your bar goes high tech, Dai emphasizes that menu are an important component of the engagement process between bartenders and customers. “You either go expensive with good materials for your menus, or you go communal with a blackboard, which allows for creativity and adaptability to menu changes on a budget,” says Dai. “No matter what, you owe it to yourself and customers to do something unique that’s an extension of the experience.” Although unconventional menus keep things interesting, Grill Concepts’ Kaplan concludes that balance is important. “Quality surpasses originality every day of the week in its importance to our guests,” he says. “If you are super creative and create a ‘wow’ factor when a guest reads your cocktail list, [but] the recipe is just off, it’s not worth the menu paper it’s printed on.”
November 2017 barbizmag.com
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Brewery Moves
Brewerie on the move
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Brewery Moves
What to know if you’re expanding or relocating a brewery.
U
By Matthew Weinstein
barbizmag.com
Photo: Shutterstock/ igorstevanovic
ies
nlike office, warehouse, and retail establishments, where opening a new location in a different city is a relatively flexible option, breweries cannot do so as readily. Breweries, with their more complex infrastructure, result in the need for long-term planning. You cannot simply pick up a brewery and move it down the street. With that in mind, this means breweries that wish to expand or relocate must plan ahead. Following, are a number of key points to address in any brewery expansion or relocation. I have assumed that the brewery space is leased as opposed to owned by the brewery (ownership interest would create a different set of issues in the event of a relocation). For the purpose of this article, I have not distinguished between lease expansions and new leases. Though there are certainly a number of differences in the two concepts, generally speaking, the concepts below are interchangeable. Start Early Brewery owners must be cognizant of when their current lease expires and when any renewal option exercise is required. Under most circumstances, there is a six to 12 month period prior to the conclusion of the term during which a tenant may exercise its lease renewal. That does not mean that brewers should wait until six to 12 months prior to the conclusion of their current term to look at their future needs. This process must start four or even five years in advance. Finding a site could take months or even years. Negotiating a lease will take several months. Finalizing new equipment orders will also take time. Unlike an office that can be rewired and set up in several weeks, the buildout of a brewery is a long-term,
complex undertaking that requires a good deal of foresight. Expansion and Contraction It’s important to build in flexibility with any new site. For example, will you need to expand or contract in the future? This right—whether as an option of tenant to expand or contract without landlord’s consent, or a right of first refusal or first offer triggered by landlord’s actions—must be negotiated up front. Parking What type of brewery is envisioned? Will this be a downtown brewery with mass transit options, or will this be in the suburbs? How much parking will you need? When do you need the parking (e.g., evenings or midday)? Will you need additional parking for special events? Though breweries may only lease the building, the additional amenities and areas outside of the premises must be taken into account. Events Breweries often hold events. Will those events require outdoor space or seating? Will you offer live or prerecorded music? Space, timing, and coordination of these types of events and the understanding of what types of events a landlord may permit should be addressed early on in the process. Hybrid Assets Breweries are in many senses a hybrid asset class. They comprise office, retail, and warehouse space, but they also are entertainment venues (e.g., tours and tastings). As a result, the typical maintenance of space as a warehouse park may not be inviting for customers. On the other hand, a well-kept but sterile office environment may also not be what customers seek. So too, a small brewery may work well in a
November 2017
Bar Business Magazine
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Brewery Moves
Signage The brewery is effectively a billboard. Signage on the brewery, and the entire façade, is of utmost importance. The sizing, color, font, and other aspects of the sign and exterior of the property must be, as much as may be negotiated, at the sole discretion of the brewery.
Operating Expense Exclusions Breweries often locate their silos and loading docks outside the demised premises. It’s important to ensure that these areas aren’t included in the square footage of the demised premises as that may significantly increase maintenance requirements and rental costs.
Bar Business Magazine
Matthew Weinstein is a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Real Estate practice. He has extensive experience representing real estate developers together with the owners of shopping centers, office, and warehouse/ industrial projects in all aspects of the acquisition, development, financing, leasing, and disposition of commercial property.
Create Your Own Custom Spirit
oonshine University has launched the My Craft Distillery program. The program gives participants the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create their very own spirit (completely customized to their taste) and have a hand in every step of the process from crafting the mash bill and selecting the perfect barrel for aged spirits to bottling the finished product. Guests will spend approximately one week developing and customizing their spirit to their exact specifications. They will work one-on-one with a team member from Moonshine University to formulate a mash bill, or recipe, that will produce approximately 50 gallons of their spirit, enough to fill a barrel if needed. During the development week, in addition to the hands-on work in the distillery, guests will enjoy a custom tour of Kentucky distilleries and a visit to Kelvin Cooperage, where
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Public Funding Many times, public funds are used in connection with brewery expansions. In addition to a funding contingency, ensure that any compliance issues that the landlord may need to address to ensure that funding not be revoked is specifically included in the lease.
Alcohol Licensing Issues While outside the scope of this article, the impact of the site on any alcohol licensing issues must be considered. For example, the uses in the remainder of the center or building may impact the liquor licensing of the brewery in some states. The identity of the neighboring tenants, the landlord’s interest in those neighboring tenants, and how that impacts the liquor license must be addressed early on in the process. A liquor licensing contingency should be specifically negotiated.
Water Water and its chemical make-up is an important part of each brewery. A change in water purity and treatment could change the unique taste of a beer. It’s
M
Zoning Not all properties are zoned for a brewery, and breweries are a special asset class that may not easily fit into any single category. It’s important to look into any potential zoning pitfalls and how they can be addressed. A zoning contingency in the lease may be necessary.
important to ensure that the source of water and the water quality controls are managed by the brewery, not the landlord.
shopping center, but a large brewery may not work well in a mall environment. Therefore, the type of maintenance that is envisioned will not be cookie cutter and may vary from a landlord’s standard specifications. It may be necessary for the brewery to perform heightened maintenance on or adjacent to their site in order to ensure that the maintenance comports with how they wish to present themselves to the outside world.
they will pick out a custom barrel for their aged spirit and toast and char it themselves. For aged spirits, once the development week is complete, the aging barrel will be on display at Moonshine University. There, guests can monitor the maturation process at regular intervals until they deem the product ready to be bottled. At that point, guests can choose between standard or custom packaging options and have a hand in dumping the barrel and filling their bottles. The empty barrel and the full bottles are then theirs. Pricing varies based on the type of spirit the guest chooses but ranges from $15,000 to $20,000. Spirit options to choose from include bourbon, whiskey, rum, brandy, gin, and absinthe. The all-inclusive experience includes lunch each day, accommodations, certification as a
Stave & Thief Society Certified Bourbon Steward (for those producing bourbon or whiskey), and an initial dinner meeting in downtown Louisville with the experts from Moonshine University. Guests will also receive a 15% discount on all future Moonshine University classes.
November 2017 barbizmag.com
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Heineken Creates New Beer Style Made with a Yeast Found in Nature
Evoke Fresh, Tropical Fruits in Your Drinks with Two New Liqueurs
Heineken H41 Limited-Edition Lager
Giffard’s Crème de Fruit de la Passion & Caribbean Pineapple Liqueurs
Heineken® has announced the release of H41, a limited-edition lager brewed using a rare “mother” yeast discovered in Patagonia. The name H41 is derived from the latitude co-ordinate of the beech forest in Patagonia where this yeast was discovered: 41 South. The H stands for Heineken. H41 represents a new beer style—Wild Lager—a lager beer made with a yeast found in nature, characterized by a fuller taste with spicy notes balanced by subtle fruity hints. Future Wild Lager Explorations will stretch the lager boundaries even further. “When the ‘mother’ of our A-yeast was discovered in Patagonia, it presented us with a unique opportunity,” says Willem van Waesberghe, Heineken® Master Brewer. “Using our unrivalled expertise, Heineken®’s Master Brewers began to work with the mother yeast to unlock a spectrum of new flavors. Our ‘Lager Explorations’ series was born. The taste of every beer in the series will be surprising and intense, but still balanced and refreshing.”
Giffard announces the U.S. launch of two products through its U.S. importer, Back Bar Project: Giffard Caribbean Pineapple and Giffard Crème de Fruit de la Passion. Giffard Caribbean Pineapple (ABV 20%) is made by macerating sun-ripened pineapples in alcohol for up to six weeks. A touch of clove, nutmeg, and seven-year aged rum are added to enhance its richness. Giffard Caribbean Pineapple has an aroma of freshly cut pineapple with notes of fresh and candied pineapple balanced by tangy acidity. It finishes with a whisper of spice and aged rum. Giffard Crème de Fruit de la Passion (ABV 16%) is a bright amber liqueur with aromas of round, ripe liliko’i. Distinctive for its tangy sweetness and intense tropical fragrance, it includes mandarin, orange, mango and guava flavors.
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Kick Up Your Drink with Spirits-Infused Fruits Fruit Nippers
Fruit Nippers LLC is proud to announce the debut of its innovative new Fruit Nippers product, a range of delicious premium fruits infused with top-shelf spirits that offer a fun fruit alternative to enjoy straight out of the jar or add to favorite cocktails, marinades, and desserts. Fruit Nippers are available in 13.5-ounce jars in there varieties: Orange Tequila, Apple Cinnamon Whiskey, and Pineapple Rum. Orange Tequila combines hearty oranges with premium Mexican tequila to create a sensational south-of-the-border taste experience. Apple Cinnamon Whiskey combines crisp apples and warm cinnamon with smooth whiskey for a comforting taste sensation. Pineapple Rum combines the finest quality pineapple with tropical rum, adding a new dimension to this classic pairing. All three combinations are kosher, fat, and gluten free and have less than 70 calories per serving. fruitnippers.com
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Now you can Have Your Cake and Drink it Too
Cider made with Apples & Pears
Misadventure Vodka Misadventure & Co. have unveiled Misadventure Vodka, which is a worldfirst vodka to take un-used baked goods—“food waste”—and turn them into a clean, smooth, glutenfree, sippable vodka. After four years of development and testing in a cramped garage, the two founders (Agricultural Economist Samuel Chereskin and Artist Bartender Whit Rigali) discovered a way to convert baked goods such as cupcakes, baguettes, etc. into vodka. Baked goods contain usable starches that can be converted to sugars, which are then eaten by microscopic yeast and turned into alcohol. Each bottle contains approximately two pounds of baked goods and is batch distilled. This process is slower than large-scale industrial stills and creates a much more refined and elegant product. The team gets 100% of its baked goods from local food banks. These are excess products that don’t take food from hungry mouths. The company also gives talks, supports local food-related charities, and features food waste statistics and resources on its website.
Angry Orchard Pear Angry Orchard Pear is a hard fruit cider made with a blend of domestic culinary pears, including Bartlett, D’Anjou and Bosc, and culinary apples such as Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith. The cider showcases the mellow sweetness of pears with crisp apple notes for a well-rounded, smooth mouth feel and pleasantly dry finish. Like all Angry Orchard hard ciders, Pear (5.0% ABV) is gluten-free. angryorchard.com
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First-of-its-kind Crystal clear añejo tequila Hornitos® Cristalino Hornitos® Tequila officially announced the launch of new Hornitos® Cristalino, a 100% blue agave tequila that is aged and filtered to produce an exceptionally smooth and crystal clear añejo—the first of its kind to be made available in the premium category. The 80-proof Hornitos Cristalino starts as a triple-distilled añejo tequila, aged at least 12 months in traditional American white oak casks, before undergoing a unique process that filters and gently stirs the spirit to uncover the herbal, fresh, agave forward notes typical of a Plata tequila. This process maintains the complex character and sweetness derived from barrelaging and thus achieves a more balanced and rounded profile. The final product produces honey and floral notes, with distinct vanilla and butterscotch flavors wrapped in toasted wood. hornitostequila.com
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November 2017
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LEARN MORE ABOUT THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY’S FIRST SMART POS. BAR BUSINESS MAGAZINE sits down with Jon Taffer to discuss his partnership with Harbortouch. This short video dives into the powerful revenue-generating tools the new Smart POS system delivers to owners and managers. The Smart POS system is a true business partner that delivers analytics, customer promotions techniques, and most importantly, solutions, to help owners run their businesses more efficiently.
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JON TAFFER Executive Producer & Host of Spike TV’s Bar Rescue & Hospitality Consultant
ART SUTLEY Publisher Bar Business Magazine
THE HOW-TO PUBLICATION
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November 2017
Bar Business Magazine
37
Q&A with Ross Kupitz
1
What drew you to hospitality?
There’s so many different facets to the hospitality industry in general that no one day is ever the same. I think certain personalities definitely lend themselves to this industry. For me, I love learning all the time. I’m constantly looking at different wines and new spirits and trying to create an experience for our guests.
2
Beverage Director at D’Amico & Partners (Naples, Florida)
R
oss Kupitz began bartending as a job to pay for his college tuition at North Dakota State University. He soon realized his true calling was in the hospitality industry. In 2007, he opened BANK restaurant/bar in the Westin Hotel in Minneapolis and completed levels 1 and 2 sommelier certification during his tenure. From 2009 through early 2013, Kupitz was bar manager at the D’Amico Kitchen in Minneapolis. His passion for the craft cocktail movement grew in 2011 when he participated in the Bombay Sapphire Inspired Bartender competition. Today, he manages all of the bars for D’Amico & Partner’s full-service restaurants in Naples and the Twin Cities, which included developing the first true craft cocktail program in Naples at The Continental restaurant. He also runs Café & Bar Lurcat’s specialty bourbon program.
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Bar Business Magazine
What do you think led to the craft cocktail movement?
You started to see people explore other products. They would notice this old, dusty bottle of bourbon on the back bar that they hadn’t poured in two years, and they’d say, “I’m going to try this.” More access to the Internet and more available products also played a role in people being able to be more creative. You started to see people experimenting and coming up with really unique flavor profiles based on a classic recipe model, but then changing it. Cocktails are almost in the same realm as the kitchen. They’re very culinary-oriented, and there are flavor profiles you can get from foods that you can also impart into beverages.
3
What led you to create Café & Bar Lurcat’s bourbon program?
Bourbon has just exploded in the last five years. We were also getting into the colder months and decided to look at something that was a little more winter-driven.
4
What type of bourbons are included in the program?
Right now we have 21 bourbons for selection and only four of them are not from Kentucky (three are from New York and one is from Tennessee). We try to mix in some neat things that you’re not going to see everywhere else but also offer the standards. [Note: Brands include Michter’s, Bulleit, Maker’s Mark, Blanton’s, Stagg Jr., Hudson Whiskey, Buffalo Trace, and more.] But there’s a lot of other whiskey-based products out there, so we’re modifying it a bit to include bourbon, whiskey, and rye. We’re looking forward to changing it up and including a little bit more so it’s not just bourbon.
5
Tell me how the program works.
You pick your bourbon, and you can have it neat, on the rocks, or as a Boulevardier, Manhattan, Sazerac, or Old Fashioned cocktail. Then we took it a little bit further. Depending on what you’re choosing as a cocktail, you’re going to choose the vermouth that goes into it. We chose five different vermouths—two from France, two from Italy, and one domestic—and each one of those are different from one another in a few ways. [Note: The vermouths are Carpano, Antica Formula; Carpano, Punt e Mes; La Quintinye, Royal Rouge; La Quintinye, Royal Extra Dry; and Quady, Vya Sweet.] After that, the final component is bitters. We went with six different bitters, and we have some of the classics and some more interesting flavors: Angostura Aromatic, orange, peach, chocolate, cardamom, and Peychaud’s (a domestic bitter from New Orleans) bitters. The cocktails start at $14 and go up to $96.
6
So the program is interactive.
For me, one of the biggest things in the hospitality industry is getting people involved. I think a big part of our role as the bartender, servers, and managers is giving an education to the guest. This program is a good way to get guests involved, and it provides a good experience for them. They’re not just ordering a drink and having it dropped off; there’s some interaction. When you are able to get a guest involved in the process, it adds value to them.
7
What feedback have you gotten?
The response has been good, and it definitely got some traction last year. Now that we’ve had more time with it and more training with our staff, I’m looking forward to seeing how it goes for this coming season.
November 2017 barbizmag.com
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