Market Watch July - August 2015

Back in 1999, Sushi Samba opened its first location in New York City, inspired by the food and beverage cultures of Japan, Brazil and Peru. The operation was way ahead of its time, and 16 years later it remains at the cutting edge. Parent company Samba Brands Management now boasts a portfolio that includes five Sushi Samba locations, as well as South American venue Sugarcane Raw Bar Grill, Mediterranean-themed Bocce and European-style Duck & Waffle—all stylish, design-intensive venues with great drinks programs that contribute a whopping 40 percent to total annual revenues. Originally, the company’s focus was on Caipirinhas, Mojitos and sake, and all three are growing fast. But today the scene is a global party that features plenty of other drinks options from around the world. Unquestionably, one of…

Mast-Jägermeister Buys Sidney Frank....Germany’s Mast-Jägermeister is acquiring its U.S. marketer Sidney Frank Importing Co. for an undisclosed sum. Under Sidney Frank’s stewardship, Jägermeister was long one of the U.S. spirits market’s biggest success stories, but the brand has lost nearly 30 percent of its volume over the past five years. The German herbal liqueur’s annual U.S. sales jumped from around 200,000 cases in 1990 to nearly 2.9 million cases in 2008, backed primarily by on-premise promotional activity. However, after modest declines in 2009, 2010 and 2011, the brand began dropping more sharply with the rise of Fireball, the Canadian whisky–infused cinnamon liqueur that has become the shot of choice for younger consumers. Sidney Frank also markets Gekkeikan sake, American Harvest organic spirit, Casamigos Tequila and Mast-Jägermeister’s Barenjäger liqueur. The New…

The Umami Factorr Brewer and vintner Robert Rivelle George has written a book that ex plores the role umami—the fifth taste—plays in fermented beverages. Subtitled “Full-Spectrum Fermentation for the 21st Century,” this 272-page tome ($39.99) features more than 75 recipes for beer, cider, sake, wine and spirits, along with detailed techniques and instructions for setting up brewing facilities, sourcing ingredients, aging, bottling and cellaring. The hardcover, which debuted in May, also includes in-depth information on various grains, fruits, hops, malts and yeasts and 242 full-color photos. For more information, visit Schifferbooks.com. Avex Spirits Line Sports bottle maker Avex released its first line of products specifically created for enjoying beverage alcohol outdoors in June. Designed for beer, the 20-ounce Brew ($24.99) comes in blue, green or black and has a bottle…

Dallas Channels New Orleans At Creole-Inspired Sports Bar Named for New Orleans’ telephone area code, 504 Bar & Grill is a new Creole fusion sports bar in Dallas. The venue opened in May with a large bar and a beverage menu that includes classic and specialty cocktails, craft and big-name beers, and a variety of wines. Mixed drinks range from Big Easy staples like the Sazerac, Hurricane and Pimm’s Cup to classics like the Manhattan and Old Fashioned. The venue also offers such signatures as the Texas Mule, made with Absolut vodka, Fever-Tree ginger beer, muddled jalapeño and lime, and the District 6, a blend of Nue vodka, club soda, basil, cucumber and lime (cocktails are $10). Lone Star state beers get top bidding at the bar, which offers 16…

• The operators of New York City’s Mexican restaurant Tijuana Picnic, which opened this past December on the Lower East Side, unveiled their new subterranean Tico’s Tequila Bar in May. Offering more than 80 Tequilas and mezcals, the drinks den serves cocktails and spirits flights, as well as tacos and light fare. • The Empire Room opened in San Francisco in May in a mammoth 8,000-square-foot space that incorporates private VIP rooms, plush lounges, a bespoke cocktail parlor and dance areas. Along with drinks of every kind, the venue offers food from the city’s top food truck chefs. The Empire Room’s interior is modeled after a ballroom and has an upbeat vibe. • Marriott International’s new AC Hotel Miami Beach unveiled the drinks den AC Lounge in May. Created in…

DineAmic Opens Simple, Stylish Steak House In Chicago Prime & Provisions, the new steak house by Chicago’s DineAmic Group, straddles the line between approachable and chic, offering top-notch fare in a comfortable setting. The restaurant opened in May in a 100-year-old building located on the border of River North and the Loop. Helmed by Windy City chef Anthony Fraske, the venue serves prime heritage Black Angus beef sourced from a farm in Kansas and dry-aged on-site for a month. The menu lists such cuts as porterhouse, bone-in ribeye, strip and filet ($29 to $72), as well as several seafood entrées and sides like whipped potatoes and charred Brussels sprouts. Prime & Provisions also puts a heavy emphasis on the bar, highlighting classic cocktails ($14) like a Knob Creek rye–based Manhattan…