Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2023 i Market Watch

Miami: Former Theater Welcomes Regal Dining And Nightlife Concept Part upscale restaurant, part high-end nightlife venue, Queen Restaurant & Lounge opened in February in Miami Beach. Located in the former Paris Theater, which was built in 1945 and fully restored for this project, Queen evokes the opulence of the past in a modernized space. Guests enter through golden doors and a brass passageway into The Salon Lounge, which houses the main bar. Specialty drinks in the space include The Idol’s Eye, made with Sipsmith gin, Hakuryu Umeshu plum sake, cocoa nib-infused Campari, and Fee Brothers Cherry bitters, and the Heavenly Sovereign, mixing Teremana Blanco Tequila, Lillet Blanc, Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto liqueur, and passion fruit purée (specialty drinks are $18-$22). Queen has a massive wine list, spanning 30 pages and…

Flavored whiskies continue their steady growth after more than a decade of consistent gains. The category saw 17.92 million case depletions last year, and is projected to surpass 18 million cases in 2023. Whisk(e)y brands of all stripes are releasing new flavors, and while a few big players rule the category, strong demand for flavors overall is creating room for new entrants. Sazerac-owned Fireball ($15 a 750-ml.) remains the king of flavored whiskies, with volume crossing the 7 million-case mark, growing by 5.5%. Cinnamon-flavored Fireball was one of the original flavored whisky offerings when it appeared in 2001. The brand got its first line extension in 2021 as Sazerac began selling a malt-based version as a way to sell the flavored offering in supermarkets and c-stores. Packaged in in 1.7-ounce…

In the high desert country of northwest Nevada, about 75 miles from the California line, lies the city of Fallon. It’s an outpost along cross-country U.S. Route 50, on a stretch known as The Loneliest Road in America for its endless reaches of dusty desert terrain. But Fallon is an oasis in this vast desert, with fertile farmland nurtured by snowmelt from the nearby Sierra Nevada Mountain range, as well as Lake Tahoe on the California border. This bountiful land is most famous for its rich yields of alfalfa, which are prized by cattle ranchers and thoroughbred breeders around the world. The Frey family has farmed here since 1854—a decade before Nevada even became a state. Frey Ranch spans about 1,500 acres, and cultivates alfalfa as well as wheat, rye,…

Despite the many obstacles faced by legacy import brands in recent years, beer marketers and retailers are hopeful that post-pandemic conditions and better, more targeted campaigns will bring improvement. The easing of supply-chain constraints, return to growth in the on-premise, and an increasingly knowledgeable beer consumer all bode well for imports from countries including Germany, Belgium, Italy, and China. European beer imports have been hampered in recent years due to a myriad of challenges including Covid-19, supply-chain logistics, and inflation. But the most important factor of all has been the ongoing rise of Mexican beers and American craft brews. According to the Beer Institute, imported beer volume from Canada, Germany, Belgium, and Italy had all fallen in 2022, while Mexican beer—which accounts for the lion’s share of the import category—continued…

It’s no secret that agave spirits are having a moment, and mezcal is no exception. Marshall Minaya, beverage director of the New York City cocktail lounges Madame George and Valerie, attributes this to the bartending community. “The growing popularity of mezcal is due to the hardworking bartenders who found something new and funky and wanted to share it with their customers—word of mouth never ceases to have a big impact,” he says, adding that the introduction of the Oaxacan Old Fashioned—a variation on the classic featuring Tequila and mezcal rather than whiskey—by renowned bartender Phil Ward also helped considerably. “It came around at the best time: the Mad Men craze started in 2007, the same year Ward crafted his cocktail, and the Old Fashioned roared back into people’s hearts in…

James E. McNellie’s Public House, with two locations in Oklahoma, is known to have one of the most extensive beer menus in the state, boasting 60 different beers on tap with a focus on craft and imported labels. But like other on-premise operators around the country, parent company McNellie’s Group is finding that draft beer sales aren’t as frothy as they once were. “Draft beer is still a huge seller for us, but customers seem to be shifting toward hard seltzers,” partner and COO Jim O’Connor says, adding that cocktails and lower-calorie options are also on the rise. The widespread closure of on-premise venues in 2020 and 2021 resulted in a significant decline for draft beer sales. Draft’s share of total beer volume plunged from 10% in 2019 to about…

For nearly 30 years, Delaware-based Dogfish Head Craft Brewery has partnered with companies around the U.S. and even abroad to make unique beers that strive to not only showcase its brewing skills but also the comradery of the beer business. “Even before opening our doors in 1995, we’ve felt that collaboration would be our driving force,” says founder Sam Calagione. “Beer collaborations bring good karma versus the negative energy of competition that often characterizes the industry.” Calagione estimates that Dogfish Head has been involved in 175 collaborations in the last 28 years. Beer collaborations have grown and diversified since the 1995 pairing of Dogfish Head—often credited as a collaboration originator—with a local coffee roastery on a chicory stout. Indeed, brewer-on-brewer collaborations have become commonplace over the years, and today, it’s…

The world of prestige rosé is consolidating. Moët Hennessy, the wine and spirits division of LVMH, has purchased a majority stake in the fast-growing Provence estate Château Minuty. Fourth-generation owners Jean-Etienne and François Matton will remain at the helm of the winery their family founded in Saint-Tropez in 1936. Minuty is credited with helping establish the classic pale pink, aromatic style of Provençal rosé that has become the gold standard, and with fueling the explosive popularity of dry pink wine. Today, Minuty is the best-selling premium rosé in France. In the U.S., the brand has been at around 45,000 cases in recent years, handled by New York-based importer Vintus. In the Moët Hennessy portfolio of luxury wine labels, Minuty joins fellow Provençal rosé winery Château d’Esclans, producer of Whispering Angel.…

Each year, Market Watch sister publication Impact Newsletter salutes the fastest growing brands in the U.S. drinks market with its “Hot Brand” awards. This year, the honor roll includes 72 brands across the spirits, wine, and spirits-based RTD categories. There are three different ways to qualify as an Impact Hot Brand: a contender must have shown double-digit growth in each year from 2020-2022, or be an established player with at least 15% growth in 2022, or be a top-ten brand with at least 5% growth in 2022 and 15% growth since 2019. The minimum volume requirement for spirits and imported wines is 200,000 cases, while domestic wines and RTDs must meet a threshold of 250,000 cases. This year, 31 spirits brands earned Hot Brand honors. As expected, given the current…

Mexican food and drinks have become a mainstay in the United States, but few companies approach Mexican culture like Xperience Restaurant Group. The California-based operator of 11 different restaurant brands that span 74 locations nationwide doesn’t push traditional Tex-Mex fare, opting instead for authentic Mexican experiences with menus to match. Most of the company’s different concepts highlight a specific region in Mexico, offering unique takes on that area’s specialties. The result is a comprehensive and growing portfolio of Mexican destinations with thriving bar programs. In 2022, Xperience Restaurant Group’s annual revenue reached $300 million, with beverage alcohol comprising roughly 25% of that total. Cocktails and spirits make up the vast majority of drinks sales—at almost 80%—and each of the company’s restaurant concepts highlights agave in its own way. Margaritas move…

For nearly a century, Buehler’s Fresh Foods has served the grocery needs of its northeastern Ohio customer base. And in recent years, the chain has emphasized its commitment with a wide assortment of wines and beers and a growing role as a distilled spirits purveyor through its expanding partnership with the Ohio Division of Liquor Control (DOLC). Based in New Philadelphia, Ohio, Buehler’s was founded by E.L. and Helen Buehler in 1929, with a focus on fresh produce and customer service. Over the years, four generations of Buehlers shepherded the company’s growth into a chain of more than a dozen stores. In 2017, Buehler’s was sold to its workers under an employee stock ownership program (ESOP). Today, the chain operates 14 supermarkets, eight liquor agencies, coffee shops, and a food…