Innehållsförteckning för May 1, 2016 från Market Watch

Vegas Bar Evokes Ultimate Man Cave Featuring myriad craft beers and whiskies, The Still aims to modernize the sports bar concept in Sin City. The 8,000-square-foot venue opened in March inside the Mirage Las Vegas, boasting more than 20 flat-screen televisions, a jukebox and a kitchen situated in a refurbished Airstream trailer. The Still focuses on beer and offers more than 50 labels ($7 to $12 a 16-ounce draft pour; $8 to $13 a bottle or can), from Guinness, Corona and Budweiser to New Holland Brewing’s Dragon’s Milk Bourbon Barrel stout, Elysian Brewing Co.’s Mens Room Original red ale, and Golden Road Brewing’s Get Up Offa That brown ale. Beer is also featured in a selection of “Hop-Tails,” which include The 3 Wood ($16), mixing ginger-peach tea–infused Wild Turkey American…

Once a bastion for buffet service and quick cuisine, food courts have received a major revamp over the past few years. A new breed of venue has emerged—one that celebrates local chefs, emphasizes healthier eating habits, and incorporates beverage alcohol to create a dining destination with myriad food and drinks options. While upscale-casual food halls have had a small presence in major markets for a few years, they’re now expanding rapidly in large cities and entering smaller urban locales. Some food halls incorporate several on-premise operators in a single space, while others are managed by one restaurant company that oversees a variety of concepts under its own umbrella. Several also house a market that allows guests to buy fresh produce, packaged foods, and wine, beer and mixers in the same…

Virtually all bar and restaurant operators are aggressively promoting craft beer these days. But that’s not the case at Abuelo’s Mexican Restaurants, which has 41 locations in 14 states. “We make Mexican beer our point of differentiation and carry as full an array as possible,” says vice president of beverages Brian Bell. The Mexican beer selection at Abuelo’s runs as high as 20 bottled brews and nine drafts, with the category accounting for about 65 percent of the chain’s total beer sales. But the current boom in Mexican beer sales isn’t confined to restaurants serving south-of-the-border cuisine. “Mexican beers have become mainstream,” says Frankie Zela, general manager of the Chicago bar and restaurant O’Donovan’s. The venue typically stocks Corona Extra, Modelo Especial, Tecate and Negra Modelo ($4 to $6 a…

There are plenty of serious restaurants and concert venues out there, but finding both under one roof is unusual. Throw a working urban winery into the mix and you’ve got something truly groundbreaking. City Winery has married this trio of concepts to create a successful hybrid that’s been making waves in both the culinary and music scenes since its debut in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood in 2008. Founder and CEO Michael Dorf—a music lover who launched New York City concert venue the Knitting Factory in 1987—dreamed up City Winery in 2006 and says the idea follows the arc of his own life. “I had done the music thing and started a beer joint with some spirits,” he explains. “As I matured and my knees started to ache, I wanted…

Many contemporary mixology trends are rooted in historical cocktails, but the shrub—a syrup made of fruit, vinegar and sugar—might go back the farthest. “Shrubs have been made for thousands of years,” says “Bitters and Shrub Syrup Cocktails” author Warren Bobrow. “They were a way to preserve fruit in pre-refrigeration times, and vinegar was also used as a health drink for digestion.” These days, bartenders are turning to shrubs and drinking vinegars to add unique characteristics to cocktails and streamline mixology behind the bar. “Shrubs have a distinctive, bold flavor,” says Alex Javadov, owner of Café 21 in San Diego. A native of Azerbaijan, Javadov draws on his country’s history of preserving fruit in shrubs to craft unique concoctions with locally grown produce. “Boiling fruit takes the juice out,” he explains.…

AS PICTURED: 1. (FROM LEFT) Fox Sports host Charissa Thompson, golf course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Baron Philippe de Rothschild managing director Hugues Lechanoine debuted the 2016 Mouton Cadet Ryder Cup Special Cuvee at the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City on March 23rd. 2. Long Island Wine Council president Roman Roth (left) and marketing director Ali Tuthill (right) launched the organization’s “Created with Character” initiative at Gary’s Loft in New York City on March 28th. 3. Author Anthony Bourdain (left) presented artist Erik Demaine (right) with the American Craft Council Rare Craft Fellowship award, sponsored by The Balvenie single malt Scotch whisky, on April 4th at Eleven Madison Park in New York City. 4. Snowboarder Eric Willett created a “Big Air Mule” with Stolichnaya vodka while…

BevMo Toasts New Napa Store Concord, California–based retail chain BevMo opened its first Napa location in March. Spanning 6,800 square feet, the new outpost marks BevMo’s 158th store across California, Arizona and Washington. “Our existing stores in Fairfield, Petaluma and Santa Rosa, California, have seen traffic from Napa-area residents, so it became clear that there was a real need for a BevMo in that city,” explains BevMo senior vice president Greg Endom. “This community has an extremely high awareness of wine, and our history makes BevMo an ideal destination.” The store boasts between 1,800 and 2,000 wine SKUs from around the world, with an emphasis on wellknown and small-production Napa Valley wines. Current highlights include the Turnbull Oakville Cabernet Sauvignon ($169.99 a 750-ml. bottle), Nickel & Nickel Quarry Vineyard Cabernet…

Executives at Seattle-based Precept Wine knew they were taking a risk when they launched 3-liter-box packaging for their House Wine brand in September 2013. The line was already sold in traditional 750-ml. bottles. “Whenever you introduce a new package style, there’s concern about cannibalization,” says chief marketing officer Alexandra Evans. Precept founder, president and CEO Andrew Browne adds that often the early leaders command the category, leaving no room for new entries. “We were also concerned that it would turn into a race where just two players dominated,” he explains. The two players Browne references are Constellation Brands’ Black Box and Delicato Family Vineyards’ Bota Box, which dominate the premium 3-liter box category. This pair of brands is clearly winning in volume, but several newer offerings are finding success. “We…

Growing consumer interest in rare, boutique and barrelaged expressions has the rum category poised for a promising future. “The premium rum segment has been growing significantly,” says Mauricio Bermudez, director of marketing for rums at Bacardi USA. “Consumers also have an appetite for sophisticated, classic cocktails that are enhanced by the quality of the spirits used.” Dan Kleinman, vice president of marketing for rums at Diageo North America, notes the importance of rum cocktails and, more recently, flavored shots. “Over the years, consumers have turned to the classics while enjoying rum,” he says. “Whether it’s in a shot, in a classic cocktail, in a tiki-inspired drink or on the rocks, rum is being enjoyed in many different ways across the country.” The rum category is benefiting from the premiumization trend…

TasteVin Wine Bar & Bistro in San Francisco was always closed on Monday nights due to slow traffic. But last year, owner Sue Simpson partnered with Paint Nite, which organizes painting events at restaurants and bars. Simpson soon transformed an off night into a sellout. Initially held once a month, TasteVin’s Paint Nite parties are now weekly Painting parties, often enhanced by wine, have recently become all the rage. Paint Nite president and cofounder Sean McGrail says his group works with 3,500 venues worldwide. It supplies artists to lead the events, as well as the materials and personnel to set up and clean up. Attendees pay Paint Nite directly, and there’s no cost to the venues for hosting the events. “They generate revenue from the food and beverage purchased that…

Asian Restaurant Group Makes U.S. Debut In Chicago In March, Indonesia’s Imperial Group partnered with Chicago-based Hat’s Off Hospitality to open its first venue in the United States, debuting Imperial Lamian in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. The upscale Chinese restaurant serves hand-pulled la mian noodles, inventive wok dishes, xiao long bao soup dumplings and dim sum. The menu includes specialties like beef brisket and la mian noodles served in bone marrow broth with Chinese rose wine and sesame seeds, dry-aged roasted barbecue duck, and wok-fried crispy dorade fish prepared with a Thai chili sauce (entrées are $12 to $35). Imperial Lamian’s beverage program highlights tea-infused spirits and cocktails ($12 to $15) like the Dynasty Tea Time, blending North Shore Sol Chamomile Citrus vodka, Domaine de Canton Ginger liqueur and fresh…

The 40th annual Impact Marketing Seminar, held on March 10th at The Pierre hotel in New York City, kicked off with a voice familiar to everyone in attendance. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani narrated a video that highlighted the Seminar’s four decades of existence and the history of M. Shanken Communications, which Marvin R. Shanken established in 1973 when he purchased Impact newsletter for $5,000. After the video, Shanken took the stage to discuss the evolution of his company and its roster of publications, including Wine Spectator, Cigar Aficionado, Whisky Advocate, Impact and MARKET WATCH. Shanken described the industry as a closed circle in the mid-1970s and named major companies from that era that are now defunct. “But I’m still here,” he said. He offered thanks to the…

The financial crisis of September 2008 sparked a lot of unanticipated career changes. Until then, John Little and his father-in law, Tinsley “TAG” Galyean, had worked as purchasing agents for hotels and other highspending accounts. But when the bottom fell out of the market, Little suddenly had lots of time on his hands—and the beginnings of an idea to make whiskey. So he read the regulations of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) all the way through—twice. He sought advice from craft producers like Spokane, Washington’s Dry Fly Distilling and Bozeman, Montana’s RoughStock Montana Whiskey; took classes and workshops in distilling; and wrote a business plan. Little and Galyean then approached one of their former clients for advice on getting investors. The client, Greg Parseghian, ended up…

Although mixologists are certainly open to experimentation, Tequila has been slow to catch fire in the cocktail culture, despite its rapid volume growth. “It’s been an uphill battle,” says Kate Lerner, bar manager at Dove’s Luncheonette in Chicago. Typecast in its Margarita role and burdened for years by lower-end brands, Tequila has only recently emerged in the mixology world. But Lerner has seen a shift thanks to the rise of high-quality Tequilas, and a trend toward thinking beyond the Margarita. “The push to experiment has helped tremendously, as has the rise of artisanal spirits and products with history and cultural relevance,” she says. Randall Metting, director of marketing and territorial sales for Dulce Vida Tequila, also sees some reluctance among consumers, but he’s hopeful that it’s now changing. “Now that…

Beverage alcohol control around the United States is transforming as revenue-starved states seek to maximize their tax revenues from selling spirits, beer and wine. In the nation’s 17 control states, stores are getting bigger, operating hours are expanding and stock lists have lengthened. In an increasingly competitive retail marketplace, consumers are making it clear that they want broad selections and low prices, and control states are catering to that desire. Last year, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC)—often regarded as one of the most forward-thinking control agencies—opened a 24,000-square-foot retail store in Salem, its largest ever. The commission will top that size in September when a 32,000-square-foot superstore debuts in Nashua offering 13,000 wine SKUs and 5,000 spirits SKUs. These units stand in stark contrast to the 5,000-square-foot state stores…

Horrocks Farm Market has found the perfect way to get beer shoppers to linger a little longer. The two-unit specialty grocer—which has locations in Lansing and Battle Creek, Michigan—allows customers to stroll the aisles with a beer in hand and browse its 1,500-brew selection. “Our customers love it,” says Dan Dunn, general manager of the Horrocks store in Lansing. “Since we started letting customers drink and shop, sales have gone up.” A growing number of retailers are taking this creative approach to in-store sampling and have discovered that the ability to “shop and sip” outside a designated sampling area or bar space creates a relaxed, unrushed environment. “At most liquor stores, people walk in, make a purchase and are out the door—you don’t get to know them,” says Issa Khoury,…