Innehållsförteckning för July/August 2018 från Market Watch

Tequila has come a long way in a fairly short period of time. Sure, Mexico’s signature spirit has been a fixture in the U.S. for decades, but its rebirth as a luxury product is a journey still very much in its infancy. Patrón, of course, is the exception to that statement, having created the luxury Tequila tier. Launched a generation ago, Patrón today accounts for nearly two-thirds of all Tequila retailing above $40 in the United States. To give an idea of Patrón’s value, consider this: The brand joined the Bacardi portfolio early this year in a deal valued at $5.1 billion, and instantly became the most profitable player in the vaunted Bacardi lineup. As Bacardi North America regional president Pete Carr noted recently, Patrón now accounts for 27% of…

• Sourcing ingredients from Northern California to Alaska, Chef Chris Bleidorn unveiled Birdsong in May in San Francisco’s Soma neighborhood. The venue emphasizes older cooking techniques and offers a la carte and tasting menus. Birdsong’s wine list focuses on classic European labels and lesser-known Pacific Northwest wines. • Madam’s Modern Kitchen + Bar brings guests back to a bygone era in New Orleans. Located in what was once the city’s red-light district, Madam’s opened in May with a menu influenced by France, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. The concept boasts a lengthy cocktail menu with classics, specialties, and punches. • The French-inspired Bistro Pierre Lapin opened in May in New York City’s West Village, serving bistro staples prepared with a Manhattan twist. The venue showcases house-made breads, terrines, and pâtés.…

Camus With its core Cognac business on a sharp rise, CIL U.S. Wines & Spirits, the U.S. subsidiary of France-based Camus Wines & Spirits, is spreading its wings. The company’s flagship Camus Cognac brand is enjoying a strong run in the U.S., roughly doubling in size over the past two years. “The original plan for Camus as a brand was to reach 20,000 9-liter cases by 2020,” says Alexandra Albu, U.S. sales and marketing director for Camus Wines & Spirits. “We’re actually close to that now and should surpass it next year. Now our goal is to be in the top five Cognac brands in the U.S. by 2020, which would align us with our fifth-ranked position globally.” The brand currently ranks eighth in the U.S. market, led by its…

When summer hits, people let their hair down; they’re more relaxed and easy-going, notes Julieta Campos, head bartender at The Whistler in Chicago. “In the winter, our patrons seek out comfort drinks, but they really loosen up in the summer, and that naturally translates to their drinking.” Beth Hoselton, bar manager of The Hourly Oyster House in Cambridge, Massachusetts, agrees, noting that she strives to make cocktails that enhance relaxed, warm-weather activities. “Summer is all about hanging out on a patio or porch, lounging with friends, and sipping on something cool and refreshing,” she says. Summer is a sublime time for cocktail lovers because the season's plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables lends itself well to refreshing drinks, notes Nate Reed, bar manager of Rustic Canyon in Los Angeles. “Our…

While Tim Consadine’s beer customers are currently enjoying their summer ales, it won’t be long before they’re asking him for their favorite autumn seasonals. “When the weather begins to cool down in the fall, a lot of customers start asking about our coffee beers,” says the general manager of Boone’s Wine & Spirits in Eagle, Colorado. Like other beer retailers around the country, Consadine is witnessing the growing popularity of coffee and coffee-influenced brews, particularly in the fall and winter. “There’s always been a natural affinity for roasted-ness with beer, particularly in beers that use roasted malts,” says Jody Reyes, owner of WhichCraft, a two-location beer store in Austin, Texas. “Coffee helps bring out those flavors.” Such flavors are the reason Surly Brewing’s Coffee Bender, a coffee-flavored oatmeal brown ale,…

Though Jess Lambert has been in hospitality for 20 years and bartending for 12, she credits a visit to San Diego restaurant and cocktail bar Craft & Commerce in 2010 with sparking her interest in the world of craft cocktail making. “Sitting at Craft & Commerce, my world turned upside down and I fell in love with cocktails,” she says. Lambert went on to secure a spot in Tales of the Cocktail’s prestigious Cocktail Apprentice Program in 2014 at the encouragement of Mike Ryan, who led the program at the time. She graduated to “Grey Coat” leader the following year, and in 2016 joined the bar team at Chicago’s Kimpton Gray Hotel, where Ryan serves as director of bars. As head bartender of both Boleo, the hotel’s rooftop South American-inspired…

The Macallan Unveils New Distillery, Revamps Core Lineup….Macallan opened its new $255 million distillery and visitor experience in June. Located on the Easter Elchies estate in Speyside, just 400 meters from the previous distillery, the new facility will increase Macallan’s annual production capacity by one-third to an estimated 15 million liters of pure alcohol. The new distillery is part of a $674 million investment in Macallan by Edrington, which also includes outlays in whisky, warehousing, and casks. The distillery—which has a striking contemporary design that mimics the landscape—houses stills that are exact replicas of the original Macallan stills, and will host an interactive visitor experience as well. Macallan has also restructured its core portfolio. Under the revamp, the Fine Oak range—launched in 2004—will be renamed the Triple Cask Matured range,…

• An ode to tiki, The Polynesian opened in late May in New York City’s Pod Times Square Hotel. Operated by Major Food Group, the bar features a menu of 20 specialty cocktails, including several new tiki-themed creations and large-format punches. Beer, wine, and island-inspired snacks are also available. • London-based Flight Club made its U.S. debut in May, opening a location in Chicago’s Loop district. The bi-level space houses several areas for playing darts on both of its floors. Upstairs, the lounge offers a large specialty cocktail and beer menu, while downstairs houses a dining area that serves snacks and a few larger dishes. • Seattle mixologist Kacy Fitch opened Corner Spot in the city’s Ballard neighborhood in May. The bar offers a variety of specialty cocktails and Pacific…

AS PICTURED: 1. Oyster aficionado Rowan Jacobsen and William Fevre Chablis director and cellar master Didier Seguier collaborated on an oyster-and-Chablis luncheon at New York City-based Seamore’s on May 23. 2. Actress Karrueche Tran commemorated the launch of Bacardi’s new premium portfolio at the brand’s Rum Room in New York City on May 10. 3. Hendrick’s gin brand ambassador Erik Andersson announced the winner of the Time Out Bar Awards Bar of the Year on May 22 at cocktail bar Analogue in New York City. 4. Former Bachelor star Nick Viall celebrated the summer release of Smirnoff Red, White & Berry during a New York Harbor cruise on May 23. 5. Model Joan Smalls attended a Grey Goose-sponsored party at the Nikki Beach pop-up at Cannes Film Festival on May…

FREEDOM FROM WANT By Brenna Washow Ingredients: 1¼ ounces Salers gentian liqueur;¾ ounce St. Elder elderflower liqueur;1½ ounces grapefruit juice;2 dashes cinnamon tincture1;Rosemary sprig. Recipe: Combine liqueurs, juice, and tincture in an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with a rosemary sprig. 5 O’CLOCK TEA By Douglas Da Cruz, Jr. and Tim Hollingsworth Ingredients: 1 ounce Knob Creek Bourbon;1 ounce peach shrub2;2 ounces Earl Grey tea½ ounce lemon juice;¼ ounce agave nectar;1 thyme sprig, roasted. Recipe: Combine Bourbon, shrub, tea, lemon juice, and agave in an ice-filled cocktail shaker shake. Pour into a tea kettle containing the roasted thyme sprig. Pour from the kettle into a rocks glass over fresh ice. SMOKESHOW By Nate Reed Ingredients: 1 ounce Yola mezcal;¾ ounce Angeleno…

Brown-Forman has announced that CEO Paul Varga, who has helmed the drinks giant since 2003, will retire December 31, 2018. He’ll be replaced by Lawson Whiting, who is currently executive vice president and COO and was unanimously approved by the board of directors and will become the tenth executive leader of the company since its founding in 1870. Whiting began his career with Brown-Forman in corporate development and investor relations and has served in several leadership positions over the years. Prior to his current role as COO, Whiting was executive vice president and chief brands and strategy officer from 2015 to 2017; senior vice president and chief brands officer from 2013 to 2015; and senior vice president and managing director for Western Europe from 2011 to 2013. Brown-Forman also announced…

RYE OLD FASHIONED #4 INGREDIENTS: 1. ounces Lot 40 Rye whiskey;¼ ounce Bjork Birch liqueur;¼ ounce Siroco White Port;¼ ounce Sassy Palm Demerara syrup;2 dash Angostura bitters;2 dash Weatherby’s Cola bitters;2 dash 11th Orchard Birch bitters;4 drops saline;Lemon swath. RECIPE: Combine rye, liqueur, Port, syrup, and saline in a mixing glass. Add bitters and ice and stir for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Garnish with expressed lemon swath. ONE LAST CHANCE INGREDIENTS: 1¼ ounces Suntory Toki whisky;¼ ounce Rhine Hall La Normande pommeau;1⁄10 ounce French toast cafe orgeat syrup1,2;½ ounce lemon juice;1 egg white;Splash Topo Chico mineral water;Grated cinnamon. RECIPE: Combine whisky, pommeau, orgeat, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker. Add egg white and dry shake for 10 seconds. Add ice and shake very…

Cîroc VS Fine French Brandy Diageo North America has expanded its Cîroc brand beyond the vodka category. Cîroc VS Fine French brandy ($36 a 750-ml.) is produced in the south of France and has fresh fruit, vanilla, and oak flavors. The 40% abv spirit is available in select cities. For more information, visit Ciroc.com. Crown Royal Texas Mesquite Diageo North America has also expanded its Crown Royal Canadian whisky brand with a new limited-edition offering. Crown Royal Texas Mesquite ($25 a 750-ml.) is made by infusing a blend of Crown Royal Deluxe with smoky Texas mesquite wood flavor. The 40% abv spirit is now available in 11 markets. For more information, visit Crownroyal.com. George Dickel Tabasco Barrel Finish Diageo North America has also launched a new offering from its George…

Bradd Levitan has a good feeling about the future of sangria. The CEO of Beso Del Sol Sangria sees the vibrant activity from suppliers of some of the nation’s largest wine brands, who are adding or building up their sangria labels, as well as a host of new sangria brands on the market. He also sees what’s happening in the on-premise, where sangria is capturing a larger share of the limelight than ever before. “I believe the category will grow upwards of 50% over the next five years,” Levitan says. “Sangria is now the No.-2 menu-featured cocktail on-premise, behind the Margarita.” Bottled sangria, of course, is sold primarily in the off-premise, though there’s some on-premise penetration. While growth slowed somewhat last year, bottled sangria volumes have nearly doubled since 2010.…

Though it doesn’t command a leading role in most cocktails, seaweed is a flavorful additive that can supply sophisticated elements to many drinks. The salty, vegetal qualities of seaweed can play with a variety of spirits—from Scotch to Tequila to gin—resulting in complex concoctions that garner attention from consumers, especially at waterfront bars. George’s At The Cove in San Diego houses a restaurant, bar, and lounge along the Pacific Ocean. Its drinks-focused Level2 bar has a cocktail menu with more than 40 selections, including 20-plus offerings that are named for different neighborhoods in San Diego. The venue’s best-seller is the La Jolla ($15), an upscale Margarita made with Cimarron Blanco Tequila infused in-house with dried mango, lime zest, and chilies, then mixed with fresh lime juice and agave. The drink…

The PlumpJack Group, a wine and hospitality company co-owned by California Lieutenant Governor and 2018 gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom, billionaire philanthropist Gordon Getty, and partner John Conover, has steadily expanded its winery and vineyard holdings in recent years amid a wave of generational change across the Napa Valley wine business. The company—which now owns 220 acres of vineyards in Napa—most recently expanded its Cade Estate on Howell Mountain with the 2016 purchase of an adjacent 82-acre vineyard and gravity-fed winery. The purchase will help boost Cade’s production by about 50% beginning with the 2017 vintage. MARKET WATCH recently interviewed Conover on the changes at Cade, sister properties PlumpJack Winery and Odette Estate, and the outlook for Napa overall. MW: How will the investment in Cade create new opportunities for the…

On-Premise News Bardstown Bourbon Co. Debuts Restaurant And Bar Kentucky-based Bardstown Bourbon Co., minority-owned by Constellation Brands, has opened a full-service restaurant and bar within its distillery. Bottle & Bond Kitchen and Bar offers seasonal, locally sourced fare alongside over 200 American whiskies. The vintage whiskey library features many rare and historic bottlings. Bottle & Bond also serves craft cocktails, wine, and local draft beers. Off-Premise News Wally’s Wine & Spirits Readies For Growth Los Angeles-based luxury retailer Wally’s Wine & Spirits is on track to debut its new 9,500-square-foot location in Santa Monica in mid-July. The location will replace the original Wally’s in Westwood, which was founded in 1968 and will close later this year. The company’s Beverly Hills location—an upscale retail-restaurant hybrid—debuted in 2014. The Santa Monica unit…