With the arrival of 2017, we have an opportunity to start again. Everyone will try to live up to their
resolutions that will in general slip by the wayside within a month or so, but
what can we expect from this New Year?
So many people have been saying they are glad to see 2016 over with, but
what are we going to do different to make the new year a better one. We can hope this year will be a fabulous
one filled with so many wonderful things .
There a lot of people predicting new and wonderful things along with
those predicting doom and despair. In
the spirits industry I have run across three very interesting predictions .
“A Rum Revival”
Colin Asare-Appiah, East Senior Portfolio
Ambassador
Often seen as a warm weather
spirit, or to be sipped only while on a sandy beach watching the sunset, rum
has faced a stigma in the past with very little consumer awareness or interest
existing outside of “occasion based” drinking. Luckily, the tides seem to be
shifting with a new wave of a demand for expertly prepared tiki inspired
cocktails and bartenders are seeking out rum brands that have an authentic
story and unique taste that give them reason to include them on their back bar
and on their cocktail menus.
“Guilty
Pleasure Drinks”
Jaymee Mandeville, West Senior Portfolio Ambassador
There was a
time when 70s, 80s and 90s style cocktails were a no go in craft cocktail bars.
They were looked down upon for their call of artificial ingredients or thought
to be too sweet and unsophisticated. Bartenders have recently begun to revisit
these decade old cocktails (Pina Colada’s, Appletini’s, Sex on the Beach) and
re-imagining them with fresh, quality, housemade ingredients transforming them
into delicious, complex and well-executed drinks. Craft cocktail bars around
the country are stepping up to the plate and showcasing their adaptations on
these classics and we have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot more of this trend
in the coming year.
“Libations of
Luxury”
Duane Fernandez, Texas Portfolio Ambassador
In a time
where exceptionally rare spirits regularly grace bar shelves with their
presence, bartenders are breaking free from the notion that these spirits must
be sipped alone and without interruption from additional spirits or modifiers.
Ultra Premium Scotch Whisky, in particular, has been used more and more in
cocktails. With delicate attention to detail and respect for the liquid coming
from these revered, nearly sacred bottles, there is a new trend that has taken
flight, where bartenders have begun featuring these spirits on premium and
super premium cocktail menus. Rather than leaving the bottles to gather dusts,
bars are presenting these cocktails as a beautiful way to enjoy what might be a
once in a lifetime cocktail.
"Rum
Based Luxury and Feel Good Cocktails"
Bahama Bob Leonard, Key West Rum Guy
What I see for 2017 is exquisite rums being used in
sophisticated cocktails. Rum has a
reputation as a “feel good” spirit that mixes well with others and yields so
many high quality cocktails. What the
category needs is to continue moving into a better class of consumers. I keep
finding is rum being used in place of other spirits in traditional and fine
quality cocktails throughout the spirits world.
I see this becoming more prevalent and being enjoyed by more and more
customers and bartenders following this trend.
The use of what was once felt to be sipping rums is finding itself in
ultra -premium cocktails. Rums that
people would tell you should only be sipped do lend themselves well to
cocktails as well. Great rums like other
great spirits can be a part of a great cocktail by imparting its unique flavor
to the mix.
Here is to a happy
and safe New Year to all. I’m a believer
in pushing the positive and hopeful that thing will do well and be fun and
wonderful.
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