Mixed Blessings

Fresh fruit, purees and flavored spirits drive cocktail sales

By Margaret Sheridan, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 5/1/2003

Seasonal fruits and sassy spirits combine to make summer cocktails that are eye-grabbing, refreshing and profitable.

“Approach drink making like cooking,’’ says Tony Abou-Ganim, master mixologist at Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. “If mangos are ripe, make a purée. If raspberries are in season, muddle them in a fizz. Try different melons, kiwis, berries and peaches. Search for a balance of sweet, sour, tart, bitter and alcohol.’’ Abou-Ganim raises the experience with a variety of rums (light, aged, complex, flavored, spiced) and flavored vodkas (he even infuses his own).

Premium spirits and fresh juices and purées drive sales at Suba Restaurant-Tapas Lounge in New York City. Primed for promotion this summer are the Chili Margarita and Cuban Lemonade.

“People want something refreshing. They’re willing to drop winter habits and try new flavor combinations,” says Yann de Rochefort, co-owner. A dozen specialty cocktails priced between $10 and $12 account for 30% to 50% of total bar sales, he says. The Chili Margarita with fresh lemon and lime juices includes a serrano-chile garnish. For an extra $2, customers can have the drink with superpremium aged tequila. The Cuban-inspired lemonade takes advantage of citrus-flavored vodka and lemon-lime-flavored rum. Suba’s bar sales constitute 55% of total food and beverage revenues, he says.

SALTY LADY
The margarita continues to inspire creative knock-offs. At Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon, the Stars & Stripes Margarita served in a 15-ounce hurricane glass outsells all other cocktails. The $6.25 drink is layered with stripes of raspberry purée and blue curaçao, according to T.D. O’Connell, president of the Wichita, Kan.-based, 252-unit chain.

At Orlando, Fla.-based Red Lobster, the classic margarita is prepared with orange juice. Served in a chilled stemmed glass and available frozen in strawberry, raspberry or peach flavors, the drink is marketed as a pleasing complement to seafood and a refreshing alternative to wine. The margarita’s high acidity from citrus juices pairs well with seafood, says Keith Keogh, executive chef for the 660-unit, Darden Restaurants chain.

LATIN STYLE
Bar staffers at Atlanta’s Buckhead Restaurant Group are braced for a rush on flavored martinis and mojitos, the Cuban-inspired drink of rum, citrus and fresh mint. “Latin music and entertainment are hot in Atlanta these days,’’ says Eddie Valente, the multiconcept operator’s director of operations. The simplicity and refreshing taste of mojitos explains their appeal, he says.

The popularity of flavored martinis influences inventory. Each bar in the group’s dozen area restaurants—which include Atlanta Fish Market, Chops and Pano’s & Paul’s—stocks five to six flavored vodkas, including orange, lemon, citron and currant. Sangria with soda, wine and mixed fruit is another hot-weather favorite, adds Valente.

The challenge in using flavored spirits is restraint. “Think of them as flavoring accents. Use splashes,” Valente advises. A vanilla-flavored martini, for example, is improved with a dash of banana-flavored vodka.

Maintain cost efficiency by measuring shots and following recipes. “Overpouring, even by 10%, ruins the taste and balance of a drink, and wastes liquor. Aim for a product cost of about 20%, slightly higher for call brands,’’ he says. Total bar sales from the group’s restaurants exceed $5 million annually.

TWISTS ON TEA
Though 80% of beverage sales at the 30-unit Big Horn Restaurant chain are microbrews, Twisted Teas have a loyal audience, especially in the summer, says Kirk Aardahl, director of beverages for parent Ram International LLC in Lakewood, Wash. Mixtures of flavored tea, spirits and commercial cocktail mix, the beverages highlight summer sales, especially during happy hours when the restaurants price them at $2 per 18-oz. drink.

Big Horn martinis get a personal touch with tableside service. The seasonal Pucker Raspberry—a 21/2-oz. drink featuring raspberry-flavored schnapps and vodka—is shaken and poured in front of customers, a technique that also entertains, Aardahl adds. To minimize labor and clean up, bar staffers prepare the drink in the serving glass, not a separate shaker.

STORM WARNING
Bartenders at Redfish, a concept owned by Phoenix-based Main Street and Main, developed a line of cocktails named for storms. The main ingredient in Twisters and Cyclones is fruit purée mixed with spirits.

“The challenge is controlling sweetness,’’ explains Tony Garcia, beverage manager and director of research and development. He finds that neutral-flavored rum offsets the concentrated sweetness of mango or strawberry purées. The drinks’ natural colors dictate simplicity in the garnish, such as a pineapple leaf or thin slice of fruit. “Keep product costs 19% to 20% to realize a profit,’’ Garcia recommends.