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On the Ascent While the Margarita remains the country’s most frequently requested cocktail, its once insurmountable lead is narrowing by the growing popularity of the Mojito. The Cu- ban-born phenom has gone from a blip on the screen to a bona fide franchise player, and it’s attained elite status in half the time it took the Margarita. Not surprisingly, the Margarita and Mojito mirror two mega-trends: Namely, they’re prepared with the fastest- growing categories of spirits in the U.S. — tequila and rum, respectively. Among the big stories going into 2010 is the rising prominence of blanco tequilas and añejo rums. People are drinking tequila in record numbers. Bottled fresh from the still and unaffected by barrel aging, blanco tequilas best represent the compelling qualities of tequila. While not everyone can jaunt off to the Caribbean, sipping old rums may be the next best thing. Smooth and luxurious, añejo and other rums are made in exotic places and imbued with rich aromas and captivating flavors. Finally, the La Paloma is quietly becoming a popular call, made with silver tequila, a splash of fresh lime juice, a fill with grapefruit soda such as Squirt and a generous lime garnish. Spirits By Robert Plotkin
Bankable Quaffs
American rye whiskeys are also on the charts with a bullet.
They have broad shoulders and a lot of personality, and they’re
affordable and mixable, a perfect combination today.
American micro-distilled spirits are changing backbars,
among them brands like Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Cold River
Vodka, Aviation Gin, Pritchard’s Fine Rum, Hangar One Vodkas,
Charbay Tequila — and that’s just the short list. Plus, expect
organic spirits to continue gaining traction with consumers.
Seasonals Soar
Wheat beer in the summer, Oktober-fest and pumpkin beers in the fall,
holiday beers in the winter, bock and
white beers in the spring, brewery
anniversary beers — people love
the freshness and limited availability
of these beers and are embracing
the way they pair with the seasonal
foods. Seasonals are the hottest
section of craft beer, which is the
hottest section of beer.
The Bloom is Off Big Imports
It could just be the economy, but
it could be that the excitement of
being different because of the beer
you drink palls when too many other
people are drinking it too, and that’s
going to take a major reposition-
ing for big imports to fix. Small,
specialty imports, on the other hand,
are finding a willing market. The key
is sourcing brands that offer a real
difference; variety, yet again, rules.
Light’s Just Right, Thanks
While regular-calorie beer continues
to slip — with the stunning exception of eastern regional Yuengling
— light beer continues to grow
market share. Craft may be 4
percent and growing, but light beer
is 50 percent and growing, and you’d
be crazy to ignore that.
Gastro-pubs, Beer Gardens & More
As beer becomes more accepted and
respected, new beer-focused venues
are dreamed up and old concepts dusted off. The gastro-pub, an awkward
word for a very comfortable combo of
good beer and tuned-up bar/comfort
food, is a novel concept that turned
out to have legs. It’s also great to see
Americans re-discovering the beer
garden, the joys of outdoor, communal
tables with simple food, cold beer and
happy music.
