The success of the limited release of Absolut  Boston Vodka has inspired the distillation of their latest flavor Absolut Wild Tea which will be launched to an international market later this year. Absolut ‘Boston’ was distributed as an infusion of Black Tea and Elderflower  as the third release in their series of Vodkas named for great American cities. Upon launch of the past flavors, Pernod-Ricard and Absolut has donated $50,000 to a local community charity in that city.  Absolut New Orleans was inspired by Hurricane Katrina relief and that effort was followed by Absolut Los Angeles, Absolut Boston, and Absolut Brooklyn.

Absolut San Francisco Vodka will debut later this year – and although the details of the exciting new flavor blend is yet to be released, the profile will be more of a ‘wine country’ grape flavor. Boston is the second infusion of the Absolut City Series that has spawned a proprietary flavor. Absolut Los Angeles was the inspiration for the wildly popular Absolut Berri Acai Vodka that will now be released in 1.75 ml bottles.

The Absolut City Series is a favorite of collectors and promoters and the on-going series has been a great success as charitable test marketing for the brand. Pernod-Ricard donated $50,000 of the proceeds of Absolut Boston to the Charles River Conservancy, a Boston area charity dedicated to the stewardship and renewal of the parklands along the urban riverbanks. The charity for Absolut San Francisco has not been announced.

Pass it on Bar Fact: Absolut Vancouver was released in early 2010 as part of  the charitable ‘City Series’ Vodkas from Absolut.  The very limited release package  is unflavored Absolut Vodka and it was produced to support the Vancouver Art Community. The bottle art  was created by celebrated Canadian and British Columbia artist Douglas Fraser and is entitled ‘Artist’s Vision of Vancouver’. Only 60,000 bottles were produced of the art package and unopened bottles have already become highly collectible, selling for as much as $100 online

Jim Koch

Jim Koch, president of Boston Beer and founder of Sam Adams knows that whatever happens… his brews will always be considered ‘craft beers’. “If we’re not a craft brewer,” said Koch,  “what else are we? “A craft beer you would not drink,” he said, “after you just mowed the lawn on a hot day.”We’re certainly not Budweiser.”

The debate is really about taxation and classification in the beer business and Sam Adams, is on the verge of outgrowing its coveted craft status — at least according to the Brewers Association. The Brewers Association is a national trade group that defines craft brewers in part as producing fewer than two million barrels a year. But that classification is also used for tax rates by the Federal Government who collects a lower excise tax on brewers that stay under the two-million-barrel threshold. Koch has admitted that company projection has Boston Beer reaching that number by 2012.

But help against the government may come from the government. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry (D) Massachusetts along with Senator Michael D. Crapo, Idaho (R) , introduced a bill in June that increases the production limit  for small brewers to six million barrels a year. The bill would also cut the excise tax rate for small brewers in half-to $3.50 per barrel, down  from $7, for the first 60,000 barrels produced, and to $16, from $18, for each additional barrel. That’s great news tax wise for Koch and his booming Boston Beer Company since a similar House bill has several dozen sponsors.

Koch believes ‘craft’ is about taste and taxes, while ‘craft brewers’ know that quality is typically about size and limited production. According to Bob Pease, the  chief operating officer of The Brewers Association, the intent that created a distinct definition for craft brewers, was to differentiate small companies from big ones that were also marketing varied ‘spin off’ brands of beers as craft brewed.

Got a question or comment about beer?…just call out for him anytime.   Hey Beer Man!

Q: WTF? ..I saw the letters  IBU on my IPA?
Bud in Bonita

A: Hey Bud…Lighten up. IBU stands for International Bittering Unit – it’s the scale they use to measure the hop bitterness in beer. If you like the snap and a bite of the ‘bitter’,  then look for a higher IBU number.

Here’s General Guide to IBU
Ales
Pale Ale / Amber Ale – 20-50
(IPA) India Pale Ale – 40-60
(ESB) (Extra Special Bitter) – 28-40
English Brown Ale – 20
Porter – 20-40
Irish Stout – 30-60

Lagers
American Pale Lager – 10-15
Pilsner – 25-45
Bock – 20-30

Long before the movie, Sideways turned the nation off on Merlot and on to Pinot Noir there was La Crema. Since 1979 this family-owned estate nestled in the Russian River Valley has establish an unmatched reputation for quality with a benchmark of consistently fine wines.    Lush Pinot Noir grown in a classic Burgundy style where La Crema’s cool climate vineyards in Sonoma and Mendocino offer an unusually long, cool and even growing season.  The 2007 vintage is exceptional and Winemaker Melissa Stackhouse has produced another award-winning wine with mouth-watering juiciness. Balanced acidity and sturdy tannins round out the mouth and this one of those wines that never disappoints and can always be recommended.

- 90 Points - Josh Greene, Wine & Spirits, October 2009
- Gold Medal - 2009 San Francisco International Wine Competition

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on LaCrema
• Crema De La Crema – An Espresso Coffee Blog in Singapore » Blog …

• Related Blogs on Melissa Stackhouse
• STEVE HEIMOFF| WINE BLOG » Blog Archive » Is it better to taste …
• » La Crema Chardonnay 2007 TasteWine: Ray Johnson’s Wine Blog
• » La Crema Pinot 2007 TasteWine: Ray Johnson’s Wine Blog

Popularity of Flavored Coffees, Exotic Teas and Vegetable Vodkas Create Endless

www.BarMechanics.com

It’s cold everywhere…and bar sales of coffee, tea and even soup rise naturally as warmth equals comfort. On the homefronts, brandy and rum get poured into nogs and grogs and ciders get spiked with smokey scotches and  hearty whiskeys this time of year.  The medicinal benefits of the mix of alcohol and hot beverages has been supported by both doctors and grandmothers for years and for the hospitality industry this all means that your guests need to be reminded  that the options are unlimited.

The ‘Hot Toddy’ was an actual drink, and even was a hit record in the 1950′s but in this era the words Hot Toddy and ‘Irish Coffee’  are more about temperature than recipe.  Mulled cider drinks are usually found in ski lodges and magazines and if your idea of Irish Coffee is Jameson and Coffee with whip cream it shows up lame when you can grab 4 different Godivas or 3 different Bailey’s to make it better.  Or maybe you can splash some 360 Chocolate Vodka or Van Gogh Espresso Vodka to make that ‘house’ cappuccino go ‘yum’.

It’s a new table with the emergence of flavored teas that many locations are offering and flavored creamers are becoming a standard more than a feature. But when it’s cold don’t forget that those  ‘sweet tea vodka’ blends can also be added to hot teas and ciders to create options for outstanding cold weather sippers.  Adding Cherry liqueur or cherry vodka to a hot tea just works, and what better way to soothe a scratchy throat than a organic Oolong with some Navan or Calvados splashed in.  In fact even without the sore throat you can punch up your tea with some of that cranberry or caramel vodka you’re counting every month. A Graham cracker rim added to a piping hot Earl Grey with a whisper of Apple Vodka and a splash of Butterscotch schnapps will warm the conversation and add sales and variety.  Whipped creams, chocolate cool whip, a biscotte or shortbread cookie added to the hot beverage sale makes a dessert sale go from longshot to…must have.

There’s plenty of inventory and plenty of options to warm up the bar, and light up sales when the winter months creates an alternative to dessert from the back bar. Brands like Bailey’s and Godiva make it easy and a bit more expensive and alluring, but every distributor has a variety of options that can accompany any hot beverages already served in your establishment.  From Dooley’s Toffee to Castries Rum Cream and from Brinley’s Coffee Rum to Antica Espresso Sambuca, there are new mixable brands that offer tremendous opportunities to turn cold weather into new sales. Patron XO in a double shot of Espresso? I think that Mexican Coffee has grown up….

But wait…soups on, and with the options to add Tomato or Cucumber Vodka to vegetable soup or even to chicken consume or beef bouillon makes me wonder how that Bakon Vodka is doing out west….

Larry ‘Smokey’ Genta and his associates, known as BarMechanics are available to consult, train and improve beverage sales and service.  BarMechanics can assist at every tier and has clients that are beverage retailers, suppliers and distributors. BarMechanics individually and collectively are professional friends and leaders in the Hospitality Industry. ‘Smokey’ is known for creative mixology, imaginative beverage promotions and sales related to brand building, and currently is the Managing Editor of BeverageUnderground.com.

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on Cool Weather Days and Cold Nights Prompts Spirited ‘Hot Toddy’ Sales

It’s the time of year that we are bombarded with money back offers for diets and gadgets, pills and promises to live better, eat less and work out more. Picking a gym when you work in the Hospitality Business can be tricky, because when we are busy…we’ll opt for making money. We’ll work doubles and cover shifts that make it easy to work out for two weeks straight and then off two weeks. So that’s why Planet Fitness is the best option. Why pay for time that you didn’t go…and if you go just 2-3 days every week it can cost as little as a $1 a visit. If you want a gym with a lot of attitude you may want to take a look at all those gyms that try their best to find the clientele that fits their glossy image.  Planet Fitness is a place to loosen up, work out and burn fat…and the very best price for over 80 cardio pieces, locker rooms and unlimited training time. Locations in both Fort Myers and Naples and after initial sign up fees is just $10 a month

Planet Fitness can hook you up…tell them you heard about them in Beverage Underground.

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on New Year’s resolution
• New Year’s Resolutions for Cities: 10 Keys to Sustainability …
• PreservationNation » Blog Archive » The Third New Year’s …

• Related Blogs on Planet Fitness
• Planet Fitness Biloxi « Southern Live Oak
• Planet Fitness = Planet Fail « Body by MEEE!!!

Related Blogs

• Related Blogs on coffee

• Related Blogs on Underground cafe
• Underground Cafe: Coffee Facts | The Beverage Underground
• Just Val d' Isère » Blog Archive » Underground Cafe- Music