“ THE GROWTH IN THE BITTER AND AMARO CATEGORY HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY TREMENDOUS ”
At Mandalay Bay ’ s Minus5 ° Ice Bar in Las Vegas , the right liqueurs can push cocktail flavor profiles and colors to contribute to that experience , says general manager Blake Nightingale .
by Campari — has enjoyed in recent years . “ The benefit of Aperol ’ s success is that now other bitter liqueurs are getting their time to shine as star ingredient ,” Nightingale says . “ And some really unique and exciting classic cocktail variations are popping up on cocktail menus everywhere .”
At 1923 Prohibition Bar , where the cocktail program and focus is on bourbon , the best-selling cocktail is the 1923 Barrel Aged Old Fashioned . It ’ s a modern twist on the classic that features Nevada ’ s Smoke Wagon straight bourbon , “ which we age in an oak barrel with Amaro Nonino , Ferrand ’ s Dry Curaçao , and bitters to accentuate the profile of the bourbon ,” he notes .
The Gangster ’ s Holy Grail cocktail , priced at $ 16 , “ is an ode to the Prohibition Era trend of to mask the taste and smell of sketchy liquor and features herbal liqueurs , as Fernet Branca and Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur are paired with lemon juice and ginger beer ,” Nightingale says .
JoJo ’ s offers intentionally nostalgic cocktails and often-forgotten favorites from the 1970s and ’ 80s eras of disco and glam , so colorful liqueurs figure prominently . The Saggitarian Sour , priced at $ 15 , uses Midori melon liqueur , singani , Luxardo Bitter Bianco , lemon juice , simple
LEADING BRANDS OF CORDIALS & LIQUEURS , 2020
BRAND |
COUNTRY |
SUPPLIER |
2019 |
2020 |
% CHG |
Fireball |
Canada |
Sazerac Company |
5,650 |
6,295 |
11.4 % |
DeKuyper |
USA |
Beam Suntory |
2,034 |
1,915 |
-5.9% |
Baileys |
Ireland |
Diageo North America |
1,500 |
1,510 |
0.7 % |
Jagermeister |
Germany |
Mast-Jagermeister US |
1,495 |
1,433 |
-4.1% |
Southern Comfort |
USA |
Sazerac Company |
960 |
930 |
-3.1% |
Jack Daniel ' s Tennessee Honey |
USA |
Brown-Forman Corporation |
766 |
872 |
13.8 % |
Kahlua |
Mexico |
Pernod Ricard USA |
797 |
823 |
3.3 % |
Hiram Walker Cordials |
USA |
Pernod Ricard USA |
630 |
610 |
-3.2% |
RumChata |
Caribbean |
E . & J . Gallo Winery |
475 |
550 |
15.8 % |
Grand Marnier |
France |
Campari America |
525 |
540 |
2.9 % |
Top 20 Leading Brands |
|
|
18,562 |
19,369 |
4.3 % |
Others |
|
|
6,914 |
6,899 |
-0.2% |
Total Cordials & Liqueurs |
|
|
25,476 |
26,268 |
3.1 % |
“ THE GROWTH IN THE BITTER AND AMARO CATEGORY HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY TREMENDOUS ”
-Sophie Burton , beverage director of JoJo ’ s Beloved Cocktail Lounge in Atlanta
syrup and cocktail foam . The Bluetsy Collins incorporates Weber blue agave tequila , a slightly spicy blue cordial and cocktail foam , topped with sparkling water .
The My Offer is Nothing cocktail ($ 16 ), a riff on the Godfather , features amaretto and Dragoncello . Dialing back the amaretto and adding Dragoncello , a tarragon liqueur , “ gives a few new notes , while the lemon oil and mole bitters round out this cocktail to a luxuriant savory , smokey , kiss of sweet finish ,” Burton says .
At Somewhere in Nolita , the Pineapple Over The Sea cocktail uses Giffard pineapple liqueur to give some additional pineapple flavor to the cocktail , as well as a hint of sweetness to balance out the other flavors , Kong says . For the drink called What A Dandy , “ I use a new plum liqueur called Ume that adds a nice balance of sweetness and tartness to the cocktail .”
Kong also likes to make his own modifiers . “ Creating home-made cordials and liqueurs are also a great way to reuse products , or scraps from bar prep , to add flavor to a cocktail and give them a second or extended life , rather than just discarding them .” BD
28 Beverage Dynamics • September / October 2021 www . beveragedynamics . com