ARN: What beverage trends have you
noticed recently, especially those that
are Asian-inspired?
King: Lots of lemongrass and lychee drinks.
Pichet: The trend is towards infusing alcohol
with Asian and tropical fruits, and also using
salty and spicy components. Making drinks
with complex profiles that include sweet,
sour, salty, bitter and spicy, very much like a
typical profile of Southeast Asian Cuisine.
Chris: Shochu and sake have been making
a huge push in the market and are continuing
to gain exposure. The beverage community
is beginning to realize that sake is an
international beverage capable of hanging
with the big boys.
Jacqueline: The Belfast sparkling cider - no
cider in it, but often laced with alcohol.
ARN: In your opinion, do beverage
trends coordinate with food trends?
King: Beverages can complement the food
at certain restaurants.
Pichet: Yes, absolutely, as the food get
spicier and made with fresher (and more raw)
ingredients, as do the drinks. I myself would not make a cocktail with canned pineapple
juice or apple juice.
Chris: Absolutely. The sake, soju and
shochu advance came as Asian Cuisine
has become more mainstream. As we learn
more about other cultures cuisines it is
natural for the beverages made by those
cultures to follow. We drink Muscadet with
Belon oysters because that is the local
wine for the food. The same follows for
Asian Cuisine.
ARN: What types of beverages do you
think sell the best ?
King: Vodka-based cocktails.
Pichet: For us, dessert cocktails do the best,
followed by wines. We have a unique selection
of dessert sakes that also sell very well.
Chris: At the moment, there is a big cocktail
push, so cocktails are always interesting, but
an educated staff and a well-balanced list will
allow one to sell most things. At the moment,
sake is selling very well.
Jacqueline: Flavored teas are now hot... as
are tisanes, which are really not teas at all.
ARN: What advice can you offer to
restaurateurs to help upsell beverages?
King: Offer customers a taste.
Pichet: Train the wait staff really well. Drop
cocktail menus face-up and entice them while
viewing. Clear empty glasses as soon as
they are finished, and always ask if they want
another one, or entice them to move on to
the next beverage. If they order wine by the
bottle (or bottled water), pour often, never let a glass stay on the table empty. Particularly
bottled water, it could be extra work to keep
pouring them constantly but when you think
about its marked-up price (typically 8 times),
it is really worth it.
Chris: Easy to read list of cocktails, a well
educated staff on the beverages you sell.
Most of the time customers don't know much
about the wine, sakes or your own specialty
cocktails. If the server makes it easy and the
drinks read well, it is easier to sell. If they are
confused, they will just order the vodka and
tonic or the merlot.
Jacqueline: Serve them with fruit, flowers,
etc. And for sure, serve them in gorgeous
glasses, and show them in tabletop
pictures.
ARN: Does your restaurant offer sake?
What category is most frequently
ordered?
King: Yes. The majority of customers tend to
order sake. Some order sake sangria.
Pichet: Yes, our dessert cocktails sell the best,
followed by small individual bottles of sake. We
also have a sake cocktail that is a big seller.
Chris: We sell a fair amount of sake but
we also specialize in the saketini so we are about the same on sales.
ARN: Sake is becoming trendy in the
dessert arena. Have you tried sake in this
area?
King: We tried sake ice cream but not a
big hit.
Pichet: Yes, we carry a few dessert sakes,
including komekome and houhoushu, both
of which are fabulous because being lower
in alcohol with a sweet fruity profile appeals
to a greater group of people, including young
women and people who don't particularly like
alcoholic drinks. And more importantly, they
can drink more of it to feel the effect!.
Chris: Dessert and sake pair very well.
There are also new sparkling sakes that are
great. The light fruit and citrus hints in sake
pair well.
ARN: Is there a specific summer
beverage that you think pairs especially
well with an Asian dish?
King: Cold beer with spicy crab.
Pichet: I think any cool, fruity but dry drinks
pair well with an Asian dish. We have a
fabulous cocktail made with cucumber, local
strawberries, sorrel and gin hat is absolutely
divine. It is called "Berry Cuke."
Chris: I like using fruit to offset spice in
a dish. So, things like Thai Basil Mango
Mojitos, but a nice Sparkling rose is great
with Asian cuisine as well. |
