Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ
June 3 2007
Today’s flavored liquors are good enough to eat
By EILEEN SMITH
Courier-Post Staff
Zach Brinley believed he had a recipe for rum that Jolly Roger never
imagined, a boutique-style vanilla blend.
The rub was designing a bottle that would get it on liquor store
shelves already crowded with an ever-growing array of flavored
spirits.
"We had a flavor we knew would help to set us apart," he recalled.
"But we had a flask-style bottle with a ship on it that stores didn’t
like because it had too big a footprint."
Brinley, of Montclair, substituted a tall, slender bottle with the
Brinley Gold label that took up one-third the space of the original.
And he quickly rolled out three more flavors — mango, coconut and
coffee — at a distillery near the family’s second home in St. Kitts.
"Now we are bottling as fast as we can," he said.
In recent years, sales of flavored spirits have soared as distillers
focus on fruity vodkas, rums and liqueurs, many of which appeal to
the lucrative market of well-heeled women.
While Absolut and Stolichnaya first poured peppery shots in the
1980s, it took until 2000 for flavored vodkas to claim a 5 percent
share of the market. That has since doubled, with 12.4 percent of
vodka sales going to flavored brands, according to the Distilled
Spirits Council of the United States.
"Flavor is more than a trend," said Amy Underwood, senior brand
manager at DeKuyper. "It will become an ingrained part of the
beverage world."
Grey Goose, the French-made super-premium vodka, comes in four
flavors, La Poire, L’Orange, Le Citron and La Vanille. That’s pear,
orange, lemon and vanilla.
Stolichnaya just came out with Blueberi, the eighth flavor entry in
the Russian vodka line.
"Consumers’ palates are accustomed to flavors in everything from
coffee to vinegar so it’s a natural progression to spirits," said
Shawn Starbuck Kelley, spokeswoman for Pernod Ricard USA, parent
company for Stoli and more than a dozen other labels, including
Malibu flavored rum and Hiram Walker Liqueurs.
There are 38 flavors alone in the Hiram Walker line, which is still
expanding.
"The latest are pink grapefruit and pear," Kelley said. "In the fall,
we’re coming out with pumpkin."
DeKuyper appeals to women from 21 to their late 30s with its Pucker
line, characterized by a sweet-and-sour taste profile. The liqueur
maker offers 59 flavors and will roll out at least three more this
year.
"There’s definitely a female skew, women with high energy who enjoy
going out for cocktails," Underwood said.
Amanda Hamm, 24, of Woodstown gravitates toward light, sweet drinks
when she goes out with friends.
"It’s part of girls’ night out," she said. "I love Midori, the melon
drink."
She stocked her home bar with two types of flavored vodka, Three
Olives raspberry and watermelon.
"It makes a nice, fruity cocktail when I mix it with Sprite," she
said.
At the Landmark Americana bar in Glassboro, Sprite is blended with
orange juice and Stolichnaya orange vodka to make a cocktail
christened the 007.
"We have 12 bottles of Stoli at the bar at all times, usually two
plain and 10 flavored," said manager Tom McGuigan.
He estimates 90 percent of the flavored spirits are served to women.
"The women drink margaritas and cosmos, while nine out of 10 guys
drink beer," he said.
Brinley said women in their 20s and 30s are the primary target for
his flavored rums, which are priced at $20 for 750 ml. The company
will introduce a lime rum in coming months to appeal to women who
enjoy citrusy cocktails.
"The young females are looking for fruity drinks," he said.
NUVO, a sparkling pink vodka liqueur flavored with peach and
raspberry, was specifically designed to appeal to women. The creator,
Raphael Yakoby, packaged the liqueur in a square glass container
reminiscent of a perfume bottle. The price: $30 for a 375 ml bottle.
"Whether it is at the spa or a $400 pair of shoes, today’s women are
willing to spend more on themselves," he said.
The husband-and-wife vodka makers at Los Angeles-based Modern Spirits
believe they are poised to catch the next wave, pairing foods and
spirits.
Melton Khosrovian, who sipped vodka and ate spicy grilled meats with
his Armenian family, concocted complex infused vodkas to please his
wife, Litty Matthew, a classically trained French chef.
"At cooking school, it’s all about the wine," Matthew said. "But
spirits are great with food, too, and cleanse your palate between
courses."
Modern Spirits offers such sophisticated blends as grapefruit honey,
made with locally grown fruit; and black truffle, infused with
seasonal truffles from Oregon. The top seller, chocolate orange, was
inspired when Khosrovian accidentally dropped a piece of chocolate
into his drink. Prices average $40 for 750 ml.
"We appeal to foodies," Matthew said. "It’s the person who goes to
Whole Foods and stands in front of that long row of vinegars and
thinks of wonderful things to make with them."
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress