The first session I attended during last week’s Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans was a panel titled “2009 Big Trends in Cocktail & Spirit Service”. The panel consisted of Jim Meehan - PDT, NYC, Michael Waterhouse, Devlin Tavern, NYC, and Simon Difford - Source Guide and was moderated by Ryan Magarian - Aviation Gin. The program covered the 4 Ps of Cocktail Service Success, not unlike the 4 Ps of marketing, Product, Precise Execution, Promotion, Passion. It was here that I discover the magic of Tales of the Cocktail, this was no boring seminar and they were serving drinks! A few samples of the cocktail being discussed. Sure is was 10:30 am , but this was New Orleans.
The Panel started off with a discussion product trends.
Spirits
Overall the trend is for full-flavored spirits, moving away from the vodka craze of late. Mezcal, Gin (the new vodka?) and Rye Whiskey are at the forefront of the full-flavored Renaissance. In addition, aged rum is exploding and Jameson sales are through the roof. Cacacha is also making huge strides from just a few years ago.
Sweet
Fortified wines like Sherry, Lillet and vermouth are popular ingredients in cocktails, as well are rice wines sake and shochu. St. Germain elderflower liqueur appears on just about every cocktail menu, and other flower based liqueurs are popping up. Other trending sweeteners include specialty sugars, Agave nectar, Maple syrup and orgeat.
Oh, water with bubbles, you have so many names: club soda, tonic water, sparkling water, mineral water … and more.
The Kitchn blog details the differences between each, when it matters which you use and when it doesn’t.
A question that’s probably plagued many home bartenders:
…What’s the difference between tonic water, mineral water, seltzer, carbonated water, and club soda? They all seem like fizzy water alternatives, and they may be identical. But could I, say, make one of those exquisitely refreshing-looking gin and tonics with the mineral water that I keep stashed in the fridge?
A good rule of thumb is that tonic water is good for mixing with just liquor because of its mineral flavor (think gin and tonic, vodka tonic), while its less-mineral-tasting cousin club soda is good for topping of sparkling cocktails that include other mixers and/or muddled elements (think Tom Collins, mojito).
Is “lose weight” on your list of New Year’s resolutions? If so — or if you’re just trying to maintain your current weight — here are a few ways to cut calories without cutting out cocktails.
Skip the dessert in a glass
We all know that sweet drinks are higher in calories.
However, you might be surprised to find out just how many more calories they contain. A pina colada has nearly 400 calories, and a chocolate martini has nearly 500 calories. That’s four and five times the calories of a gin and tonic.
And, don’t even get me started on Long Island Iced Tea, which can have up to 700 calories in an 8-ounce serving.
Pay attention to the mixers and alcohol proof
Juices and sodas add flavor and calories to your drink. Even tonic water has 10 calories per serving. Try mixing with club soda, diet soda or Fresca. Also, the higher the alcohol proof, the higher the calorie count. Infused liquors can add flavor without adding calories, so you can cut down or eliminate the amount of juice or soda in your drink.
A jigger (1.5 oz.) of 80-proof vodka, gin or rum has 97 calories. The same quantity of 100-proof alcohol has 123 calories.
This helpful guide will tell you the calorie count for your favorite liqueurs, another source of hidden calories.
Consider low-calorie substitutions
Glamour magazine has some good recommendations for how to swap lower-calorie cocktails for higher-calorie favorites. For example, order a Mudslide instead of a White Russian and save 154 calories. Go for a Mojito instead of a Margarita and save 206 calories.
Baja Bob makes no-sugar mixers and Torini makes no-calorie flavored syrups — good ways to make your favorites at home in a lower-calorie way.
It certainly isn’t one of the fastest growing segments of the beverage industry for nothing, and their displays at the Nightclub and Bar Show we’re enough to keep us going all day and all night! Here are a few of our favorites, as well as some others that we just can’t help mentioning for their over the top marketing style.
Jetset Energy. As if to stake their claim as the proverbial David seeking to slay Goliath local San Francisco boys JetSet were positioned as the very first booth you encountered with their much larger rivals towering above them on all sides. What makes JetSet our favorite energy mixer is just that, it’s the first, and only, product we found that is marketed as a mixer, not only as a stand alone drink. With old time mixing favorites such as tonic, ginger ale, and club soda we definitely have found a unique product worth trying with your spirit of choice. For great drink ideas visit their website at Drinkjetset.com!
After finishing a quick Kettle One and Jetset Tonic it was off to try some of the competition. Not much to be said about Monster, Red Bull, and Rockstar that hasn’t been said before other than that those guys really know how to make a trade show into one off the hook party! See some of the pictures in our previous post and you’ll see what I mean.
Ice is the most important ingredient for any party. You’ll not only need lots of ice to cool down bottles of beer (or a keg) white wine and sodas, but you need it for mixed drinks as well. The good news is that ice is cheap, so buy lots of it.
We recommend getting at least pound of ice per person. This should make for a cool event.
There is quite a bit of confusion over what this stuff is, yet tons of drinks call for it. Basically, Sweet & Sour Mix is sugar syrup combined with lemon juice, lime juice or both.
To make mix 3 parts sugar and two parts water, heat gradually to let the sugar disovle, then let the mixture cool. Once cooled add 1 part juice and mix well. This should last a few weeks in the fridge and makes yummy margaritas.
The first session I attended during last week’s Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans was a panel titled “2009 Big Trends in Cocktail & Spirit Service”. The panel consisted of Jim Meehan - PDT, NYC, Michael Waterhouse, Devlin Tavern, NYC, and Simon Difford - Source Guide and was moderated by Ryan Magarian - Aviation Gin. The program covered the 4 Ps of Cocktail Service Success, not unlike the 4 Ps of marketing, Product, Precise Execution, Promotion, Passion. It was here that I discover the magic of Tales of the Cocktail, this was no boring seminar and they were serving drinks! A few samples of the cocktail being discussed. Sure is was 10:30 am , but this was New Orleans. 
Oh, water with bubbles, you have so many names: club soda, tonic water, sparkling water, mineral water … and more. 
