Winter Warmers

Some Like It Hot!

Time to give your hot drink program
some added spirit and warm up to increased sales.

BY SARAH MINASIAN

Hudson Valley Grog, courtesy Kohler Co. (Photo by Mike Huibregtse.)

For operators doing business in the fullness of four seasons, the arrival of autumn really means we're on the precipice of winter. Observant operators know that a little bit of warm goes a long way to radiate fond seasonal memories, and ultimately triggers repeat business.

Most operators offer hot drinks starting somewhere around mid-October and run them through March, but in the case of one Midwest club, they're served up year-round, proving that hot cocktails are the perfect antidote not only to cold weather, but to a multitude of life's twists and turns. Whether customers are suffering from yet another encounter with the boss from hell, or jitters from the upcoming holiday at Aunt Milly's, a spirited warmer medicinally wraps its arms around them, letting them know everything is going to be all right.

So what makes hot drinks so popular? In Washington, DC, Capital Restaurant Concept's corporate executive chef Bryan Healy says, "They're warming, they're sensual; you have the warmth of the liquor and the warmth of the coffee or tea. They're delicious. They seemed to have been pushed out in the late nineties and then in the early 2000s, I saw a move back again. I grew up in Pennsylvania and the Farmer's Almanac says it's going to be a rough winter!"

Hot drinks aren't demographically partial, but certain environments do seem to lend themselves more easily to serving hot cocktails ­- almost beckoning customers to order a hot one. Like the atmosphere found at J. Paul's in historic Georgetown, one of Capital Restaurant Concepts' 11 restaurants, where the profile is high, the food chef-driven, and the cocktails expected to make politics more palatable. Heralded as a classic-turn-of-the-century American saloon, it houses Chicago Stockyards' authentic mahogany bar and the New York Waldorf-Astoria's antique brass elevator doors.

HOT BUTTERED RUM

Healy says, "We're a little egotistical when it comes to our menu items and besides that, chefs basically always think that they can make something better by putting butter in it." Their classic hot buttered rum is no exception. Mixing two ounces each of light and dark rum together with an equal amount of hot water, Healy then adds a small pat of butter in and stirs. "It really emulsifies just like butter when you do a beurre blanc; as long as you don't melt it down ahead of time and just stir it in cold, it will cream out." Served in a glass café coffee mug finished with a cinnamon swizzle stick, J. Paul's charges $9.50 for the concoction.

"Probably the biggest sellers at J. Paul's are the Irish and Mexican coffees, and between them and the hot buttered rum, about one out of every three dining tables orders one during our winter season," says Healy. Served straight up, the Mexican coffee drink takes 3/4 oz. each of Kahlua and tequila, and a rail Irish whiskey and Baileys topped off with whipped cream and shaved chocolate bring the Irish to life. Both coffees sell for $6.95.

Another CRC landmark in George-town, Paolo's Ristorante, offers its Paolo's Café Framboise. "We use a double shot of espresso, a shot and a half of Chambord, and an ounce and a half of Tia Maria; it's a beautiful drink and we serve it in the same café glass," says Healy. Topped with whipped cream and a dusting of cocoa powder, the drink sells for $7. "Every now and then at Paolo's we'll mess around with hot chocolate, but it's rare. If we do anything with hot chocolate we'll do a Peppermint Patty that is basically hot chocolate with white crème de menthe, and sometimes we'll do a double white chocolate with white chocolate and Godiva white chocolate liqueur."

WARMING UP OUT WEST

Humbly named the "Best Bar West of the Hudson," The Broadmoor resort's Hotel Bar in Colorado Springs offers guests a view of Cheyenne Lake while lounging in overstuffed leather couches and chairs among amber Tiffany chandeliers, hand-hewn center cut oak floors and a signature stone fireplace. What better environment than this to sip on a winter warmer? Their $8.50 Fireside Chat cocktail is a mug filled with 3/4 oz. bourbon, 1 1/2 oz. Baileys, 4 oz. coffee and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Hotel bar manager Christin Miester says their winter menu offers a Nutty Irishman made with Baileys, Frangelico and coffee; a Peppermint Patty made with peppermint schnapps, and hot chocolate as well as Keoke coffee. Made with brandy, Kahlua and coffee, "Keoke coffee is a pretty old school drink, it's pretty popular and it's one of the main ones that people here just know to ask for," says Miester.

At the Broadmoor Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO, The Fireside Chat scores each winter.

"If people come in and order a cup of coffee or hot chocolate we try to get creative with them to spike it up a little bit. You can use coffee to complement anything so it's really nice ­- it pairs well with any cordials or liqueurs that we have," says Miester.

And speaking of complementing anything, how about utilizing all the tantalizing flavored syrups out on the market? Mary Doyle, vice president marketing of Monin, Inc., Clearwater, FL, the French-based flavoring syrup company, says, "We do a lot of brainstorming here and about a year ago Monin began looking at the concept of Martinis, which was then a phenomenal business, and then also looking at winter and hot drinks. People want to have a hot drink, it's cold, they're coming out of the ski lodge and looking at what hot drinks are available and we thought here is the other twist at looking at a Martini."

Marrying the two concepts, Monin's in-house culinarian developed three dynamic Martini recipes, all served hot or flaming. (See sidebar.)

HOT MARTINIS

"People are really enamored with the Martini and by developing hot Martinis, we feel we have really elevated the hot drink to another level," says Doyle. "I think what is happening is that retailers really want to do something that clearly differentiates themselves from the competition, they want to have their signature drink and create something that is exciting and entertaining; that's what we all expect now when we go to a bar. This is really a twist that marries the Martini segment to something hot."

Stephen Minutolo, restaurant manager of the Immigrant Room & Winery Bar at the resort hotel American Club, Kohler, WI, says, "The winter drink offering through the Immigrant has been something that has never been a set menu. It's something that changes year by year." This year the two hot drinks they're offering are Hudson Valley Grog ­ a mix of 1 1/2 oz. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum and hot apple cider garnished with a cinnamon stick, and Northwoods Coffee made with 1/2 oz. Tia Maria, 1/2 oz. Grand Marnier and garnished with whipped cream and ground cinnamon. Both drinks are priced at $7.

"Colder weather people like their hotter drinks ­ it's definitely something that appeals to them. Having the ability to dress it up beyond just serving a basic cup a coffee ­ there's a lot more of an entertaining aspect to it. On top of that as well there is a draw for it along the lines of the dessert courses, just to have something a little bit more involved than a cup of coffee with a shot of Sambuca on the side."

Northwoods Coffee, courtesy Kohler Co.
(Photo by Mike Huibregtse.)

Speaking to the strong connection between atmosphere and hot spirits, Minutolo says, "There's a big difference from sitting at a bar in a brew pub atmosphere to sitting in our winery bar where it is a very relaxed, very casual, laid back kind of place. It has a loft area with oversized leather arm chairs where you can basically just sit and lounge into and it's all set in a quieter, almost candlelight atmosphere. We do get a lot of people after dinner that come into the bar rather than at the table to enjoy an after dinner drink."

Mark Eckert, owner of Von Trier, an authentic German beer hall in Milwaukee, WI, started with a few hot drinks offered in the winter of 1978 and now devotes four full pages of them from its ten-page bar menu. And these hotties can be ordered year-round. Of course, sales are slower in the summer, with peak months being "as soon as it gets cold ­ right around the middle of October and going until it warms up. Two years ago, we had a cold spring here so we were still selling hot drinks in the middle of May," says Eckert. That's Wisconsin for you.

Supporting the atmospheric enhancement theory, Eckert says, "We're a German lounge that specializes in imported beers; the atmosphere is one of a warm German pub, complete with stained glass windows, wood paneling, wood carvings, cuckoo clocks, beer steins. The atmosphere is what I think helps the hot drinks sell so much."

POPULAR HOT CHOCOLATE

So what's selling? Eckert says, "The ones that sell the most are the ones with hot chocolate in them ­ we'll sell more hot chocolate drinks than we do hot coffee drinks. If we get an order for five hot drinks, out of the five I would say probably two would be coffee-based and three would be chocolate-based."

"We have a commercial espresso machine behind the bar and make every drink from scratch. For coffee drinks we basically make an Americano ­ a double shot of espresso that we add hot water to, and then for our hot chocolate, we use Ghirardelli hot chocolate powder mixed with whole milk and Hershey's syrup, putting it into a stainless steel frothing mug and mixing it until it froths."

In the first two sales slots at Von Trier's are the Chocolate Rummy, made with hot cocoa, dark rum and Kahlua, topped with whipped cream; and the Amaretto Almond Mocha, made from Amaretto, chocolate and coffee, garnished with whipped cream and cinnamon. Tea Toddy, made with Cointreau, black tea, honey, lemon and cinnamon also sells in the top five. All of Von Trier's hot drinks are served in a 14-oz. English tankard with their logo on it, and are priced at $6.00.

Another tea toddy, offered at New York City's Atlantic Grill, a B. R. Guest Restaurant, was developed by Eben Klemm, director of the restaurant group's cocktail development. Teddy's Toddy is made with golden rum, honey and Earl Grey tea. Just put on the menu this fall, the toddy sells for $10. Klemm says, "I like it ­ the smokiness of the Earl Grey tea brings out the tannins of the rum."

Clear across the country, John O'Brien, manager of the W Hotel Seattle's bar and restaurant, is also running a new toddy this fall, a Lover's Toddy to be exact. Calling for a shot of Jameson Irish whiskey, 1/2 oz. fresh lemon juice, 1 oz. house-made passion fruit syrup and a half-cup of hot water, the $8, approximately six ounce beverage is served in a brandy snifter. All ingredients go into the snifter and get steamed with an espresso wand.

Also new on this year's menu at the W is a $9 Gurl Scout, made with 2 parts Stoli Vanil, 1 part Starbucks liqueur and 1 part Rumpleminze, steamed and served in a tall latté glass. Cashing in on the novelty angle, O'Brien says, "We spell girl, g-u-r-l, the way modern hipsters would maybe do it."

O'Brien only offers two hot specialty drinks out of the ten specials on their winter menu, and sells about 10 to 15 a night. Last year's hot big seller was the $9.50 Goldfinger cocktail. Calling for 2 1/2 oz. chai, 1 1/2 oz. Grey Goose Vanilla, splashes of Goldschlager and cream, and steamed with the espresso wand, it was garnished with whipped cream and gold dust.

Operators can cash in on the hot spirited beverage segment with a variety of new flavored options. They can also turn up the coziness meter with some candlelight or overstuffed lounge chairs, creating another point of winter differentiation. Whether it's a contemporary name for the drink, stylish garnish, unexpected ingredient or eye-catching vessel it's served in, hot drinks offer a winter of profits. Just promise me you won't stick an umbrella in it.

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Winter Warmers

Photo courtesy Monin

Roasted Chocolate Martini

1/2 oz. Monin Caramel
1 oz. coconut rum
1/2 oz. chocolate liqueur
3 oz. premium hot cocoa

Stir ingredients in a mixing tin. Strain into a warmed glass rimmed with toasted coconut.

Bananas Foster Martini

1/2 oz. Monin Chai
1 1/2 oz. coconut rum
1/2 oz. banana liqueur
2 oz. hot water

Stir ingredients in a mixing tin. Strain into a warmed Martini glass and float dried banana chips in glass.

Roasted Gingerbread Martini

1/2 oz. Monin Gingerbread
1/2 oz. Monin Chai
1 1/2 oz. premium vodka
2 oz. hot water

Stir ingredients in a mixing tin. Strain into a warmed Martini glass and garnish with a cinnamon stick and lemon twist.

Don't Hog The Grog!

2 oz. Sailor Jerry Rum
2 oz. hot water
2/3 oz. lime juice
1 tsp. brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick

Combine all in a small saucepan. Heat until brown sugar is dissolved and pour into a sturdy mug.

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The next three are from the Wisconsin Room Library Bar, American Club, Kohler, WI.

Hot Apple Pie

1 oz. Tuaca
6 oz. hot apple cider

Combine all; garnish with whipped cream and cinnamon.

Club Cocoa

Hot cocoa (6-8 oz.)
3/4 oz. butterscotch schnapps
3/4 oz. Kahlua
1/2 cinnamon schnapps

Combine all; garnish with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

B-52 Coffee

3/4 oz. Baileys Irish Cream
3/4 oz. Kahlua
1/2 oz. Grand Marnier
6 oz. coffee

Combine all; garnish with whipped cream.