OLD IS NEW

OLD
IS
NEW
Liqueurs
Are Back
in Vogue
~by Robert Simonson~
The "Alaska" with Green and Yellow Chartreuse
According to DISCUS, while the
overall numbers of cases sold in the
cordials category show a 4.3% decline
in 2009 from the prior year, it still represents the third largest spirits category
in volume behind vodka and rum. Of
course, cordials also contains more
flavors and brands than any other category. And despite the decline in 2009,
the cordial category is up over 17% from
2000. (20.4 million cases sold in 2009
vs. 17.4 in 2000).
At the start of the current century,
Rob Cooper, the scion of Charles Jacquin
et Cie, a family-owned liquor company
that owned the rights to once-popular
liqueurs like Crème Yvette, took a long
look at the then-moldering liqueur landscape. “The overall picture in liqueurs in
2001-2002 was a bit stagnant in commercial standards,” he recalls. “The renaissance of old classics like Chartreuse and
Bénédictine had yet to take hold.”
Encouraged by the needs of ambitious
and experimental mixologists, he got to
work on a pet project, a new liqueur flavored by the elderflower blossoms that
grow for only a few days on the slopes of
LOOKING BACKWARDS
The sudden popularity of liqueurs, after
many years being the neglected “stepchildren” of the liquor world—as Jennifer Long, brand manager of Patrón’s
coffee liqueur, Patrón XO Café, put
it—goes hand in hand with the cocktail
Renaissance of the 21st century. As old
cocktails were rescued from obscurity, so
too were the go-to ingredients of the preProhibition years. An obsession with the
long-gone Aviation cocktail necessitat-
Photo Credit: Lush Life Productions
N
ot too long ago, age-old bottles of liqueurs
like Galliano and Cherry Heering sat behind
the bar, gathering dust and wondering looks,
but few requests from tipplers. Today, barkeeps reach
for them so often, they’re likely to be equipped with a
pour spout.
the Alps. In 2007, St-Germain was introduced and immediately embraced by cocktail circles. By 2008, it was ubiquitous,
finding its way into at least one or two
concoctions in any striving cocktail den.
Cooper shies away from the boast
that St-Germain nearly single-handedly
altered the fortunes and image of the liqueur field. But no one can argue that the
broad category has gone, in a few years,
from forlorn to vibrant, and St-Germain
is an apt symbol of that rebirth.
ed the reclamation of the violet-scented
liqueurs Crème de Violette and Crème
Yvette. And when legendary Seattle
bartender Murray Stenson took up the
forgotten Last Word as a personal cause,
both Green Chartreuse and Luxardo—
ingredients in the gin-based drink—suddenly received a new lease on life.
“At the beginning we were rediscovering all these classic cocktails,” remembers Erick Castro, who until recently was
bar manager at San Francisco’s Rickhouse. “And at a certain point you begin
to think, how can I change this drink up?
And you start to notice the liqueurs and
all those bottles behind the bar.”
Gran Gala Triple Orange Liqueur
is one brand that has seen the benefits.
According to Kristy Crane, marketing
manager for Gemini Spirits: “Bartenders are embracing Gran Gala. We have
enjoyed seeing true classics like the Old
Fashioned make big comebacks and receive contemporary twists from modern
mixologists. The Gran Old Fashioned
is a simple mix of Eagle Rare bourbon,
Gran Gala and cherry bitters—a beautiful rendition of a timeless cocktail.”
In part, liqueurs languished for so
long because many late-20thcentury
bartenders, as well as their patrons, understood little about them. Simply put,
liqueurs are spirits that have been both
sweetened and flavored. Beyond that,
it gets very complicated very quickly.
“Liqueurs is an interesting market, because it’s made up of so many different
things,” says Bill Topf, VP,
pearance: Bénédictine,
liqueurs and gins at Diageo,
the brandy-based herbal
which owns leading liqueurs
liqueur created in France
Baileys and Godiva. The
in 1510, made hay out
base spirit can be anything
of its 500th anniversary;
from Cognac (the triple sec
Drambuie, which made a
variant Grand Marnier) to
splash among the Rusty
Gran Old Fashioned
with Gran Gala
Scotch (Drambuie) to rum
Knot-swilling Rat Pack, as
(the creamy Tres Leches). They can
well as its Irish-whiskey based
be flavored by fruit (the peach of Southcounterpart, Irish Mist, got themselves
ern Comfort) or herbs and spices (the
sleek new bottles; raspberry-flavored
Italian favorites Strega and Galliano).
Chambord, too, updated its packaging for
And the marriage of ingredients may be
the first time in decades; and Dubonnet
reached through infusion, maceration or
pushed to remind mixologists that the
compounding.
apéritif was an adept cocktail mixer. Even
In a way, liqueurs were the last part
the old category workhorse, DeKuyper,
of the cocktail equation to be given a leg
got in on the action, introducing its
up by the mixology boom. “The DNA of
range liqueurs. For some liqueur brands
most cocktails call for three ingredients:
sales have rocketed: Luxardo Maraschino
your base spirit, your sweet and your sour,”
liqueur found itself a back-bar staple, and
says Scott Goldman, president of Cadre
Chartreuse, because of its fashionable
Noir Imports, which includes Combier
ties to the cocktail elite, bumped up its
Original Triple Sec in its small portfolio.
prices sharply. Brands with mysterious ap“People recognized the importance of a
peal – think Belgian liqueur, Mandarine
base spirit, now they realize how fresh fruit
Napoléon, a blend of aged Cognacs and
is important, as well as the sweet compoherbs and oils from Sicilian tangerines, or
nent; if you’re going to have a Margarita
Branca Menta, the herby mint version of
and call for good Tequila and fresh lime
sister Fernet Branca—also became favorjuice, it doesn’t make sense to use inferior
ites with experimental bartenders.
triple sec.”
Meanwhile, new liqueurs were being
rolled out in great numbers. John CooMODERN APPEAL
per’s ginger-flavored, VSOP CognacThe Mount Rushmore brands of the libased Domaine de Canton, launched
queur world took notice of what was goin 2008, is one of the category’s biggest
ing on behind English and American bars
successes. The blue liqueur Hpnotiq,
and, not wanting to go uninvited to the
made from vodka, Cognac and tropicocktail ball, they spruced up their apcal fruit juices, and invented in 2001,
Liqueurs
is now in 35 countries. Another
exotic fruit cordial, Heaven Hill's
pomegranate-flavored PAMA, has
also made its mark since arriving in
2007. “Pomegranates have gone from
a trend to a mainstay, particularly
on cocktail menus,” says Reid Hafer, senior brand manager. “We think
PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur was key
in this development; cocktail lovers
identify with pomegranate as a fruit,
rather than a fad.”
In fall 2009, the Ketel One team
launched Harlem, a citrus-herbal, 80proof liqueur aimed at giving industry
giant Jägermeister a run for its money in
the shots market. “Bartenders are really
starting to believe that taste matters in
a shot, so we’ve received a tremendous
amount of support from bartenders looking for a better tasting shot drink to serve
their customers,” explains Carl Nolet, Jr.,
executive VP of Nolet Spirits, USA.
In contrast, the makers of Fragoli,
an Italian liqueur bottled with the small
wild strawberries from which it draws its
flavor, have been busy carving out an image as one-of-a-kind bottling, chasing
the attention of chefs as well as bartenders. “We see Fragoli as being the next Tabasco,” says Joey Ballin of Classic Marketing Company.
Honey, a honey-infused bourbon
that effectively created a lucrative
new category in bourbon country; its
sales jumped 53% from 2008 to 2009.
Evan Williams followed suit with its
own honey-shot product.
Monte Cassino with Bénédictine
a number of products, some new to the
U.S. Among them: Antica Sambuca, a
flavored sambuca launched in the States
in early 2009; Dolce Nero espresso liqueur,
“In the last few years,
people have looked to
entertaining at home
more. They have brands
that they know, that are
very comfortable to use.”
-Bill Topf,
VP Liqueurs and gins, Diageo
which arrived roughly a year later; Berentzen apple liqueur, a 100-year-old product which has had a cult following in the
U.S. military overseas; and Pisa, a blend
THE DEMAND CONTINUES
of almonds, pistachios and hazelnuts,
And there’s more. Perhaps one of the
packaged in an equally distincmore talked-about new liqueurs during
tive tilted bottle. “I think that
the last year is Hum. Created by
there is a movement, particuChicago bartender Adam Seger
larly on-premise, toward using
and London bartender Joe Mcpremium liqueurs in cocktails.
Canta, its rum base is infused
Mixologists are getting betwith green cardamom, hibiscus,
ter and do not want to mix
ginger and kaffir limes.
premium spirits with cheap,
The Alizé line of Cognac
artificial tasting liqueurs,” atand vodka-based liqueurs,
tests Mark Tucker, director
meanwhile,
has
arguably
of marketing.
been the most hyper-industriThis rekindled interest
ous in the industry, introducing
in the category also inspired
new line extensions and bottle
brands not known for liredesigns on a regular basis over
queurs to take a chance on
the past decade.
a new product. Wild TurAdmiral Imports has aimed its
key,
for example, won over
Pretty Rickey
sights on the mixology world with
with St. Germain
consumers with American
Holiday Party
When the economic crisis hit, it isn’t
news that restaurants suffered customers taking the party indoors. Yet
for the liqueur category in particular, a
category with sales that show a significant spike during the holidays, when
home entertaining is at its max, the
trend is a positive.
According to Topf, “In the last few
years, people have looked to entertaining
at home more. They have brands that they
know, that are very comfortable to use.”
“In 2009 the economy changed
consumers’ behavior and they started
to dine out less and spend more time
at home with family and friends,” says
Michelle Sanders, senior brand manager of Kahlúa at Pernod Ricard USA.
“Kahlúa is a great fit with the at-home
drinking occasion, especially when it
comes to couples or small groups socializing; Kahlúa’s brand loyalty has actually increased over the last year.”
And, even as we’re in recovery mode
and the on-premise picks up steam, the
off-premise channel continues to be
vital to the growth of the liqueur category. Pernod Ricard, for example, is
planning a big push and re-branding for
Kahlúa, and expects to spend $14 million in above the line advertising to get
the message out. There will also be new
product innovation gracing the shelves
beginning in October with the release
of limited-edition Kahlúa Peppermint
Mocha. “Consumers look for something
that’s easy but spectacular to impress
guests with around the holidays. Kahlúa Peppermint Mocha is simply delicious on the rocks, or in hot coffee, and
it makes the perfect complement to hot
cocoa. We’re already getting requests
from the field to consider bringing it
back again next year.” n