Document 6608765

NOVEMBER 21, 2014 | MODERN DISTILLERY AGE
Louis Royer Cognac’s “Show Me the
Proof!” High Proof Cognac
Cocktail Competition
Louis Royer Cognac has named the seven finalists of the third annual “Show
Me the Proof!” High Proof Cognac Cocktail Competition. The competition
features Louis Royer “Force 53” VSOP Cognac, and 109 recipes were submitted
by craft bartenders across the country in this year’s competition.
The finalists will compete in New York City at Bacchanal restaurant on
December 1 for a grand prize of an all-expense-paid trip to Jarnac and Paris in
France as well as $1,000 in cash prizes for both second and third places.
The seven finalists are Brett Esler, Whisler’s (Austin, Texas), Gregory Buda;
The Dead Rabbit (New York City); Jason Cousins, Da Claudio (New York City);
Justin Noel, Sweetwater Social (New York City); Luis Hernandez, Bacchanal
(New York City); Shae Minnillo, Maison Premiere (Brooklyn, N.Y.); and Timothy
Miner, The Long Island Bar (Brooklyn, N.Y.).
Judges will be Dale DeGroff, mixologist and founder of the Museum of the
American Cocktail; Paul Pacult, spirits critic and publisher/editor of The Spirit
Journal; Steve Olson, founder of aka wine geek and a spirits, wine and cocktail
expert; Jack Robertiello, spirits and cocktail writer; Jerome Royer, Louis Royer
Cognac’s Master Selector and a fifth-generation family member; Sother
Teague, bartender at Amor y Amargo and co-winner of the grand prize of the
second annual “Show Me the Proof!” High Proof Cognac Cocktail Competition;
and Pamela Wiznitzer, bartender at The Dead Rabbit and co-winner of the
grand prize of the second annual “Show Me the Proof!” High Proof Cognac
Cocktail Competition.
The cocktail recipe compilation was executed by the competition’s partner,
ShakeStir.com, an online community of bartenders and mixologists, which
promoted the competition to its members.
VOLUME 5 | NUMBER 39
Virginia ABC Won’t Raise
Spirits Prices Across the
Board
The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage
Control Board has decided in a special meeting to
forgo an across-the-board markup on distilled spirits,
and instead approved several revenue-enhancing
initiatives that will ultimately result in a shelf-price
increase of less than two percent. The changes will
become effective December 8.
“The revenue generated from these initiatives will
do ABC’s part to help close the state’s budget deficit,
but just as importantly, these funds will be used
to modernize ABC’s aging infrastructure,” said ABC
Chairman Jeffrey Painter.
Painter along with commissioners Judy Napier
and Henry Marsh voted to increase the case handling
fee from $1 to $2, a process that has not seen a fee
increase since 1988 and comes closer to recovering
the agency’s actual costs; raise the markup on
miniature (50-ml) bottles from 49% to 69% to bring it
in line with all other distilled spirits markups; and alter
the current roundup from five cents to nine cents, an
initiative called “rounding to the nines.” This measure
will raise the price of a bottle of spirits that currently
sells for $19.90 or $19.95 to $19.99.
The case handling fee and “rounding to the nines”
initiative will raise the price of an average $15 bottle
by approximately 24 to 29 cents. The markup increase
on “minis” is expected to add approximately 15 cents
to the top-selling miniature currently priced at $1.30.
continued on page 5
ABL Economic Study
American Beverage Licensees (ABL) has released
an updated economic impact study detailing the
positive effect that America’s beer, wine and spirits
retailers have on their local, state and national
economies through job creation, good wages and
direct economic contribution.
The 2014 Economic Impact Study of America’s Beer,
Wine and Spirits Retailers provides an in-depth look at
the positive role that beverage licensees are playing
by generating more than 1.77 million jobs from direct
retail alcohol sales. The total economic impact of
America’s beer, wine and spirits retail industry is more
than $245 billion.
continued on page 5
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