Bitter sweet

A tipple before and after a meal can improve the eating out experience provided it’s the right one. John Porter reports on the latest trends.

The concept of pre and post dinner cocktails can sometimes seem like something from another age, along the lines of Jeeves knocking up a martini for Bertie Wooster or crusty colonels passing the port to the left in the officers' mess.

Pubs and restaurants, which haven't paid attention to the need to co-ordinate the range of drinks on offer to the menu, could be missing out on valuable sales.

Wine sales boomed alongside the growth of food and the general increase in wine drinking by UK consumers.

However, there is evidence that the on trade wine market is getting tougher.

Research by analyst Wine Intelligence showed last year that 11% of regular wine drinkers don't buy wine at all when they go out to pubs and restaurants, a figure up from 7% in 2007.

One reason often cited by both consumers and suppliers for this reluctance is the direct comparison consumers can make between the price of a bottle of wine bought in a supermarket and the higher price charged when eating out. As off trade deals have increased and consumer spending becomes more cautious, this has become an increasing issue.

Cocktails and mixed drinks overcome this problem because consumers are less able to make a direct comparison between the cost of making such drinks at home. A well-planned range of digestifs and aperitifs served by well-trained bar staff also adds some theatre to eating out, making it more of a special occasion and encouraging customers to spend a little more.

The key to getting the offer right is to understand the core difference between a pre and post dinner drink, believes award winning bartender Jamie Stephenson.

Through his role as a brand ambassador for Drambuie, as well as developing signature cocktails for distributor Hi-Spirits and providing specialist training through the Bar Academy business, Stephenson has devoted plenty of time to raising industry standards.

However, he finds that even very proficient bartenders sometimes fail to appreciate the essential differences. "An aperitif is a type of drink which is traditionally used to open the palate and prepare the body for ingestion," he says. "Digestifs are drinks that accompany or replace the dessert course."

There is evidence that some operators are catching on to the possibilities. Sherry, a classic aperitif, has seen a boom in sales over the past few years and last year saw the opening of the UK's first dedicated sherry bar, Bar Pepito in King's Cross, London.

Trading alongside authentic tapas restaurant Camion, it makes a virtue of the fact that sherry is the perfect palate cleanser for the range of flavours offered.

Gin is another classic aperitif, and the Negroni cocktail originally created in 1919 is experiencing a resurgence in many bars. One of its exponents is Christopher Hayman, great grandson of the creator of Beefeater Gin and the driving force behind Hayman's London Dry Gin, which has a fresh, crisp, balanced flavour.

Another exponent of the gin aperitif is Ian Goodman, head bartender at the Oxo Tower.

The winner of a competition organised by gin brand No.209, Goodman created an aperitif which mixed gin with lychees and apricot to win his place in the fi nal in San Francisco where No.209 is produced.

His overall winning creation, Summer of Love, made from gin dashed with elderflower, peach and ginger liqueurs, has proved a hit at the Oxo Tower with diners looking for something to fi re up their appetite. "It was a fantastic opportunity, and I was delighted to win. No.209 is genuinely a great gin to work with. The botanicals give it a distinctive fl avour and it's very mixable," says Goodman.

Leading spirits supplier Diageo has also recognised the opportunity of linking its brands with food in response to the growth of eating out in the on trade. This summer has seen selected outlets offer Pimm's Royale, a variant on a classic champagne cocktail. The recipe includes 25ml of Diageo's Pimm's poured into a champagne glass, with 25ml of chilled cava or champagne added, finished off with a strawberry garnish.

At the other end of the meal, Diageo has launched a campaign to make Baileys the drink of choice. With only three in 10 diners choosing a pudding when eating out according to analyst Mintel, POS and menus have been developed which position the brand as an after food sweet treat to prompt purchase. Serves and variants includes Baileys latte, which also ticks the box of being different to anything consumers would usually serve at home.

Understanding the various characteristics of different drinks is essential to growing sales of spirits, which makes training crucial.

Initiatives from suppliers include the Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands (BBFB) training team which hosts training sessions for bartenders and bar owners around the UK.

"Designed to help those in the drinks industry to maximise their spirits and cocktail offerings, the training team roadshows offer an interactive and engaging programme for bar professionals to improve their overall skills and expertise," says Alex Turner, head of product training and mixology at BBFB. The sessions include practical coaching in making mixed drinks and cocktails from each category.

Dan Reuby, customer development director at Pernod Ricard UK, adds: "Staff training can make a big difference to profit margins – staff that are able to create a perfect drink, every time, will encourage longer stays, trial and repeat visits."

Pernod Ricard operates brand ambassador roadshows, which involves one day bartender education sessions. The company also operates the "Drinkology" website, which Reuby says "is playing a huge role in bartender education and knowledge sharing". Members of the trade can join the "Drinkology community" at www.drinkology.com