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www.cheersonline.com
28
| 
may 2009
 
Czar of the Spirits World 
Popular vodka drinks atSan Francisco’s Clock Bar include, from left, the Vodka Tonic, Moscow Muleand the Persephone.
 Vodka’s decline as thespirit of choice has beengreatly exaggerated.
By Jack Robertiello
 
www.cheersonline.com
29
may 2009
| 
S, t smtms  b mts.
 
But vodka also sells. It’s the on-premise cash-cow, the spiritthat pays the rent. And despite the current economic tide, thecategory is growing with every new avor, line extension andbrand introduced. Let there be no conusion: Vodka is rmly established as the most reliably protable commodity in the on-premise business.Vodka continued its dominance in 2008, gaining marketshare in the U.S. with sales that now surpass 55.1 million 9-litercases, according to
Cheers 
parent Te Beverage InormationGroup, a 4.9 percent gain over 2007. It accounts or nearly 30percent o total U.S. spirits sales at this point, and dominatesmost top brand lists; vodka accounted or 23 o the 53
Cheers 
 Growth Brands winners this year (see cheersonline.com or the wine and spirits Growth Brands coverage in our March issue).op brands come rom all price points and places on the map:Smirnof and UV rom the U.S., Svedka rom Sweden, TreeOlives rom England, Cîroc rom France, not to mention thepowerhouses that lead the category—Absolut, Grey Goose,Skyy, Stolichnaya and Ketel One, among others.New vodkas arrive all the time; the latest include BelvedereIX Vodka—pronounced One-X—which has ginseng, guarana,açaí, ginger, sweet almond, jasmine, eucalyptus, cinnamon andblack cherry, as well as Absolut Mango, the latest extensionrom the second best selling vodka brand, Absolut.Recently the cocktail boom, arguably started in the late 1990sby the vodka-liqueur-ruit juice triumvirate known generically as “Martinis,” has shited attention to other spirits. Many so-called Martini bars, including landmark ini Bigs in Seattle,have cut back on their extensive vodka-based menus. Chainsespecially have been orced to reduce spirits inventory, and they are looking to winnow the vodkas on their shelves, making ittougher or new ones to get introduced.Boston-based Uno Chicago Grill now limits each o its morethan 200 restaurants to no more than 15 vodka SKUs. Chicago-based Morton’s the Steakhouse once stocked 35 at each o its 76U.S. restaurants, but now the number is closer to 25.
Quick and Safe
It may be harder or new brands, but that doesn’t mean vodkahas dropped in guest popularity; Vodka onics, Vodka Rocksand Vodka Martinis still are extremely popular orders, especially on Friday and Saturday nights, when the category can accountor as much as 50 percent o a bar’s beverage alcohol receipts.Te ease and speed with which vodka drinkers choose theiravorites—with a splash o cranberry, soda or tonic, usually—is
Vodka.
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.
 
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may 2009
a boon to busy bartenders, says Jackson Cannon, bar managerat Eastern Standard Kitchen & Drinks, a Boston-based loungethat serves American cuisine. “When I’m slammed, I’m happy to have many Highball orders to survive the night, as opposedto high-construction cocktails. Te person who’s ordering thatHighball tends to get his drink aster.”Part o vodka’s appeal lies in its reliability. “I you’re walkinginto random bars asking or Sazeracs, you’re going to get morebad ones than good ones. But it’s hard to mess up a Vodka andonic,” says Marco Dionysos, head bartender at Clock Bar inSan Francisco’s Westin St. Francis, part o the San Francisco-based Mina Restaurant Group. He speculates that the majority o any restaurant’s customers go out only on weekends and don’tchange their drink orders much.Even at bars that have stellar cocktail reputations, such as Clock Bar, vodka still leads sales. “Our top-selling drink since openinghas been a Ketel One Martini despite two pages o eaturedand classic cocktails displayed prominently in our menu,” notesDionysos. Te hot drink recently has been Persephone, $14,a cocktail Dionysos added ater lots o customers requestedpomegranate Martinis. Te drink is made with Charbay Pomegranate Vodka, pomegranate juice and prosecco.Clock Bar opened with only one vodka drink, the Moscow Mule, $12. With a small back bar, the Clock keeps inventory tight, ocusing on local avorites Charbay and Hangar One,as well as limited national brands. “People are generally happy drinking any o the leading brands i they are ater a vodkacocktail,” he says.
The SpiriT of choice
Meanwhile, some standout vodka-ocused operationscontinue to do quite well. ake Red Square, celebrating its 10thyear in the Mandalay Bay Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Te
 At the Eastern Standard in Boston, the Salsify Gimlet is made with amix of Hammer + Sickle Vodka, salsify purée, Seville orange cordial and Angostura Bitters.
Leading Vodka Brands
(Thousands of 9-liter cases)
Brand Supplier2008p
SmirnoffDiageo9,375Absolut Pernod Ricard USA4,746Grey GooseBacardi USA3,459SkyySkyy Spirits USA2,485SvedkaConstellation Spirits (Spirits Marque One)2,200StolichnayaWilliam Grant & Sons2,000Ketel One Diageo/Nolet Spirits1,969McCormick VodkaMcCormick Distilling1,930Popov VodkaDiageo1,815Barton VodkaConstellation Spirits/Barton1,699Skol VodkaConstellation Spirits/Barton1,592
(p) Preliminary
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