Spirits are high and bottles are flying as Wyndham tries out its new team-building event for groups. It’s a cocktail-creating competition, just one of the new cocktail collaborations between Wyndham and Kim Haasarud, founder of Liquid Architecture, a hip beverage consultancy in Los Angeles.

“I’m excited about the whole program,” says Fernando Salazar, VP of F&B for Wyndham Worldwide. “It’s going to create a lot of enthusiasm, not only among guests, but also with our bartenders. I always say food and beverage is a sexy part of the hotel business. Drinks have that allure. We’re trying to break old habits and create a passion for handcrafted cocktails.”

Salazar has found a partner who shares that passion in Kim Haasarud. “My whole approach is from a culinary perspective,” she says. “Getting back to classic cocktails isn’t just using old recipes. For me, it’s using premium spirits and the very best ingredients.”

COCKTAIL ROSTER
Their first challenge has been to overhaul the drink menu for all outlets. “We have 10 cocktails we’ve developed together to launch in the first quarter of 2009,” Salazar says. “We see more than ever that the classics are coming back. So many of our new items are classics with a modern twist. And we’re trying to use fruits with high antioxidant benefits.”

Haasarud looked at the initial list and saw right away where she could make changes. “The list was very vodka heavy, maybe 80 percent. We pared that back to make room for tequila, rum, campari, and gin.” Out with the Pomegranate Martini, in with the new Pomegranate Sidecar. All the Cosmo variations got equally slimmed, and the ubiquitous Margarita gave way to a new concoction with elderflower liqueur.

“You need to do more than add some juice to vodka and call it a martini,” says Haasarud— a position martini purists have been waiting impatiently to hear since the ‘90s. “I wanted to create cocktails familiar to guests with a fresh spin and great ingredients. I looked at the list and asked how we could add a trendy flavor profile to a classic cocktail. Instead of just lemon in the Sidecar, the addition of pomegranate plays well off the Cognac. We have a sparkling Raspberry Mojito with raspberry purée and a splash of Champagne.”

BANQUET BATCHES
Wyndham’s next opportunity is banquet cocktails. “There are a few real advantages with banquets,” says Haasarud. “There is adequate time to plan and prepare. You know when the customers will arrive, how many, and how long the event will last. Why not take advantage of that?”

Salazar says the goal is to develop highquality cocktails that can be batched for 50 to 500 people. “The typical bar setup has wine, beer, and mixed drinks. We want to offer the meeting planner a signature cocktail choice. Suppose they pick Mojitos and Cosmopolitans. We prepare in advance so the cocktails can be presented as attendees enter. Or they can be offered in stations where guests can choose from wine, beer, a Cosmo, or a Mojito. And the line isn’t 10 deep because it’s all pre-batched,” he says. Wyndham is starting with four to six batched banquet options, with plans to grow the line to as many as 12.

But how does a pre-batched cocktail taste? Does the romance disappear? Can the guest tell the difference? “It’s invisible to the guest,” reports Salazar. “We’ve tested it—one à la minute and another batched, and the guest cannot tell the difference.”

Haasarud’s contribution was key. “She played with the recipes until she had the right portions for each ingredient,” Salazar says. “She delivered a final product that tastes exactly the same as a cocktail made to order.” To accomplish this, Haasarud maintains a sophisticated spreadsheet of how to adapt each recipe for various quantities.

“The batch can be prepared and ready to serve one to two hours ahead of time,” says Salazar. Recipes are created with specific premium alcohols but can be adapted if someone has a strong preference. “The components are refrigerated, and since they aren’t in contact with ice, they’re not diluted.”

Consider the batched Mojito. The mint is prepared in advance and layered between wet paper towels. All the lime juice is squeezed and refrigerated. Haasarud helps bring it together. “The classic Mojito requires a lot of steps: squeeze the juice, add the syrup, chop the mint—six or seven steps. But at a banquet event, everyone shows up at once,” she says. “We combine the lime, syrup, and rum, pre-set the mint, crush the ice, and it’s ready to go. Once I have the ingredients in order, I can whip out 25 Mojitos in just five minutes. The bar is set up with fresh mint and lime displays. There are no bottlenecks. It’s a big hit.”

“It helps on pricing because we can do it in batches,” notes Salazar. “But mostly it’s about offering variety and flexibility for the hotel and meeting planners. It’s another option, instead of just an open bar with wine and beer.”

COCKTAIL COMPETITIONS
Meeting guests become mad scientists behind the bar with Wyndham’s new “Liquid Chef” competitions. “It’s an effort to give groups another tool to get attendees excited,” says Salazar. “Great for teambuilding, we divide meeting guests into teams of three to six, depending on the group size. We give them the same tools: muddler, citrus squeezer, shaker, etc., a table full of ingredients, glassware, alcohol, mixers and simple syrup made onsite, and the secret ingredient.”

Teams have 30 minutes to create the winning cocktail. The final product is judged on creativity, flavor, and best use of the secret ingredients. It seems like it could be a complicated formula for a whole lot of sloshed meeting guests, but Salazar observes quite the opposite. “The team is busy. They get focused and competitive. One person gets the ice crushed, another runs for the rum, another carves the fruit. We actually had to adjust for more setups because groups can get very competitive and won’t bring the rum back.”

Haasarud saw the program come to life in surprising ways too. “We announced the secret ingredient: pineapple. Well, people are more creative than we sometimes give them credit for. We got terrific submissions. They were tearing wheatgrass out of the display, carving the pineapples. People did these whole-tray cocktail presentations.”

Salazar is working on another meetings event where groups team up to create lunch or dinner. “We have all the elements set up. One group handles each course—appetizer, salad, main course—and the kitchen provides dessert.”

TIMING
During an economic tsunami might seem awkward timing for any rollout, especially one based around premium quality instead of value alternatives. But Salazar is focused clearly on Wyndham’s brand and its mission.

“It’s all about creating a quality environment around our cocktail program,” he says. “Before, we might have delivered three cocktails, and now the customer wants two, or even just one. That experience still must be the best the customer can have. Yes, people are cutting down. Open bars are going by the wayside. The key is to create one drink that is memorable—well-crafted, with the best ingredients, presented impressively. Give the ‘wow’ for whatever drink they order. Let them experience a quality drink in the hand and in the mouth. That in itself creates a festive environment. “It’s not about two-for-one happy hour. It’s about the best drink possible.”

John Paul Boukis is a frequent contributor to HOTEL F&B.