The mantras of “less is more” and “quality, not quantity” continue to hold true in the current economic climate. Beverage consumers feel burned if they spend their precious few discretionary dollars on a sipping experience that is anything less than inspiring. Part of the trend toward delivering a more quality experience is to keep tapping into local flavors, interesting presentations, and new herb and fruit combinations, a movement showing no signs of abating any time soon.

LIGHT, FRESH, AND FUNNY
NYLO Providence/Warwick in Providence, Rhode Island, is one of three NYLO properties (the others being in Plano and Irving, Texas) concepted as “ultra-modern boutique hotels.” The beverage program is built for comfort, relaxation, and on-trend satisfaction. A summer-specific menu flip capitalizes on the property’s 3,000-square foot deck overlooking the Pawtuxet River. The season’s alterations heighten the fun factor of an already whimsical drink menu that plays on the fact that NYLO is located in the Pontiac Mills complex, site of the original Fruit of the Loom factory.

“Our beverage program, since its inception in late 2008, is playfully geared toward underpants,” Director of F&B Maggie Longo says with a laugh. “One drink [made with X-Rated Fusion liqueur and fresh juices] is called the Pontiac Mills Panty-Dropper.”

The summer menu flip also includes the BVD cocktail, containing two Bacardi rums (Cóco and Gold), Hpnotiq, sweet vermouth, and fresh orange juice, squeezed in-house. The Deck Swing is an Arnold Palmer variation featuring Carolina Sweet Tea Vodka and house-made lemonade. The pour cost for the Deck Swing is low, thanks to using just one spirit, Longo says.

The “Classic and Contemporary” menu section features a traditional Moscow Mule with Stolichnaya but with fresh ginger, lime, and ginger beer. Papa’s Perfect Daiquiri is made with Bacardi, cane sugar, and lime.

BOTTLED SUMMER SUCCESS
As at NYLO, an outdoor patio provides the setting for summer relaxation at Chef Art Smith’s Art & Soul Restaurant in the Capitol Hill Liaison Hotel, an Affinia property in Washington D.C. Sims Foster is corporate director of restaurants and bars for Denihan Hospitality Group, the New York-based hotel management and development company encompassing three brands—Affinia Hotels, the James (Chicago), and the Benjamin (New York City), each catering to distinctively different market segments.

“Each of the properties has different programs; we don’t have a corporate cocktail program that I roll out,” Foster says, noting that Denihan’s food and beverage focus is on celebrity chef-driven restaurants unique to each hotel property.

Foster says the order of the summer day at Art & Soul is cocktails in mason jars, “to fit our Southern background and to complement the food, which is contemporary but regionally inspired. We do four or five cocktails in mason jars. The best selling is the Sweet Bourbon Peach Tea. It fits very well with the concept.”

At Denihan’s Affinia Chicago is C-House restaurant, where Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s seafood and chops concept, including a raw bar, is a logical summer destination even before contemplating beverage options. Of course, it’s hard not to crave a cold one when sitting at C-View, the hotel’s rooftop bar, with views of downtown Chicago. And it’s even easier for guests to relax when the price is right; hence “bottled service.” That’s right— bottled, not bottle—service. It’s a ready-made cocktail in a bottle, so guests can pour their own refills.

“People aren’t as quick to buy bottles, so bottle sales are down,” Foster says. “But when you have a group of six people, where you’d want a group drinking experience, we do bottled service, which comes in a beautiful bottle for $45.”

Cocktails offered by the bottle include sangrias and a caipirinha. “I wasn’t sure about this as a concept,” Foster says, “but they’re doing surprisingly well.” Another summer hit at the property is large-format beers—750-milliliter bottles of brews including Lindemans Peche Lambic—for guests to share.

SUPERLATIVE SIPS
The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown property in Washington, D.C., began its Wine by the Fireplace program in the Lobby Lounge last fall. Moving into summer, Director of Operations Ian McPhee and his team continued the concept, emphasizing white wines. “Even though the fireplace is not lit, it lends itself to an incredible setting for the summer wine program.”

McPhee says he partners with vendors to present monthly tasting flights—complimentary to guests, who, once intrigued by the free sips of three types of wine, may purchase a glass for $10 to $13.

The Georgetown hotel also instituted a summer drinks program in its Degrees Bar & Lounge, as well as the Lobby Bar. While some of the drinks originate from a corporate plan, the “Superlative Summer Cocktails” menu features drinks unique to the property, created by the hotel’s bartenders. Take, for example, the Blue Basil, which marries blueberries and basil leaf with simple syrup and Stolichnaya. Then there’s the Caribbean Kiss, made with Bacardi Limón, raspberries, blueberries, fresh mint leaves, and B&B liqueur, topped off with Moët & Chandon Champagne.

Fresh fruit flavors and effervescent bubbly are a sure-fire way to have guests spouting superlatives about cocktails this summer.

Tad Wilkes, managing editor of HOTEL F&B, has covered on-premise hospitality for the past decade.

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