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December 1, 2023by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Program for Unique Holidays: December 2023

Program for Unique Holidays: December 2023

by David Klemt

Do you want to stand out from from other restaurants and bars in your area? Change how you think about your December holiday promotions.

Several holidays are set against every date on the calendar, and this month is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to esoteric.

Pay attention to the “weird” or unique holidays to raise eyebrows, carve out a niche for your restaurant or bar, and attract more guests. Why do what everyone else is already doing? Why program only around the same holidays as everyone else?

Of course, you shouldn’t try to celebrate every holiday, strange or otherwise. Focus on the days that are authentic to your brand; resonate with your guests; and help you grab attention on social media.

You’ll find suggestions for promotions below. However, the idea behind our monthly holiday promotions roundup is to inspire you and your team to get creative and come up with unique programming ideas.

For our November 2023 holidays list, click here.

December 2: Global Fat Bike Day

For the unfamiliar, “fat bikes” are offroad bicycles with larger-than-normal tires. They’re fantastic for navigating sandy, snowy, muddy, and rocky terrain. Why? Because riders can run lower tire pressures to overcome obstacles smoothly.

Of course, plenty of riders also like to bop around town on fat bikes. So, whether you operate in a snowy area or you just happen to be in a market with a bunch of fat-bike riders, this would be the holiday to encourage them to group up and roll to your bar or restaurant.

December 4: National Dice Day

There’s a lot we can do with dice. One of the simplest ways to celebrate this holiday is to craft a food and/or beverage menu with numbered items/specials. Guests roll the dice and they’re served whatever they roll.

December 9: National Pastry Day

Hey, it’s holiday season—people are snacking a bit more than they would normally. Pastry, whether sweet or savory, is surely tempting and can make a holiday meal memorable.

December 11: National Noodle Ring Day

Do you know what a noodle ring is? More importantly, if you’re not the chef, does your kitchen team know about noodle rings?

They’re exactly what they sound like, and from everything I can find, they’re hundreds of years old. The premise is simple: a noodle dish is placed in a mold, then it’s baked. Bang—noodle ring.

Clearly, the noodle ring is a canvas for creativity and comfort food. So, see what your kitchen can come up with for National Noodle Ring Day, particularly if noodle dishes are already on your menu.

December 16: National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

Do you have food items that would taste and look great covered in chocolate? Guess what you should do on this day…

December 19: National Emo Day

You may have heard of the When We Were Young festival that took place in Las Vegas this year in October. The first version of this emo music festival was held in California in 2017.

A lot of people enjoy nostalgia, and during the holidays they get even more nostalgic. You can either hire a DJ for an emo set, hire a local emo band or two, or put together an emo playlist if you think it would draw guests through your doors.

December 20: Games Day

Board games, card games, tabletop games, video games, arcade games, bar games… If your bar or restaurant is set up for people to play games, design a promotion around it. After all, people are gathering for the holidays. Tempt them to gather at your place.

December 21: National Coquito Day

Ah, the Coquito. I’ll risk the pitchforks and say eggnog is not the move: the Coquito is the best winter cocktail. And the best version comes from bartender Giuseppe González.

You’ll find his recipe below, and you should give him a follow and thank him for being gracious enough to share it every year in December.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Giuseppe González (@giuseppe_gonzalez)

December 29: Tick Tock Day

No, not TikTok. This holiday is about accomplishing outstanding goals before the end of the year.

However, operators and their teams can take a different approach to this holiday. Are there any bottles you want to finally get rid of to make space in your inventory? Some rare drams guests can finish off? Create a promotion around them.

December 31: National Champagne Day

Sure, some people may know this day as New Year’s Eve. But really, this is National Champagne Day.

Luckily, it’s not difficult to create promotions around Champers. Whether focusing on dosage, grape varietals, vintage, color, or cocktails, there’s a lot to do with Champagne, and it’s not challenging to shine a spotlight on it on this day.

Image: Ivan Bertolazzi on Pexels

Red Daiquiri with lime wheel garnish on bar

September 13, 2023by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Drink Donnybrook: Let’s Talk Daiquiri

Drink Donnybrook: Let’s Talk Daiquiri

by David Klemt

Like some other simple cocktails, the Daiquiri makes the case for building drinks with but a few elements and with the proper technique.

The keys are the quality of the ingredients, technique, and hospitality. Made with just three items—rum, lime juice, and sugar syrup—the Daiquiri has etched itself onto Cocktail Mount Rushmore. That imaginary cocktail landmark also includes the Margarita, of course.

So simple is the Daiquiri that it’s used to gauge bartender proficiency, much like its peer the Margarita.

Many a well-known bartender—revered, infamous or otherwise—will throw down the Daiquiri gauntlet after encountering an upstart boasting about their latest 10-ingredient, split-base cocktail tomfoolery.

Sure, they can make you a drink that takes ten minutes to build, and you’ll likely remember the experience, for better or worse. But can they knock your socks off with a simple Daiquiri?

But where does the Daiquiri come from? Just like I’ve done with the Martini, Piña Colada, and Whiskey Sour, let’s dive into this classic’s history.

History Lesson

I’m sure you’ll be absolutely aghast to learn that the exact origins of the Daiquiri aren’t crystal clear. However, it’s widely accepted that the cocktail was invented in Cuba two years before the Spanish-American War kicked off in 1898.

The creator was Jennings Cox, a claim backed up by the discovery of a recipe card signed by Cox and dated 1896. It’s believed that the drink was named for the port town of Daiquiri.

Just over a decade later, the Daiquiri was introduced to the United States in 1909 by Rear Admiral Lucius W. Johnson. After trying one in Cuba and liking what he tasted, he brought the recipe back to the Army and Navy Club in Washington, DC. Members introduced others to the Daiquiri, and it eventually became one of the most popular cocktails in the world.

That is, unless you choose to believe the rumor that the drink found itself in New York in 1902.

Going down this path of Daiquiri lore, US Congressman William A. Chanler (D-NY) bought iron mines in Cuba. While he was in Cuba he was introduced to the Daiquiri. In turn, Chanler brought the Daiquiri to New York City, sharing it with several clubs of which he was a member, such as the New York Yacht Club and Knickerbocker Club.

Recipe Refinement

The Daiquiri’s story doesn’t end there, however. There are two important bartenders who deserve credit for refining the original recipe.

First up is Emilio “El Maragato” Gonzalez, who tended bar at the Hotel Plaza in Havana, Cuba. Whereas the Cox build was served in a tall glass over cracked ice, El Maragato is credited as the first to shake and strain the Daiquiri, serving it up it in a coupe. And while Cox used brown sugar in the original, Gonzalez used white sugar.

Then, we have Constantino “Constante” Ribalaigua Vert. Constante owned and worked behind the stick at a bar you may have heard of, El Floridita, also in Havana. If you can’t quite put your finger on why you know that bar’s name, it’s because Earnest Hemingway plays a role in its fame.

Ribalaigua invented the frozen Daiquiri, and subsequently the Papa Doble or Hemingway Daiquiri, which was Constante’s original build with less (or zero) sugar and double the rum.

Jeff “Beachbum” Berry says in his book Potions of the Caribbean that Hemingway once put down 15 Papa Dobles. In another book, To Have and Have Another: A Hemingway Cocktail Companion, author Phillip Greene says Hemingway managed seventeen.

Those who have visited Herbs & Rye, one of the best cocktail bars in America, know that the first cocktail under the Prohibition Era section of the menu is a Hemingway Daiquiri.

Below you’ll find a traditional Daiquiri recipe and the Hemingway Daiquiri build. Cheers!

Recipe

2 ounces Light rum
1 ounce Freshly squeezed lime juice
¾ ounce Demerara sugar syrup
Lime twist to garnish

Either fill a coupe with ice or pull a chilled coupe from your refrigerator. Set aside. Add all ingredients minus the garnish to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into the prepared coupe, garnish, and serve.

Papa Doble aka Hemingway Daiquiri recipe

2 ounces White rum
¾ ounce Freshly squeezed lime juice
½ ounce Freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
½ ounce Maraschino liqueur
Lime wheel to garnish

Follow the build instructions above; it’s that simple!

Image: Tai’s Captures on Unsplash

A bartender serving a cocktail in a pineapple-shaped glass

August 7, 2023by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Drink Donnybrook: Let’s Talk Piña Colada

Drink Donnybrook: Let’s Talk Piña Colada

by David Klemt

Temperatures are rising and there are still about six weeks of summer left, so let’s take a look at a refreshing warm-weather hero: the Piña Colada.

So far we’ve looked at the Martini and Whiskey Sour. Now, it’s another classic’s turn in the Drink Donnybrook spotlight.

One could claim that the Piña Colada is one of the original “lost cocktails.” Of course, that depends on which origin story turns out to be true.

If the Piña Colada dates back to the first quarter of the 19th century, then it’s a pirate cocktail once lost to the winds of time. Puerto Rican pirate Roberto Cofresí, also known as El Pirata Cofresí, supposedly served his crews a drink consisting of rum, coconut, and pineapple. Sounds like a Piña Colada to me.

The reason I said it could be considered an original lost cocktail is that Cofresí died in 1825. Disputed history says his drink recipe disappeared with his death.

However, the Piña Colada may have far less metal roots than being invented by a famous pirate. Puerto Rico’s official drink may have simply been created by a bartender.

One Drink, Three Bartenders

Ramón “Monchito” Marrero may have created the Piña Colada while at the helm of the Beachcomber Bar at the Caribe Hilton in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1952. Or maybe it was 1954.

It’s almost like bartenders should be able to more easily protect their intellectual properties so we can identify their cocktails’ true origins.

Forgive the digression. You’ll be shocked—shocked, I say—to learn that another bartender may have created the Piña Colada. During the same year. At the same hotel.

That bartender is Ricardo García, and the claim is that he invented the drink during a coconut shortage.

Would it surprise you to learn that a third bartender working in Old San Juan also claimed credit for the Piña Colada? Ramón Portas Mignot said he came up with this tropical classic in 1963 at Barrachina. The restaurant and bar’s ownership apparently agreed, because they installed a plaque at the front door backing Mignot’s claim.

Hey, if it has a plaque, it must be true; they don’t just give those to anyone. Oh, and you can check out that plaque for yourself: Barrachina still exists and enjoys a 4.5 rating from over 4,100 Google reviews.

A Rough Patch

Unfortunately, once anointed “the world’s most famous drink,” the Piña Colada had a rough, well, several decades.

In the 1970s, the drink’s quality plunged and fell out of favor with cocktailians. Any technique for building the nautical libation went down the bar sink. It was easier and cheaper to just make Piña Coladas with premade mixes and cheap rum.

Add to that the trend toward serving bastardized versions in oversized glassware at mediocre hotel pools, tourist trap hotel bars, weird supper clubs nowhere near a beach, and on cruise ships and you can see why cocktail connoisseurs snubbed this classic.

The Cocktail Revolution of the 2000s helped restore the Piña Colada’s dignity and popularity. It may not find itself in as much demand as the Margarita or Daiquiri, but it’s no longer missing from serious cocktail programs.

So raise a Hurricane—or a cocktail glass or coupe—to the Piña Colada today. ¡Salud!

Recipe

2 ounces Light rum
1 ½ ounces Cream of coconut
1 ½ ounces Pineapple juice
½ ounce Freshly squeezed lime juice
Pineapple leaf and pineapple wedge for garnish

For a more traditional preparation, fill a Hurricane glass with ice and set to the side. Add the liquid ingredients to a shaker with ice. Shake for at least 30 seconds. Toss the ice from the Hurricane glass and replace with pebble ice. Strain cocktail into glass and garnish.

Now, you don’t need to serve a Piña Colada in a Hurricane. Plenty of bars and restaurants send them across the bar in coupes or other cocktails glasses, sans garnish. Speaking of garnishing this classic, some people expect whipped cream, a lime wedge or wheel, a cherry, or even all three. You’ll see bartenders serve them with sugar rims and umbrellas. Like me, you’ve probably also seen them served with an orange wheel.

Then there are the frozen Piña Coladas and fruit Piña Coladas, versions made with various styles of rum… People just can’t seem to resist putting their stamp on this classic.

Dealer’s choice, I suppose, or you can ask guests what preparation and garnish they prefer. Or, and this is the approach I recommend, nail down your bar’s signature Piña Colada, including garnish (or none).

Image: Kike Salazar N on Unsplash

August 1, 2023by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Program for Unique Holidays: August 2023

Program for Unique Holidays: August 2023

by David Klemt

Do you want to stand out from from other restaurants and bars in your area? Change how you think about your August holiday promotions.

Several holidays are set against every date on the calendar, and this month is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to esoteric.

For our July 2023 holidays list, click here.

August 4: International Beer Day

In and of itself, International Beer Day isn’t a unique or obscure holiday. However, with the vast array of brewers, beer styles, and beers on offer around the world, it can be a day to highlight unique and obscure beers.

This is one of the best holidays for you to make your guests aware of your more exclusive or lesser-known beer selections.

August 5: National Jamaican Patty Day

If your kitchen has the capability to make delicious pastries, this is a fantastic holiday. A Jamaican patty consists of layered, flaky crust wrapped around jerk chicken, beef, pork, or vegetables mixed with spices. These are delicious, great with a refreshing drink, and perfect for sharing. Oh, and you and your kitchen can decide how hot or mild to make the spices. Just make sure the flavors are authentic and that you honor the culture.

August 7: British Columbia Day, Heritage Day, Natal Day, New Brunswick Day, Ontario Civic Holiday, Saskatchewan Day, and Terry Fox Day

In order, these are holidays celebrated in the provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Depending on the province, this is either a guaranteed three-day holiday or a Monday that businesses can choose to give their employees off. That means for the most part, there’s plenty of opportunity to leverage a long weekend in seven provinces throughout Canada, perfect for highlighting food and drink promotions.

This also means that operators across America can feature F&B specials that celebrate their neighbors to the north. Get creative!

August 11: Play in the Sand Day

Should you be a beach- or lakefront property or otherwise located on sand, this is your time to shine. Set up games like cornhole, giant Jenga, and giant Connect Four, create an LTO menu that encourages groups to come socialize at your bar or restaurant, and celebrate in the sand.

August 16: National Rum Day

Again, this isn’t an unknown holiday. However, you can ensure you stand out on National Rum Day by getting your hands on unique bottles, such as funky rum styles and high-age-stagement expressions.

August 17: National Nonprofit Day

Do you, your guests, and your team support any nonprofits? If so, this is an excellent way to bring people together and raise some money for worthy causes. Further, National Nonprofit Day provides you with an opportunity to show your community that you care and give back.

August 22: National Bao Day

Much like National Jamaican Patty Day, National Bao Day gives you and your kitchen the opportunity to create fun foods that will excite and delight your guests. Just ensure your kitchen staff is up to the task of creating these delicious, steamed buns.

August 27: National Just Because Day

Have an idea for a promotion that doesn’t quite fit with anything on the calendar? This is the perfect day to let it rip!

August 29: National Lemon Juice Day

Lemon juice is a key ingredient for an incredible number of cocktails. So, shine a light on all the heavy lifting this citrus does in drinks! One way to accomplish this is by creating an LTO of your guests’ favorite drinks that feature lemon juice.

August 31: Eat Outside Day

Have outside seating? Have the capability of bringing food trucks into your parking lot or just outside your business? I think you know where I’m going with this, and what to do.

Image: Ivan Bertolazzi on Pexels

Exterior of Ocean Casino Resort at sunset

May 15, 2023by David Klemt David Klemt No Comments

Ocean’s Summertime Celebrations

Ocean Casino Resort Summertime Celebrations

by David Klemt

Ocean Casino Resort is celebrating an impressive milestone all summer long through creative local business partnerships.

This summer, the resort will reach its fifth anniversary. The festivities will begin May 26, a month before Ocean’s “birthday.”

However, rather than focus solely on the resort and casino, Ocean is choosing to celebrate the community it serves as well. These fifth birthday activations and initiatives are an excellent lesson for operators across all hospitality business categories.

I’m sure operators—all hospitality professionals, really—will agree that restaurants and bars are integral elements of any community’s bedrock. Increasingly, the same can be said of hotels. In fact, large hotel groups are investing in the development of smaller imprints that are tasked with the mission of serving locals and local businesses.

When a restaurant, bar, hotel, or nightclub reaches annual milestones, it’s largely due to community support. Sure, businesses in destination cities benefit greatly from tourist visits. However, for most markets, longevity is anything but assured without local backing and buy-in.

It’s clear that the importance of local support isn’t lost on Ocean. This summer’s celebrations include several local partnerships and community initiatives to pay that support back.

Local Partnerships

Last year, the Ocean leveraged the demise of the Choco Taco. So far in 2023, Ocean has supported Philly and KC during the Big Game, and gotten creative with cocktails that raised funds for the Girl Scout Troops of Southern and Central New Jersey.

Local partnerships are key to Ocean’s five-year celebration:

The Seed: Created Seeds of the Ocean for Ocean’s five-year anniversary.
Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall: Seeds of the Ocean lager will also be available at this local beer hall.
Rhythm & Spirits: Joining forces with Little Water Distillery to feature their gin in the Oceans 5 cocktail.
Little Water Distillery: Their Rusted Revolver Indigenous Gin is the star of the Oceans 5 cocktail, mentioned above. The distillery has also created the Chocolate Cake Martini, featuring Bar 32 chocolate shavings.
Hank Sauce: For those who prefer their celebrations spicy, Ocean and Hank Sauce have collaborated on Across the Boards. This hot sauce will accompany food items at restaurants inside Ocean.
Tony Boloney’s: They’ve created the High 5 pizza to celebrate Ocean’s birthday. This is another collaboration within a collaboration, as it features Seed of the Ocean lager and Across the Boards hot sauce.
Bar 32: What celebration is complete without something sweet? Bar 32 (a bean-to-bar chocolatier) and Ocean will be offering three commemorative chocolate bars: the Berry Pretzel Bar, Party Pretzel Bar, and Salty Peanut Butter Bar.
Mudgirl Studios: Ocean has commissioned several handmade, one-of-one pieces from this non-profit that will be featured not just in common areas on the property but also in some of the guest rooms.
Atlantic City Arts Foundation: To help celebrate its fifth birthday, Ocean has collaborated with the ACAF for a three-panel mural that will have a home at Tennessee Avenue Beer Hall.

Creative & Compelling

What I find most notable about these local partnerships is how several of them intertwine.

Not only did Ocean commission an exclusive beer, a local restaurant chain is using it for a pizza. That same restaurant chain is also using a hot sauce Ocean had created to celebrate their milestone. There are other collaborations that bring Rhythm & Spirits, Little Water Distillery, and Bar 32 together.

However, Ocean is doing more than just supporting a select group of local businesses. Mudgirl Studios employs and empowers at-risk, homeless and formerly incarcerated women. The ACAF, as one would imagine, inspires and empowers people to pursue the arts. Both support and strengthen communities throughout Atlantic City, and Ocean is giving back by supporting them.

In addition to all of that, the celebrations kick off on Memorial Day Weekend with a $300,000 sweepstakes. All in, there will be more than $5 million in promotions and giveaways in play over the course of this summer. From June 24 to July 4, Ocean is putting up one million dollars for a second sweepstakes.

Then there are Tesla giveaways, birthday fireworks, the Birthday Bar Pop-up Experience at 1927 Lounge inside Ocean Resort Casino, and Ocean’s sponsorship of the Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival.

Nola's Bar & Lounge inside Ocean Casino Resort

Look for Ocean’s birthday drinks at property bars like Nola’s Bar & Lounge

Again, it would be easy for Ocean to have simply planned a celebratory weekend, week, or month, focusing solely on themselves. Instead, they’re involving several small businesses and community organizations.

Takeaways

Do I expect restaurant and bar operators to somehow offer $5 million in giveaways to celebrate a milestone? Or even $300,000? Perhaps a Tesla?

No, of course not.

However, I do think operators should really put thought into celebrating their annual milestones. Surviving the first 12 months is a huge achievement. Making it through the first 18 months and hitting the two-year anniversary is just as challenging.

So, operators should take four to six months to plan their celebrations. Additionally, they should view these events as a way to thank the community for supporting them. And, of course, that includes being grateful for beneficial business relationships.

When considering marking these achievements, it’s wise to include local businesses. Craft brewers and distillers, local farmers and vintners, non-profit organizations… All the better if the selected partners can collaborate with one another to make the celebration and partnerships that much more impactful.

Operators should take a page out of Ocean’s celebration handbook and look for creative, thoughtful collaborations. Doing so lifts up others and pays local support forward, in turn making the entire community stronger.

It’s perfectly acceptable for an operator to be proud and celebrate milestones. But it’s even better for operators to celebrate those who help them thrive.

Images courtesy of Ocean Casino Resort