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The Resurgence of Gin by Trevor Kallies When I first started drinking alcoholic beverages, my “cocktail” (and I use this term very loosely) of choice was a shot of London Dry Gin mixed with Mountain Dew. It was a sugar-bomb and I was definitely drinking it for the sugar and not so much for the juniper. Thankfully, that drink only lasted a summer and before long I was enjoying the complexities of gin on its own or mixed in cocktails. Gin dates back a few years, to say the least. The mention of juniper in alcohol can be found as early as the 1300s during the bubonic plague. Juniper was known to be diuretic, so throughout history, you can see the use of juniper spirits emerge in times of this sort of hardship. Leaps and bounds have been made in gin production over the past 700 years. On a retail level, as little as ten years ago you would be hard pressed to find more than five options for gin in a liquor store. The usual suspects were there, of course, and when combined with grocery store grade tonic water, you’d be able to mix a drink. It was easily a spirit category gone by the wayside. I watched daily from behind my bar as the people around me gave up gin martinis for vodka, and the Vodka Soda rose to super stardom. Enter the vodka hater inside me. The cocktail bartender in my head shouts to be heard over the din of a busy cocktail bar: “Why not have a gin and soda instead of vodka? There’s so much more flavour!” The culture bartender (vests, armbands and twisted moustaches) all had the same opinion: vodka just wasn't cool to mix. It all just ended up tasting like what you put it in. Thankfully, the spirits companies were not discouraged by the giant that is vodka. In the past ten years, those five gin choices of old have grown to hundreds. Artisanal distilleries have popped up all over the world and are producing amazing juniper spirits. The first new distillery in over 200 years has opened within the London city limits and is producing gin! Iconic brands that are hundreds of years old are coming out with line extensions that make sense (you won’t find whipped vanilla gin). The botanicals within the liquid have reached new heights. The use of aromatic and flavourful tea has been added to production, so we’re not trapped in the box of only grain spirits. There are gins out there using grape and grape flowers as the base. The list of new forms and flavours of gin goes on and on. So, why do we suddenly have a resurgence of gin? There are a few angles to the answer: First - the bartender, who is a very dominant force when looking at what people drink. If a company can get a few bartenders behind them to push a product, the sky is the limit. The gin industry made some smart moves when it started hiring the world’s most influential bartenders to represent its brands. The likes of Charlotte Voissey, Phillip Duff, Simon Ford, and Dan Warner were all pushing gin, and bartenders loved it. Second - We aren’t drinking our grandmother’s gin. There is a whole new sub-category of gin on the market today. This contemporary gin isn’t Old Tom, Plymouth, or London Dry. It has added softer flavours and in some cases reduced the juniper. It is floral, aromatic, and flavorful with many layers and is very drinkable. The old boys still do very well, but the consumer now sees a flashy package, a luxury price point, and a drinkable product. The experience begins. Third - Cocktails. It is safe to say that cocktails have gone mainstream. Ryan Gosling is making Old Fashioned cocktails for Emma Stone in romantic comedies. Alfred Pennyworth is name-dropping Fernet Branca in Gotham City. These references may have been subtle for some, so I’ll add one more: GQ magazine is running multi-page pictorials of the most inspiring gin bartenders in North America. Their monthly readership: 824,334 paid subscriptions in the US alone. There you have it - GQ wants you to drink gin too. So, be sure your bar and store are stocking up on some of the new additions to the gin lineup. Killjoy Barbers G&T • 2 oz. contemporary gin (look for something with a modern feel to it, with cucumber as a flavour agent, grape, or tea - many will work) • 1 sprig fresh thyme • 1 orange peel (just the peel, no pith, wide is ok) • Bitters (look for something modern and outside the Angostura realm; Bittered Sling makes an amazing orange & juniper) • 1 thin slice cucumber • Tonic Mix in a rocks glass over quality ice. Trevor Kallies is Bar & Beverage Director at Donnelly Group. 8 The Publican
Beer LIQUOR SALES & TRENDS For Total BC Market April 1, 2012 to November 24, 2012 Volume % Change Gross Sales % Change Marketshare Litre Sales BC Liquor Stores 54,659,034 -2.3% $233,500,798 -2.0% 29.9% LRS 82,378,013 0.2% $351,006,001 0.3% 45.0% Licensee 40,003,050 -3.9% $151,021,184 -2.7% 19.3% Other 10,606,335 -2.1% $45,277,518 5.8% Product Total from All Sources 187,646,433 -1.5% $780,805,501 -1.2% Spirits Volume % Change Gross Sales % Change Marketshare Litre Sales BC Liquor Stores 7,274,395 -2.2% $235,660,487 -0.3% 47.1% LRS 5,530,988 3.9% $173,614,335 4.9% 34.7% Licensee 2,014,421 -1.0% $65,464,679 -0.2% 13.1% Other 1,075,010 0.8% $25,905,251 5.2% Product Total from All Sources 15,894,814 0.2% $500,644,752 -0.7% Wine Volume % Change Gross Sales % Change Marketshare Litre Sales BC Liquor Stores 20,370,181 0.7% $285,652,691 2.8% 45.4% LRS 10,655,636 5.9% $138,515,601 8.1% 22.0% Licensee 5,478,092 -0.7% $91,170,315 0.0% 14.5% Other 5,252,394 5.6% $113,469,376 18.0% Product Total from All Sources 41,756,303 2.4% $628,807,983 3.8% Refreshment Beverage Volume % Change Gross Sales % Change Marketshare Litre Sales BC Liquor Stores 6,812,900 2.3% $31,739,826 2.3% 32.2% LRS 10,804,167 7.7% $52,003,744 7.3% 52.8% Licensee 1,581,257 -2.4% $7,959,978 -2.7% 8.1% Other 1,390,180 6.8% $6,726,983 6.8% Product Total from All Sources 20,588,504 5.0% $98,430,531 4.5% Note: (1) Measured in Gross Retail Sales Dollars. (2) Report includes all liquor sales from BC market. Source: BC Liquor Distribution Branch The Publican 9
Page 1 and 2: the Publican The Alliance of Bevera
Page 3 and 4: Featured Publican Steve Pauls at Mo
Page 5 and 6: STOCK UP FOR SUMMER WITH THE LATEST
Page 7: What's New? by Debbie Minke Beer, C
Page 11 and 12: Photo courtesy of Crow & Gate Pub R
Page 13 and 14: Store Layout When planning a store
Page 15 and 16: If you own a pub, chances are you
Page 17 and 18: How to Run Your Daily Deal If you
Page 19 and 20: HERMANN'S DARK LAGER Dark Lager Can
Page 21 and 22: We’re on Facebook, Twitter, Urban
Page 23 and 24: The moratorium on issuing new licen
Page 25 and 26: Police Practices and Impaired Drivi
Page 27 and 28: For a small, independent establishm
Page 29 and 30: Wine Report by Ralf Joneikies Wine
Page 31 and 32: Human Resources by Shane Isley and
Page 33 and 34: Names in the News by Debbie Minke A
Page 35 and 36: ABLE Benefits by Ian Baillie Have y
Page 37 and 38: the bartenders as to how to prepare
Page 39: INTRODUCING MAPLE FINISHED THE SMOO

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