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BREWS & BOOZE
Summer’s Top
Tasty Eats &
Local Drinks
Mocktail Magic
Why non-alcoholic cocktails
are this summer’s latest trend
Our 5 favorite
local Craft Brews
May 2017 Issue 6
9780863 1385779
Patio-Perfect Cocktails
Margaritas, Mojitos & More

Mocktail Magic
Cater to the
teetotaler set
with a selection
of specialty
nonalcoholic
beverages.
By Tracy Morin
source JD Parties Staff
source CxRA
Some may say that there’s
no substitute for the real
thing, but the explosion
of mocktails is proving
otherwise. Incorporating specialty
nonalcoholic drinks, or mocktails,
into your menu is a ticket to
big beverage profits—and can
work whether or not you have
a bar at your establishment.
Mocktails appeal to both kids
and adults, are fun and easy to
make, and help you make more
money from the beverage side
of your menu. Sarah Stroker,
marketing and communications
specialist for Torani, a flavored
syrup manufacturer based in
South San Francisco, California,
lists the multitude of benefits of
serving mocktails at your business:
“They differentiate your menu,
build incremental sales, increase
check profitability, enhance guest
satisfaction and drive alternate
daypart traffic—they
allow a customer to
order a premium
beverage at
both lunch and
dinner.”
These
specialty
beverages
are also
steadily gaining
in popularity.
According to
a recent study by
Chicago-based foodservice
consultants Technomic, published
in the company’s latest Beverage
Consumer Trend Report, mocktails
are a “hot area of innovation.”
“Consumer interest in specialty
beverages has been on the rise
for some time now,” explains
Erik Thoresen, senior manager of
product innovation for Technomic.
“Mocktails fit nicely into this trend
because of their unique flavor
profiles and premium positioning.”
If you think mocktails would fit
your business, this article will get
you started on the right track to
specialty beverage success.
Selling Suggestions
“Mocktails fit
nicely into this trend
because of their
unique flavor profiles and
premium positioning.”
You can market mocktails using a
variety of angles. Consider these
suggestions:
Word of mouth.
Make sure that servers encourage
guests to think outside the box by
suggesting mocktails to customers
before taking their drink orders
(and encourage employees to
mention these specialty beverages
with delivery and takeout orders
as well). Thoresen points out that
this technique is effective because
many customers don’t know what
they will order to drink when they
first sit down. And, if your
list of mocktails is
lengthy, servers
can help by
offering
suggestions.
“The No.
1 way that
we let our
customers
know about our mocktails
is through the training of our
waitstaff,” says Andrew Robertson,
service manager of Sal and
Mookie’s (www.salandmookies.
com) in Jackson, Mississippi. “As
part of the greeting of a table,
our servers mention the mocktail
menu and point out any personal
favorites.” Sal and Mookie’s, a
New York-style pizzeria, offers a
variety of “Mookie’s Mocktails,”
which encompass 15 juice- or
soda-and-syrup styles and 17
Torani spritzers (plus seven
sugar-free varieties). The server
suggestions, in combination with a
detailed and descriptive mocktails
menu, help guests narrow down
the choices.
Menu marketing.
When you add mocktails to the
mix, you’ll need to put them
on your regular menu (or add
them to a separate drink menu).
If your pizzeria caters to mostly
adults, arranging them next to
the alcoholic beverages may be
a good idea, so that those who
seek an alternative to alcohol
will be able to review them. This
placement will also highlight the
uniqueness of the beverages
Nothing will cool you down like
this summer’s mocktails rimmed
with fruits.

and set them apart. “What really
differentiates mocktails is the
fact that they are often made
from scratch, similar to the way
a cocktail is prepared,” Thoresen
points out. “Because of this,
they really appeal to consumers
who seek a fresh, hand-crafted
beverage experience.”
What if your pizzeria is more
family-friendly? If you have a
separate kids menu, list at least
a few of the mocktails there,
because mocktails definitely
appeal to younger customers
(who aren’t likely to see the
alcoholic beverage menu).
Boston’s The Gourmet
Pizza (www.
bostonsgourmet.
com), a chain
based in
Dallas,
unveiled in
2007 its new
kids menu
offerings
with several
mocktail
choices, such
as Sour Apple
Soda and Strawberry
Melonade (a strawberrywatermelon
lemonade). “They’re
on our kids menus at all times, and
also rotate onto our promotional
menu,” says Erika Buesing, director
of marketing for Boston’s. “We
just featured them on our summer
promotional menu.”
Keep in mind that, as with any
menu, wording can make or
break the sale. Use mouthwatering
descriptions that make
customers want to try the drinks.
Also point out any special features
of the drinks, such as “all natural,”
“made with organic juice,” or
“topped off with a wedge of juicy
pineapple.” Technomic’s Beverage
“What really
differentiates mocktails
is the fact that they
are often made
from scratch”
Consumer
Trend Report
found that
using certain
terms can
appeal to
customers’ healthconscious
sides and
increase the perceived
quality of the drinks: 38% of
consumer respondents said that
the description “100% fruit juice”
would make them more likely
to order the beverage, while
32% said that the phrase “natural
ingredients” would entice them
to buy.
And don’t hesitate to show
the drinks to guests; add them
to table tents and menus to
encourage impulse buys. Some
manufacturers of mocktail
ingredients or equipment, such as
drink mix or ice-blended machine
companies, offer point-of-sale
materials, such as signs, posters,
etc., to help with the visual aspect
of marketing. “I would also
suggest that the restaurant display
the flavored syrup bottles, just as
a bar would display its high-end
liquors on a glass shelf behind the
bar,” advises Robertson. “They are
truly a selling point as well.”
Sampling and specials.
Offering samples to customers is
an effective way to advertise your
specialty beverages, because once
customers taste them, they’re
more likely to purchase the full
size (just make sure the sample
is delicious!). “We sample on our
busiest nights,” says Robertson.
“We create a couple of pitchers
of the mocktails and have the host
walk through the waiting area,
pouring samples for our guests. A
pizzeria owner might even want
to do a drink special on certain
nights—the Nonalcoholic Happy
Hour, when all mocktails are
half-price with the purchase of a
pizza.”
Even the mere sight of fun
mocktails can get customers
Watermelon & Fresh Mountain
Mint Mocktail contains the
unique taste of Ricola.
source Carole King
hankering to try them. “We know
of operators who send servers
walking through the dining room
with a tray full of incredible drinks
just to entice sales,” says Stroker.
“A beautiful drink has great ‘metoo’
potential!”
LTO options.
Limited-time-only beverages make
up another area that is growing
in the restaurant world, so why
not combine these two trends
and offer some LTO mocktails?
“A great way to market new
offerings without diluting the
current beverage menu is to offer
specialty mocktail drinks as LTOs,”
says Stroker. “By introducing these
new unique drinks in that manner,
they’re likely to generate more
interest and trial.”
Through making an LTO offer,
you’ll also be able to determine
which flavor combinations
are most popular with your
customers, helping you decide
which should be added to the
permanent menu. “Promoting
mocktails as limited-time offers is a
good way for pizzeria operators to
experiment and gauge the demand
of their patrons,” says Thoresen. “But
managing a revolving portfolio of
LTOs in a profitable manner presents
a number of challenges, so careful
monitoring is essential.”
Pricing.
When it comes to pricing your
mocktails, you want to make sure
you’re making sufficient profit, but
you also don’t want to price them
so high that no one buys. “You must
ensure your target food and beverage
costs are met; we target our cost for
nonalcoholic drinks at 28%,” explains
Robertson. “The conflicting side is the
need to ensure that there’s a tangible
price/value relationship, and that the
product is not priced beyond the
customer’s value range.” He goes
on to note that, once pricing is set,
strict control—of pours, giveaways
and mistakes—is key to ensuring that
profits stay in line with predictions.
But, ultimately, the consensus is clear:
Mocktails can be very profitable.
“They allow you to raise your perperson
average by at least $1 to
$1.25,” he says.
“Mocktails have the advantage
of being at a higher price point
than sodas and teas,” Stroker says.
“Restaurateurs could be looking at a
60% to 80% profit margin per drink;
in terms of overall profit, a restaurant
could see an average top-line
increase of up to 25% from beverage
sales alone!”
Creation Station.
Getting started. Mocktails, like
alcoholic beverages, can take many
forms. First, decide which types
you’d like to offer. You can create
juice-based martinis, syrup-andsoda
or -juice combinations, frozen
Recipes
source Jennifer
Cranberry Kiss
6 oz. Ocean Spray
Cranberry Juice Cocktail
1 oz. orange juice
Club soda
Orange wedge, for
garnish
Pour cranberry juice and
orange juice into a glass
with ice. Top with club
soda.Garnish with an
orange wedge.
source Smucker’s Foodservice
Raspberry Cream
Lemonade
1 c. lemonade
½ c. crushed ice
½ c. vanilla ice cream
2 oz. Smucker’s
Raspberry PlateScrapers,
plus more for garnish
Blend all ingredients.
Serve in a glass
decorated and topped
with Smucker’s Raspberry
PlateScrapers.
57| May 2017 BREWS & BOOZE
BREWS & BOOZE May 2017 |58