The word ‘summer’ comes from the Old English ‘sumor’, which is derived from the Indo-European root sem- which also produced the Sanskrit sama, meaning “half year”.
Inverarity Morton has launched a brand new range of wine for this summer. The range consists of a crisp Sauvignon Blanc and a fruity Pinot Noir. It is named The Boundary Hut where Australian shepherds used to rest to keep an eye on their sheep. Obviously before wire fencing was invented!
The soft drinks market generated sales of more than £4.1bn (up 4.3% from 2014) in the licensed trade, according to a recent Britvic Soft Drinks Report. Packaged soft drinks were the biggest driver which grew by +5.5% in value in 2015 comparable with +3.1% draught).
Kopparberg is the number one packaged cider in the on-trade. Last year it launched a frozen version in the off-trade. Although it’s yet to announce bringing the line into the on-trade, it’s investing £6m into the frozen brand through its Urban Summer festival events.
Every year, The Eiffel Tower grows in summer. On a hot day, the iron from which it is constructed expands so much that the tower can rise by 17cm (6¾in).
Ever wondered how the “Knickerbocker Glory” got its name? It was inspired by the shape of the Knickerbocker Glory glass that resembled the tapered knee-length knickerbocker shorts worn by sports players from the 1600s.
Premium spirits are growing quicker than mainstream spirits up +19% compared to +1.9% for This strong growth means consumers are also wanting premium mixers too… (+14%).
The warmest summer the UK has experienced on the record books, to date, was in 2006, offering average daytime temperatures of 36.5ºC or 97.7ºF.
Meanwhile the sunniest summer ever to make the record book was in 1976, when the UK enjoyed a whopping 669 hours of bright sunshine!
Pairing wine and food on your menu can pay dividends, as customers often take the menu recommendation. There are well known matches including Sauvignon Blanc with oysters or goat cheese, full-bodied red wine with a plain steak or full-flavoured game, and Eiswein with strong blue cheese.
Britvic has a premium glass bottle format of its Lipton Iced Tea. However if you are serving it to costumers they advise you to use jam jars, with orange discs, lemon slices and a straw with lots of ice as a perfect serve. Its combination of sweet, sour and bitter flavours make it an ideal accompaniment to food.
The original bottled cider, Magners, has launched new packaging which includes a pull off ring top in the trade, so you can serve your customers quicker.
Fresh garnishes needn’t be as much of a hassle as you’d think. Raspberries, strawberries and even olives can be frozen. Cucumber for your traditional Pimms can be also be frozen. You could try quirky garnishes like cucumber slices in ice-cubes if you sell a lot of gin, or frozen grapes if you’re selling a lot of spritzers.
When it comes to white wine – if you have stored it in your fridges then the chances are it is too cold. Light, fruity whites, such as French whites from the Loire, Alsace and Bordeaux, lighter Australian whites, and all Sauvignon Blancs are best at 7ºC to 10ºC (two hours in the fridge; bottle cold to the touch). Only the simplest wines should be ice cold (below 7ºC; three hours in the fridge). Basic Spanish and Portuguese whites and sweet wines, rosés and non-vintage sparkling wines.
Drinks often follow fashion trends and it will be no different this summer. The ‘80’s are back in vogue on the catwalk and guess what the time is now right to put retro cocktails back on the menu… Long Island Iced Tea, Harvey Wallbanger’s, Pina Colada’s. Look out your cocktail umbrella’s and maraschino cherries! The difference in 2016 is that you’ll be using premium spirits and fresh ingredients.
Fruit cider is the fastest growing cider in the category (CGA 12/15).
J20’s range called Spritz is a good alternative to the soft drink question. With three flavours – apple and watermelon, peach and apricot and pear and raspberry – they’re quite different to the more child-friendly flavours.
According to new research commissioned by Diageo casual get-togethers are now the biggest occasion in the on-trade with 9 out of 10 people agreeing cocktails would make their summer social get-togethers more special. Cocktails also provide licensees with a real opportunity to secure repeat custom with cocktail drinkers more likely to revisit an outlet than non-cocktail drinkers.
Red wine is often drunk too warm, particularly in the summer, why not chill the wine? According to journalist Tim Atkin writing in The Guardian, “…you can chill pretty much anything red to 14ºC.” He continued, “14ºC is no problem for lighter-bodied red grapes such as Pinot Noir, Gamay, Corvina, Tempranillo and Cabernet.