Beverage

Coconut water is everywhere on shelves… but not on restaurant drink menus. Maybe it’s time for that to change.

Coconut water is the clear liquid inside young, green coconuts. It’s not thick and rich like coconut milk, but it adds a silkiness and subtle sweetness to any drink. Long served as an instant refresher right out of the coconut, it has more recently been packaged and marketed as a sports recovery drink and hydrating beverage.

With broad appeal to wellness-focused customers, coconut water can be a winner for restaurants. Here are seven suggestions for ways to add it to the menu.

Did you know that Hamilton Beach Commercial once ran a high-performance blender for more than 1 million cycles, back-to-back? Visitors to our offices in Richmond, Virginia could see it at work, blending (and blending, and blending) a pink silicone-based liquid that was meant to simulate a smoothie.

At Hamilton Beach Commercial, we never stop challenging, testing and improving our blenders — even after almost a century of manufacturing them. Here’s an inside look at how we do it!

Hamilton Beach Commercial has been working with the Dairy Queen® system to develop an automated, hands-free mixer for the iconic BLIZZARD® frozen treat. Today, we’re proud to announce that American Dairy Queen Corp. has recognized Hamilton Beach Commercial as its 2018 Equipment Supplier of the Year.

“They’ve done for us what we hope all vendors will do for us in the future,” the Executive Vice President-Strategic Initiatives for American Dairy Queen Corp. noted during the awards presentation at its annual Supplier Summit. “Through diligent development and testing, they brought…innovation and technology to our restaurant production core, on a product that is really, really important to our system.”

Celebrity chef Kathy Casey’s favorite word is “wow.” She applies it to everything she does: cocktail creation, menu consulting, restaurant development, TV hosting and cookbook writing. She’s the owner of Kathy Casey Food Studios - Liquid Kitchen, a global food, beverage, and concept development and innovation agency.

In an increasingly competitive marketplace, how can restaurant and bar operators serve up that wow factor? “Always do something that is a little bit different, whether it’s a serving vessel, a garnish or an unexpected ingredient. Do something that sets you apart,” Casey says. “For instance, using a tiny wooden clothespin to secure a cocktail garnish; that extra little touch makes it memorable. When it comes to food, a combination of textures, unexpected flavors, and a unique presentation can make it a photo-worthy snap.”  

The popularity of craft cocktails is only expected to grow in 2016, and will account for 10 percent of all spirits sales by 2020.  Bar customers want a show. “Theatre remains very, very strong with cocktails ordered," Katy Carter, Cellar Trends’ research and brand manager, tells The Spirits Business. "Great looking drinks sell best  — although speed is important in high-volume accounts.”

Customers want creative drinks, made with flair — but they want them fast. How can beverage directors keep up with cocktail trends while balancing speed and finesse? Here are some strategies to try.