The Sweet Spot

Don’t let things fizzle out at the final course – tart up your digestifs and dessert cocktails and you could soon be reaping rich rewards, says Naren Young

‘If you don’t propose you will never know,’ says Xavier Herit, head bartender at one of New York’s most elegant fine dining restaurants, Daniel. This is his philosophy for selling after dinner drinks to his guests. It’s a part of the meal, he tells me in between sips of Darroze Vintage Armagnac, that is not only important in terms of revenue but for his guests’ overall dining experience.

Many restaurants these days are so focused on numbers that they’ve lost their magic, he continues. And a lot of that magic comes at the end of the meal with the dessert and matching digestifs. And now there’s more choice than ever, as a lot of the old clichés such as scotch are being joined by spirits such as aged tequila and mezcal, both of which are an easy transition from an Islay malt.

If your guests liked and trusted your

earlier suggestions, chances are

they’ll take a digestif too

Now that we’re in the throes of winter, this is also when digestif sales can really climb. And getting that extra sale at the end of a meal can translate to a lot of money in both the bartender’s pocket and the bottom line of your venue come year end, satisfying the numbers game and the customer at once.
Much of the sale of digestifs comes through building up a rapport and trust with your guests over the course of their experience at your venue. If they liked and trusted your earlier suggestions, chances are they’ll take a digestif, even if initially they didn’t really want one. Persuasion is a powerful tool that every person front of house should continually work on. Don’t make your suggestions sound robotic or scripted, make them sincere, passionate and well-informed.

Different Strokes

There’s a multitude of approaches you can take to drive digestif orders. One of the most important is to put it in writing. If you work in a restaurant environment, then, at the very least, you should have a list of your digestif offerings. Many of them are rather obscure to most people, so you need to make these decisions as easy as you can.

Instead of simply listing your digestifs, perhaps include a couple of sentences on each which can help to put your guests at ease. What are madeira, Chartreuse, eaux-de-vie and limoncello? Recommending cocktails or spirits paired with specific desserts can also work wonders for sales.
Sean Muldoon, one of the world’s most respected barkeeps, has just finished up his post at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast, where they have an incredible selection of after dinner options.

‘We have a special after-dinner drinks list that is laid out on two pages,’ he says. ‘One page is after-dinner cocktails and the other is broken down into after dinner spirit and liqueur categories. We have cognacs aged from 20-110 years old, a selection of calvados, 25 Irish whiskeys and 30 Scottish malts, as well as loads of port and some bitter digestifs such as Becherovka, Fernet Branca, Calisay and Gammel Dansk.

‘At the point of the coffee order being taken, the after dinner drinks list is presented and explained to diners. Cocktails are made in the bar, but spirits and liqueurs are wheeled out to the table on an antique trolley and are served tableside by the waiter,’ he says.

Ah, the drinks trolley, the Holy Grail of the after dinner service. It brings a sense of grandeur, sophistication and personalised service to any occasion, and, while it can be an investment to begin with, it’s certain to pay its way in the end with those crucial extra sales. You could even investigate getting yours sponsored by a drinks brand: Paul Mant of Quo Vadis possesses a particularly luxurious model for serving martinis which he had pimped out courtesy of Grey Goose.

Another idea is offering flights of digestifs, as small tastes can be a very easy and successful way to expose your guests to a wider range of spirits. Purchase a series of elegant tasting glasses and perhaps a tasting mat or wooden board to place them on and offer up some concise and interesting tasting notes for them. Digestif flights can be broken down into many categories: amari, whiskies from a particular region or distillery, liqueurs, brandies of the world, different flavoured eaux-de-vies, fortified wines, vintage armagnacs or añejo tequilas.

Assuming that you’re not reading this from a bar in Bermuda, this is also a time of year when hot digestifs and digestif cocktails really find their place in the world; a Spiced Pumpkin Cider, perhaps, or a snifter of calvados from the Pays d’Auge, its subtle orchard aroma gently developing in the warm cup of your hand.

Something Special
Remember that, pre-ice and refrigeration, most mixed drinks were served either hot or at room temperature. Sack possets, Blazers, Toddies, Sangaree, Flips, Punch, Egg Nogg, Cider and the Tom & Jerry are just a few great examples that we can turn to for inspiration in the coldest months. Some pose logistical problems in preparing them while others require a certain degree of skill and dexterity to make with confidence. But if you can manage it (and manage it well), they’re a wonderful addition to any winter drinks menu. Blazers tableside? Yes please.

Alternatively, why not turn your coffee service into something special? It could be a simple Irish Coffee or variations thereof. It could be something extravagant like the New Orleans classic Café Brulot (made with coffee, orange liqueur and spices).

Or maybe it’s a vodka-based Espresso Martini – although I think even better results can be achieved by replacing the vodka with a dark base spirit such as the deeply rich Zacapa rum from Guatemala and some sort of liqueur such as amaretto, Frangelico, Licor 43 or Barenjager.

Match it with some chocolate truffles and you have an easy dessert pairing that can be done in almost any bar.

This is also a time of year

when hot digestifs and digestif cocktails

really find their place in the world

Or you could take it a step further and create your own list of dessert-style cocktails. One establishment that has had phenomenal success with this is Dylan Prime, a high-end steakhouse in New York’s Tribeca district which has become famous for its list of trademarked ‘Pie-Tinis’ and ‘Cake-Tails’ (pictured, right). You may scoff, says owner Michael Waterhouse, but these indulgent drinks now net him around $200,000 a year in revenue.

‘The initial idea was to offer something to people that were too full for dessert but that were riffs on familiar pies such as pumpkin, apple, key lime, mud or peach cobbler,’ he told me. ‘I also wanted something female-friendly, especially in a steakhouse environment, which can be overly masculine. A lot of cocktail purists say they’re not real cocktails, whatever that means. But after I tell them how much revenue they provide, they quiet down pretty quickly.’

Not just an afterthought
The wide world of digestifs has its obvious staples – wonderfully deserved I must add – of which cognac, port and single malt scotch rule the roost. But what of the myriad other more unusual choices we can turn to as our guests’ night winds down? Here are a few:

Armagnac
Cognac may get all the accolades but armagnac, which actually predates cognac by several hundred years, should be getting more air play. It is made in almost the same way as cognac except it is column distilled (once) as opposed to pot (twice) and is aged in different woods that make its flavour profile lean more towards nutty, biscuity and sometimes rustic. The fact that many of them are vintage is a great selling point because they’re going to be different each year.

Marc & grappa
In France they drink marc, essentially the same drink as Italy’s grappa, which is made from the leftover skins, pips and stalks after wine production. They are an acquired taste – if you find them a little harsh, try a slug in an espresso or some of the flavoured variations featuring ingredients such as camomile and honey. 

Madeira
Madeira is a family of fortified wines that have been produced on the Portuguese island of the same name since at least the 16th century. Like sherries, they receive some degree of oxidation and they come in several styles: from sweet dessert wines to bone dry aperitifs. Most of the sweeter varieties are made from the Malvasia grape and work deliciously with nutty or caramel-based desserts.

Eaux-de-Vie
Literally meaning ‘water of life’, these clear fruit brandies are most often found around the Alsace region of France and Germany and into parts of Austria and Switzerland. Most often served chilled either just before dessert or after, they are very dry (as no sugar is added) and the fruit flavour is very subtle.

Amari
In their earliest incarnation, amari, or ‘bitters’, were used as tonics to settle the stomach and remedy various maladies. They are usually a secret blend of various herbs, spices, flowers and fruits and, depending on how much sugar or caramel is added to them, their flavour profile can range from nutty and toffee-like, to intense notes of burnt orange, mint and chocolate.

Agave Spirits
Sipping tequilas, especially in the añejo and extra añejo categories, make for some of the most wonderful ways to finish a night and are fast getting the respect of the spirit connoisseur. Rich and heady with notes of toffee, vanilla, spice, dried fruits, nuts and toasted oak, these can be as complex as any other spirit out there. Or try an aged mezcal for something uniquely complex.

ILLUSTRATION: MARIE-HELENE JEEVES

Editorial feature from Imbibe Magazine – January/February 2011

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