Cordially yours: cordials have solidly evolved from after-dinner afterthought to mainstream cocktail ingredient

Cheers, July-August, 2002 by Michael Sherer

Bastions of tradition are trembling. The Old School members are turning over in their graves. For the sipping of aromatic and flavorful liqueurs from snifters while sifting in a cushy wing-back chair is a dying art.

That doesn't mean cordials and liqueurs are dying, though. Far from it. In combinations that may make purists shudder, cordials are more popular than ever as featured ingredients in mainstream Martinis and Margaritas.

Places like New York's famous Rainbow Room still serve Manhattans, Sidecars and after-dinner liqueurs. But rather than a Bellini -- invented at Harry's Bar in Venice, whose owners, the Cipriani family now run the Rainbow Room -- trendy establishments now are more likely to serve a Bellini Martini, using peach schnapps as an ingredient.

One of the drinks featured recently at the T.G.I. Friday's chain is the "Blue Storm," a concoction Southern Comfort, blue curacao, peach schnapps and pina colada mix.

The Bennigan's chain just introduced a new stand-alone beverage and dessert menu that features about 30 specialty drinks, most flavored with some sort of cordial. The chain's "Patio Punch" is a tropical drink containing Midori, Malibu, blue curayao, DeKuyper Tropical Pineapple Schnapps and sour mix. Designed to be shared, it's served in a 60-ounce bowl for $12.95. The chain has strict rules on how it's served and to whom.

"Our customers want fun, fruity, tropical drinks," said Jim Barnett, Bennigan's corporate beverage manager. "We've always been a beer house, but with the built-in branding of these concept style drinks we become a destination for signature drinks like Patio Punch."

"After-dinner drinks were dying off slowly," said Duncan Homer, B&B/Benedictine brand manager at Bacardi USA, "because consumers of traditional liqueurs are a lot older and because of DUI laws. People are drinking cocktails before dinner, not after."

And that early hour drinking has created many opportunities. "It's a very exciting time for cordials in general because of the resurgence of classic cocktails, with a twist," said Chris Gretchko, group product director at Jim Beam Brands. "People are experimenting with taste m food and in drinks."

The explosion of cocktails using cordials as flavoring ingredients has been driven in large part by younger drinkers. Young consumers are part of a generation brought up on an incredible variety of beverages including soda, teas, water, seltzer and more. They also have had a choice of flavors in a number of categories, not just beverages. When even oatmeal comes in eight flavors, consumers look for new flavor experiences.

Cordials offer consumers those unique flavor experiences. They're sweet and lower in alcohol, making them easy to drink. Cocktails made with cordials also are visually appealing. "The category as a whole is about a variety of flavors that heighten the experience," said Gretchko. "They intensify the color and enhance the drink."

"Cordials now play a large part on our drink menu because they're the flavoring ingredient," said Barnett, "and they help us go after the young, affluent crowd that goes out three or four times a week. Because they have a lower alcohol level, cordials give you a good entry and reduce the fear factor of over-serving."

Cordials also are being used to add flavor and flair to traditional cocktails, generating a lot of excitement in many operations.

"People are making up cocktail recipes and using cordials as ingredients instead of stand-alone drinks," said Tracy Finklang, corporate beverage manager for Old Chicago Restaurants and Rock Bottom Breweries. Sour-flavored schnapps, for example, are popular in Martinis and mixed drinks at Old Chicago.

Martinis also are becoming big at Bennigan's, better known for its Copper Clover beer club. The chain's Tropical Martini features 99 Bananas, DeKuyper's Pineapple Schnapps, Smirnoff Orange Vodka, Smirnoff Raspberry Twist Vodka and a dash of mango puree. The Irish Eyes Martini is Bennigan's version of the "Appletini." Its signature martini, however, is Death by Chocolate, named after the chain's trademarked dessert. It contains Smirnoff Vanilla Twist Vodka, Baileys Irish Cream and Godiva chocolate liqueur.

HOT SHOTS

Mixed shots also are still hot, especially among the late-night crowd. Bartenders and consumers are getting ever more inventive with all the flavors available, coming up with new strangely-named combinations all the time.

"Jagermeister is still huge," said Finklang, "and it's being used a lot in mixed shots like the Black Hole, Black Death and Surfer on Acid. Schnapps and Goldshlager still have a following, too."

"The late-night crowd is definitely still into shots with brands like Jagermeister and Goldshlager," Barnett said. "Tuaca is an up and coming brand."

Since the major benefit cordials offer is flavor, producers are emphasizing mix-ability. For older, more traditional liqueurs, that has sometimes meant repositioning the brand. There aren't too many cordials, however, that can't find a use in today's cocktail culture.