Shooting stars

Everyone has an opinion about shots and shooters but never mind the puritans, says Ben McFarland, just think of the soaring profits.

They may not be big and they may not be clever, but shots and shooters represent a hand-rubbing, money-making opportunity for the nation's publicans.

The down-in-one category, to give it its other title, is now worth an impressive £150m and while it may not be growing at the meteoric rate it once was, the choice of brands has never been greater.

The market is now a mature one and the days when the only shot option was a face-contorting rough tequila, a lick of salt and a slurp on a lemon are long gone. Since After Shock got the ball rolling in 1997, gaining a huge following in the process, a plethora of concepts have followed with some staying on the bandwagon and others tumbling off.

With the dust settled, the market can now loosely be divided into three distinct categories. Firstly, there's the pre-packaged shot sub-sector that subscribes to the age-old adage that all good things come in small packages.

It started in 2000 when Bulmers launched Sidekick, a range of schnapps-based drinks that caught drinkers' imaginations with its innovative, single-serve glass designed to sit on the rim of a pint glass or on top of a bottle of beer.

Having initially exceeded even the expectations of its creator, Sidekick did not get the attention it deserved at the troubled Bulmers stable.

However its switch to Halewood International earlier this year may be the shot in the arm that the brand requires.

A brand revamp and a £1m advertising campaign is reportedly in the offing, which should turn the heat up on the rival me-too, Screamers, from Coors Brewers.

Another player in the ready-to-knock-back arena is Bad Jelly. Given its name as a way of distinguishing it from the stuff you get at children's parties, Bad Jelly, 15 per cent ABV, offers a whole new dimension to the shot phenomenon.

"It's not a massive part of the market but you can do things with jellies that you can't do with normal shot concepts," says Barnaby Richardson, marketing director at Bad Jelly.

The "body shot", in which jellies are sucked off part of a companion's anatomy, is all the rage and steps have been taken to make it more drinkable from the pot with the introduction of fins.

A twist of the lid now removes the jelly from the sides of the container, meaning that customers don't have to suffer the indignity of scooping it out with their fingers.

The second type of down-in-one concepts are those free from the shackles of packaging and designed specifically to be seen off rather than savoured.

The first bespoke product which was launched with this in mind was After Shock and there is little sign that its market-leading status is under threat, despite the arrival of all kinds of weird, wonderful and wacky challengers.

Other brands competing at the premium end, that's to say those weighing in at around the 40 per cent ABV mark, include the gold-flaked Goldschlager, Jagermeister, WKD 40, GBL International's Fire and Ice and the recently launched Scorpion - a five-flavoured range of tequila-based drinks from Hayman Distillers.

While there is obviously a strong following among testosterone-fuelled hedonistic males for drinks of this strength, you can have too much of a good thing and when faced with a heady list of shooters and peer pressure, people often do.

Chris Anderson, Maxxium UK's senior marketing manager for After Shock and the shooter category, urges licensees to promote them responsibly.

"We're always opposed to binge-drinking. There are some licensees who put restrictions on the number they sell as a way of discouraging excessive drinking," he says. "But we can't control what the on-trade wants to do, although we do say that one shot is enough for some people."

For those unwilling to punch above their weight, a dazzling array of shots with a slightly less challenging ABV are available, such as Maxxium's Sourz and GBL's Corky's.

This often represents a better opportunity for licensees as not only does it prevent people over-doing it, it can throw a few extra quid in the till.

Research has revealed that consumers are not really aware of the strength of these products and bars can often sell 20 per cent and 40 per cent shots at the same price.

"There are around about 57 per cent of drinkers who reject shooters because they find the likes of After Shock too strong in terms of ABV," Chris adds. "The lower strength brands such as Sourz meet a strong demand, as they cater for people who want to take part in the shooter experience but do not want to lose control."

While the first two categories are squarely aimed at the pleasure-seeking hordes of 18 to 24-year-old guys and gals, there's no reason why more mature drinkers can't get involved and when they do they usually resort to traditional tipples such as tequila and sambuca.

Tequila is still regarded as the sheriff in shooter town but its badge is under threat from sambuca, which this year broke into The Publican Brands Report, an index of the UK's top 200 brands, for the first time.

Maxxium UK is looking to steal a march on rivals in the category by championing its newly-acquired Vaccari sambuca brand. "There's been no brand building in this sector at all," says Chris. "That's what we're trying to do with Vaccari - bring some much needed authenticity and heritage to shooting."

Opal Nera, a black sambuca from Inspirit Brands, has also gained a following with its unique split shot glass and its suitability for layered shots.

For those licensees who want to showboat beyond brands, layered shots are a great way to boost takings and utilise the more obscure spirits on the back bar. Innovation abounds in the style bar sector where layered shots are an acceptable chaser for fancy cocktails and such like.

When layering, however, it is worth noting that the greater the difference in the gravity of the drinks the better.

Start by pouring the heavier spirit into the glass. Then rest the rounded part of a spoon against the inside of the glass. Pour the lighter spirit slowly onto the spoon so it runs down the inside of the glass and layers smoothly.