Spice up the cold snap, advises mulled wine specialist

Eliot's, the mulled wine dispenser specialists, has called on licensees to grab the opportunity for mulled wine over the festive season.

Based on figures collated over the past eight years, Eliot's expects licensees to generate mulled wine sales of up to £1,000 during the short Christmas season, producing over 50 per cent margin.

However, if the UK experiences the big freeze as predicted by the Met Office, then these figures could well increase.

Already Eliot's, which loans mulled wine dispensers to pubs and bars on condition the venue buys the mulled wine from the company, has seen demand for its dispensers double in comparison to last year.

At present the company supplies over 2,500 pubs and clubs and it has a commitment for more than 6,000 dispensers over the Christmas period.

"We aren't surprised at the interest we have received from licensees," said Eliot's chairman Fraser Henderson.

"The Met Office's predictions for very cold weather conditions across Britain this winter have generated an unprecedented demand for a 'hot' alternative and we are in the perfect position to satisfy that demand."

Ember Inns has had Eliot's dispensers installed across its estate for the festive season. A spokeswoman for the Mitchells & Butlers pub brand said: "Ember Inns is all about creating a home from home atmosphere and offering mulled wine over Christmas is a perfect fit."

A customer survey carried out by Eliot's revealed that 72 per cent of drinkers look for repeat servings of mulled wine, while customers' preference is to use mulled wine as a "pre-drink", drunk to warm up before regular drinking commences.