Room for expansion

As food grows in importance post-smoking-ban, spirits will

have to work hard to stay relevant, says Nigel Huddleston

With beer successfully managing to steal some of wine's territory as the best partner for food, spirits are in danger of being left behind.

For a few dark spirits, such as Cognac, there's a natural fit with eating occasions, but for others, particularly white spirits, it's a more difficult niche to tap into. How can you persuade people to drink vodka with a meal when they are happy with Sauvignon?

Some in the industry advise keeping spirits where they belong, as a social drink.

Pernod Ricard UK head of marketing Jo Spencer says: "Although gin and tonic is consumed as a pre-dinner drink, the largest opportunity for gin, vodka and rum is to expand their share within their most important drinking occasion."

This means keeping within their traditional areas of operation, Spencer argues, citing TNS Alcovision figures showing that 79.5% of white-spirits volume is drunk without food.

But for others, fundamental changes in the market make it imperative for spirits producers not to miss out on with-food opportunities.

Beam UK managing director Adrian McKeon says: "One of the big challenges facing spirits producers at the moment is how to make spirits relevant to food-led outlets. We see this as a real opportunity."

Smoke-free summer

For Jeremy Hill, managing director of Antica sambuca firm Hi-Spirits, the big change will have to come this summer.

Hill says: "With the smoking bans coming in, this arena will become more sophisticated, not dumber. Licensees will have to consider their offerings very carefully as food becomes the main battleground.

"The issue for spirits is how they'll fit into this increasingly sophisticated market. You may find products such as sambuca becoming consumed at the end of a meal as a liqueur with coffee, and opportunities obviously exist for fruit liqueurs and other spirits."

Diageo says it is starting to get into the with-food issue with its leading white spirits brands. Diageo GB marketing director for vodka Anita Robinson says: "We're looking at food a lot - it is becoming an increasingly important part of the on-trade product mix.

"We're offering menu support to some accounts but what they want to do is really up to the individual customer.

"A Bloody Mary as an aperitif is a popular move, but we're also using products such as the Smirnoff Lime Burst, which tastes refreshing and goes well with almost anything."

In theory, vodka's versatility gives it the greatest potential to reinvent the spirits wheel, whereas gin's complex flavours may well mean that it is destined to remain within its traditional drinking occasions.

Breaking the mould

Diageo GB gin marketing manager Klirianne Green says the company has been trying to extend the role of gin and tonic.

"We've been doing a lot of work with gin and tonic and nibbles," she says. "We get licensees to offer a free bowl of olives when people buy two large perfect-serve Gordon's and tonics. We're seeing sales increase by up to 12%."

Bacardi-Martini premium brands marketing controller Sophie Bowers says the company has been trying to break the gin and tonic shackles with Bombay Sapphire.

"We are pairing cocktails with food in quality outlets," she says. "Bombay Sapphire with cranberry goes well with red meats. It isn't a big market change, but it's starting to take hold. The big opportunity remains the simple Bombay Sapphire and tonic before a meal."