JDW to mix it up

Next month JD Wetherspoon is to launch a new cocktail range to capitalise on the growing popularity of speciality spirits such as sambuca.

So far the pub chain has confirmed that is to roll out a raspberry sambuca spritzer, made with Antica raspberry sambuca and lemonade, across all its sites.

It is widely believed this will then be the prelude to the launch of a new range of simple cocktails, potentially called the "Try Something Different" range, in 50 pubs across the Wetherspoons estate.

Talking about the new sambuca cocktail Wetherspoons spokesman Eddie Gershon said: "Wetherspoons sells sambuca as a shot in all its pubs, and it is incredibly popular. We are building on that popularity with the launch of a sambuca long drink. Obviously we will continue to sell sambuca shots."

Jeremy Hill, managing director of Hi-Spirits, owner of Antica sambuca, told The Publican the company had drawn up a range of sambuca long drinks to capitalise on growing demand for the spirit in cocktails, as opposed to shots.

Talking of the chosen drinking format for sambuca, he said: "If you had asked me six months ago, I would have said people would only be drinking the product in shots. However, we have just launched a range of simple sambuca long drinks. It is not only having a meteoric rise as a shot, but coming into play as a simple cocktail ingredient."

Sambuca has seen a huge growth in popularity across the on-trade in recent years, with sales growing at 20 per cent year on year up to January 2007, according to Nielsen.