Modern Luxury: The View from the Bar
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Seminar at the Tales of the Cocktail festival 19 July 2018, powered by Beluga Vodka. As long as we have had the word "cocktail", it has meant "luxury" - but what does "luxury" even mean nowadays? Join that modern-day Jay Gatsby, Philip Duff, for an examination of what luxury means in 2018 and how it has evolved, from royalty to craftsmanship to Veblen goods to modern-day experiential luxury, which often comes in the form of a reservation at an exclusive bar - or in a cocktail glass. Philip is joined by award-winning bartender Tom Lasher-Walker (New York, and formerly of The American Bar at the five-star Savoy Hotel in London, World’s 50 Best Bars #1 2017), Meaghan Levy (beverage manager at the five-star Pierre Hotel, New York), and mystery guest, "X", (a publicity-shy high-net-worth individual from New Orleans who loves a good cocktail and has some great stories to tell from the customer side of the luxury bar). What IS a luxury product? Where do they come from? Who's the real target market? What does "affordable luxury" mean? Who's this Veblen guy? You'll leave with a new understanding of what luxury is in 2018 and how you can apply it to your bar to better serve ALL your guests, whether its with PBR or in the PDR, whether dive bar or five-star, daily service or special-occasion. Bonus: All attendees will enjoy, among other goodies, sponsor Beluga Vodka's luxury Gold Line vodka together with caviar – but not how you might expect it
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Modern Luxury: The View from the Bar
- 27. A s 1. state of great comfort or elegance, especially when involving great expense. ‘he lived a life of luxury” 2 An inessential, desirable item which is expensive or difficult to obtain. “luxuries like chocolate, perfume, and champagne” 3. A pleasure obtained only rarely. “they actually had the luxury of a whole day together”
- 59. Value vs. Things Being vs. Having
- 66. What is Luxury?
- 67. What is Luxury? A balance between consistency and bespoke
- 68. Consistency • Every guest gets amazing service • The standards are maintained • One of the easiest things to think you are maintaining ……… • Is one of the hardest things to actually maintain
- 69. Consistency …is one of the hardest things to actually maintain.
- 70. Consistency • Every guest gets amazing service • The standards are maintained • One of the easiest things to think you are maintaining • One of the hardest things to actually maintain
- 71. Consistency Bespoke • Every guest gets amazing service • The standards are maintained • One of the easiest things to think you are maintaining • One of the hardest things to actually maintain • Each interaction makes you feel like you are the only person in the world • Be attentive and in tune so you are able to pick up on clues to tailor the experience to make it a special one of a kind experience
- 72. Classic Versus Kitsch: What does the rise in previously perceived kitsch cocktails mean? How are we redefining previously perceived cocktails
- 73. Classic Versus Kitsch: What does the rise in previously perceived kitsch cocktails mean? How are we redefining previously perceived cocktails • Care and thought are going into previously thrown- away ingredients or completely changed for a high-end luxury ingredient
- 74. Classic Versus Kitsch: What does the rise in previously perceived kitsch cocktails mean? How are we redefining previously perceived cocktails • People expect to be wowed by unusual ingredients in unusual ways
- 75. Classic Versus Kitsch: What does the rise in previously perceived kitsch cocktails mean? How are we redefining previously perceived cocktails • A classic cocktail, especially a previously overlooked one, provides the canvas to create a unexpected and unique way of offering a guest unexpected luxury
- 76. Creating connections to the past to current trends Tiki Amaros Prohibition Forgotten Cocktails Low ABV Three ingredient
- 77. How How has the access to so much information changed the dialogue between the guest and the hospitality industry ?
- 78. How How has the access to so much information changed the dialogue between the guest and the hospitality industry ? • Guests are more informed than ever before
- 79. How How has the access to so much information changed the dialogue between the guest and the hospitality industry ? • Everyone thinks they are an expert. There is so much access to information some people are more ready to be led into trying something unique
- 80. How How has the access to so much information changed the dialogue between the guest and the hospitality industry ? • People are also more brand loyal than before
- 81. How How has the access to so much information changed the dialogue between the guest and the hospitality industry ? • The access to information is sometimes misconceived as knowledge and people are less likely to be led
- 82. How How has the access to so much information changed the dialogue between the guest and the hospitality industry ? • Finding ways of introducing people to new and unique finds is a cornerstone of luxury
- 83. • Brands : line extensions
- 84. • Brands themselves have more products within them • The bar for impressing a guest is higher than it has ever been before
- 85. • Guests want something they’ve never had before, in a setting they have never been in before
- 86. How to design experiences that are both exclusive and social media ready
- 87. How to design experiences that are both exclusive and social media ready • Balance, everyone wants to go the party that nobody can get into
- 88. How to design experiences that are both exclusive and social media ready • You want to stay exclusive but not exclude
- 89. How to design experiences that are both exclusive and social media ready • Social Media has become the • storefront for our business.
- 90. How to design experiences that are both exclusive and social media ready • It is important to stay aware of your impact but not make your impact about it
- 91. Things are now not only defined by how they taste but how they will translate on Social Media • See related image
- 92. Classic Luxury and the modern world
- 93. Classic Luxury and the modern world • People are looking for “unique”
- 94. Classic Luxury and the modern world • People are looking for “unique” • They want to slow down and savor the moment
- 95. Classic Luxury and the modern world • It needs to be conversational and able to translate over social media
- 97. Why luxury matters • We are a part of peoples lives, from the everyday to the special moments.
- 98. Why luxury matters • Being able to elevate something as simple as eating and drinking to a experience that sometimes people will carry with them the rest of their lives
- 99. Why luxury matters• Luxury isn’t about the most expensive thing, it’s about creating a atmosphere for someone to experience something of care and quality that will touch them in a way that is not average
- 107. 1½oz. / 45ml caviar distillate (Beluga Noble rotovap-redistilled with caviar) ⅔oz. / 20ml dill-infused vermouth (Noilly Prat) 1 barspoon acorn liqueur (Licor de Bellota, Destilerias Espronceda) ½oz. / 15ml fresh lemon juice ⅓oz. / 10ml white chocolate syrup Garnish: ½ barspoon caviar White chocolate chip Dill
Editor's Notes
- - Top right: Royalty - Tsar Nicholas II, under whose reign the Mariinsk distillery, where Beluga is made, was established in 1900. Royalty, because of the rents they could charge on the lands they owned, were the original wealthy people. - Bottom right: Business owner – The 17 Gentlemen, owners of the Dutch East India Company, which was the world’s largest and most profitable company in the 1600s. At its peak the VOC was worth just under $8 trillion in 2018 dollars, more than 10 times the current value of Apple, for example. - Bottom left: Entertainer - Jenny Lind (picture is of the actress Rebecca Ferguson playing Lind in the 2018 movie “The Greatest Showman”). Lind was the world’s most famous singer before retiring in her late twenties. One 1850 US opera tour earned her almost $9m in today’s money. The rise of global multi-media means a star can be truly world-famous without even touring, and several are billionaires, like Paul McCartney. - Top left: Employee - Robert Goizueta, former CEO of Coca-Cola, and one of the first non-founder employees to become a billionaire, in the 1990s. The rise of the factory, international trading companies, the stock exchange, the telegraph, railroad and technology all made it possible for employees to become wealthy in their own right despite not being owners or founders, although many receive stock options (a form of ownership) as compensation.
- - Top right: Royalty - Tsar Nicholas II, under whose reign the Mariinsk distillery, where Beluga is made, was established in 1900. Royalty, because of the rents they could charge on the lands they owned, were the original wealthy people. - Bottom right: Business owner – The 17 Gentlemen, owners of the Dutch East India Company, which was the world’s largest and most profitable company in the 1600s. At its peak the VOC was worth just under $8 trillion in 2018 dollars, more than 10 times the current value of Apple, for example. - Bottom left: Entertainer - Jenny Lind (picture is of the actress Rebecca Ferguson playing Lind in the 2018 movie “The Greatest Showman”). Lind was the world’s most famous singer before retiring in her late twenties. One 1850 US opera tour earned her almost $9m in today’s money. The rise of global multi-media means a star can be truly world-famous without even touring, and several are billionaires, like Paul McCartney. - Top left: Employee - Robert Goizueta, former CEO of Coca-Cola, and one of the first non-founder employees to become a billionaire, in the 1990s. The rise of the factory, international trading companies, the stock exchange, the telegraph, railroad and technology all made it possible for employees to become wealthy in their own right despite not being owners or founders, although many receive stock options (a form of ownership) as compensation.
- - Top right: Royalty - Tsar Nicholas II, under whose reign the Mariinsk distillery, where Beluga is made, was established in 1900. Royalty, because of the rents they could charge on the lands they owned, were the original wealthy people. - Bottom right: Business owner – The 17 Gentlemen, owners of the Dutch East India Company, which was the world’s largest and most profitable company in the 1600s. At its peak the VOC was worth just under $8 trillion in 2018 dollars, more than 10 times the current value of Apple, for example. - Bottom left: Entertainer - Jenny Lind (picture is of the actress Rebecca Ferguson playing Lind in the 2018 movie “The Greatest Showman”). Lind was the world’s most famous singer before retiring in her late twenties. One 1850 US opera tour earned her almost $9m in today’s money. The rise of global multi-media means a star can be truly world-famous without even touring, and several are billionaires, like Paul McCartney. - Top left: Employee - Robert Goizueta, former CEO of Coca-Cola, and one of the first non-founder employees to become a billionaire, in the 1990s. The rise of the factory, international trading companies, the stock exchange, the telegraph, railroad and technology all made it possible for employees to become wealthy in their own right despite not being owners or founders, although many receive stock options (a form of ownership) as compensation.
- - Top right: Royalty - Tsar Nicholas II, under whose reign the Mariinsk distillery, where Beluga is made, was established in 1900. Royalty, because of the rents they could charge on the lands they owned, were the original wealthy people. - Bottom right: Business owner – The 17 Gentlemen, owners of the Dutch East India Company, which was the world’s largest and most profitable company in the 1600s. At its peak the VOC was worth just under $8 trillion in 2018 dollars, more than 10 times the current value of Apple, for example. - Bottom left: Entertainer - Jenny Lind (picture is of the actress Rebecca Ferguson playing Lind in the 2018 movie “The Greatest Showman”). Lind was the world’s most famous singer before retiring in her late twenties. One 1850 US opera tour earned her almost $9m in today’s money. The rise of global multi-media means a star can be truly world-famous without even touring, and several are billionaires, like Paul McCartney. - Top left: Employee - Robert Goizueta, former CEO of Coca-Cola, and one of the first non-founder employees to become a billionaire, in the 1990s. The rise of the factory, international trading companies, the stock exchange, the telegraph, railroad and technology all made it possible for employees to become wealthy in their own right despite not being owners or founders, although many receive stock options (a form of ownership) as compensation.
- - Top right: Craftspeople, working alone, created exotic goods for rich clients using rare components. Picture is a craftsman polishing a Beluga Vodka sturgeon. - Bottom left: Royalty founded factories to produce exquisite goods for sale abroad, enhancing their image, such as the legendary furnaces of Jingdezhen, China (Bottom left), which produced 50, 000 pieces a day by the late 1300s and was thought the largest industrial facility in the world. - Bottom middle: Eventually businesspeople opened factories employing teams of craftspeople; one such was Carl Faberge, who created fabulously jeweled eggs for Russian royalty between 1885 and 1917. - Bottom right: Many luxury brands are now owned by global companies, some publicly-traded, such as LVMH (Gucci, Dior, Givenchy, Bvlgari), which had sales of $42.6bn in 2017.
- - Top right: Craftspeople, working alone, created exotic goods for rich clients using rare components. Picture is a craftsman polishing a Beluga Vodka sturgeon. - Bottom left: Royalty founded factories to produce exquisite goods for sale abroad, enhancing their image, such as the legendary furnaces of Jingdezhen, China (Bottom left), which produced 50, 000 pieces a day by the late 1300s and was thought the largest industrial facility in the world. - Bottom middle: Eventually businesspeople opened factories employing teams of craftspeople; one such was Carl Faberge, who created fabulously jeweled eggs for Russian royalty between 1885 and 1917. - Bottom right: Many luxury brands are now owned by global companies, some publicly-traded, such as LVMH (Gucci, Dior, Givenchy, Bvlgari), which had sales of $42.6bn in 2017.
- - Top right: Craftspeople, working alone, created exotic goods for rich clients using rare components. Picture is a craftsman polishing a Beluga Vodka sturgeon. - Bottom left: Royalty founded factories to produce exquisite goods for sale abroad, enhancing their image, such as the legendary furnaces of Jingdezhen, China (Bottom left), which produced 50, 000 pieces a day by the late 1300s and was thought the largest industrial facility in the world. - Bottom middle: Eventually businesspeople opened factories employing teams of craftspeople; one such was Carl Faberge, who created fabulously jeweled eggs for Russian royalty between 1885 and 1917. - Bottom right: Many luxury brands are now owned by global companies, some publicly-traded, such as LVMH (Gucci, Dior, Givenchy, Bvlgari), which had sales of $42.6bn in 2017.
- - Top right: Craftspeople, working alone, created exotic goods for rich clients using rare components. Picture is a craftsman polishing a Beluga Vodka sturgeon. - Bottom left: Royalty founded factories to produce exquisite goods for sale abroad, enhancing their image, such as the legendary furnaces of Jingdezhen, China (Bottom left), which produced 50, 000 pieces a day by the late 1300s and was thought the largest industrial facility in the world. - Bottom middle: Eventually businesspeople opened factories employing teams of craftspeople; one such was Carl Faberge, who created fabulously jeweled eggs for Russian royalty between 1885 and 1917. - Bottom right: Many luxury brands are now owned by global companies, some publicly-traded, such as LVMH (Gucci, Dior, Givenchy, Bvlgari), which had sales of $42.6bn in 2017.
- - Top left: Chef Marie-Antoine Careme was hired by legendary political fixer Talleyrand, and was tasked in 1805 with creating a year’s worth of menus without repetition and using only seasonal produce. Careme’s cooking was so good it was a rare luxury, used by Talleyrand to entertain visitors while discussing affairs of state. - Top right: In 1738 King Louis XV founded the Sevres porcelain factory, as a business and also to impress on foreigners how advanced and refined France’s culture was.
- - Top left: Chef Marie-Antoine Careme was hired by legendary political fixer Talleyrand, and was tasked in 1805 with creating a year’s worth of menus without repetition and using only seasonal produce. Careme’s cooking was so good it was a rare luxury, used by Talleyrand to entertain visitors while discussing affairs of state. - Top right: In 1738 King Louis XV founded the Sevres porcelain factory, as a business and also to impress on foreigners how advanced and refined France’s culture was.
- - Luxury goods insulate you from the outside world - Luxury tells the world you are rich; starting in 7th century BC Greece, we see “sumptuary laws” that define exactly how extravagantly each class of person – from peasant to emperor – is allowed to dress. Many luxury items –silk, gold, purple cloth - could only be worn by the richest or most powerful.
- - Luxury goods insulate you from the outside world - Luxury tells the world you are rich; starting in 7th century BC Greece, we see “sumptuary laws” that define exactly how extravagantly each class of person – from peasant to emperor – is allowed to dress. Many luxury items –silk, gold, purple cloth - could only be worn by the richest or most powerful. - Rare, exotic and custom-made products are not only delightful, their unusual nature means they “come with a story”. Couture dresses are bought by only about 200 women around the world, and cost from $25, 000 up.
- - Luxury goods insulate you from the outside world - Luxury tells the world you are rich; starting in 7th century BC Greece, we see “sumptuary laws” that define exactly how extravagantly each class of person – from peasant to emperor – is allowed to dress. Many luxury items –silk, gold, purple cloth - could only be worn by the richest or most powerful. - Rare, exotic and custom-made products are not only delightful, their unusual nature means they “come with a story”. - Affordable luxury dates to the Industrial Revolution, when advances in technology meant previously expensive luxuries, such as porcelain, could be made quickly and cheaply and sold to many more people than would ever have been able to buy a luxury good otherwise. Affordable luxury has become the most lucrative category of luxury goods. A $3000 Armani suit might be too expensive, but you can afford a $100 Armani T-shirt.
- - Luxury goods insulate you from the outside world - Luxury tells the world you are rich; starting in 7th century BC Greece, we see “sumptuary laws” that define exactly how extravagantly each class of person – from peasant to emperor – is allowed to dress. Many luxury items –silk, gold, purple cloth - could only be worn by the richest or most powerful. - Rare, exotic and custom-made products are not only delightful, their unusual nature means they “come with a story”. - Affordable luxury dates to the Industrial Revolution, when advances in technology meant previously expensive luxuries, such as porcelain, could be made quickly and cheaply and sold to many more people than would ever have been able to buy a luxury good otherwise. Affordable luxury has become the most lucrative category of luxury goods. A $3000 Armani suit might be too expensive, but you can afford a $100 Armani T-shirt. - Experience is the new luxury. When money can’t buy your way in, its about knowing where to look, who to ask – and how to behave. Studio 54 nightclub wanted interesting people, not just wealthy ones, and the same is true for most bars, including Oriole London (pic bottom right). Experience-as-luxury also means your drink is perhaps made to the same recipe as everyone else’s but YOU are personally served it.
- - Economist Thorsten Veblen identified a phenomenon in 1899 whereby the higher a luxury good was priced, the more it sold. Price is part of what the product is. The Beluga Lalique edition costs $6000! -Ultra-expensive technology is also a luxury good. Cell phones had become extremely cheap before the iPhone launched in 2007 (graphic, bottom right). The iPhone worked so well people were happy to pay $600 for it, and the current iPhone X costs $1000. But the Vertu ( a jewel-encrusted phone with permanent on-call concierge, top right) failed although it cost up to $20,000; it simply wasn’t as functional as an iPhone.
- - Economist Thorsten Veblen identified a phenomenon in 1899 whereby the higher a luxury good was priced, the more it sold. Price is part of what the product is. The Beluga Lalique edition costs $6000! -Ultra-expensive technology is also a luxury good. Cell phones had become extremely cheap before the iPhone launched in 2007 (graphic, bottom right). The iPhone worked so well people were happy to pay $600 for it, and the current iPhone X costs $1000. But the Vertu ( a jewel-encrusted phone with permanent on-call concierge, top right) failed although it cost up to $20,000; it simply wasn’t as functional as an iPhone.
- - “Baller on a budget” – Websites like Kayak get you the cheapest possible flights, Seatguru gets you the best seat even if you’re in economy, AirBnB means you stay for free (because you AirBnB your own place while you are away), OpenTable means you can make reservations at the best restaurants even if you don’t have any special contacts, and Uber is your private driver that costs the same (or less) than a taxi.
- - Luxury is perception. Marketer Rory Sutherland wrote that when Eurostar spent $6bn making the journey 40 minutes faster, they could instead have spent about $100m installing super-fast free wifi, and no-one would have minded if the journey was longer. Or, spend $1bn hiring every supermodel in the world to hand out bottles of Chateau Petrus. Don’t make the journey shorter, make the journey more enjoyable! In a bar, if you make eye contact with a new guest, hand them a glass of water and a menu, they will wait, happily, for way longer than if you don’t make eye contact and give them a glass of water. Many top bars now serve both a glass of water and a miniature “welcome cocktail” to make the wait more fun.
- -Technical: hot food, cold drinks, accurate preparations, short ticket times, ability to order and receive drinks/food in a reasonable time. - Personal: being acknowledged, being made to feel welcome, and important, receiving personal attention for different staff members
- - Temperature: are you constantly monitoring it? Walk around the whole bars, all the chairs and tables; what might feel OK if you are behind the bar could be too hot or cold at a guest’s seat. A/C is typically set for (and by) men: ladies, especially with bare arms or shoulders, may feel cold while male guests are fine. - Music: is it the right volume? Is it the right music-quieter during the day, louder at night? Does the style of songs match the style of the bar? How are the acoustics in every part of the bar?
- - Food: Simplicity can be the ultimate luxury, such as a very simple food but done absolutely perfectly, such as caviar (bottom left). - Luxury in food and drinks can also mean: low-alcohol, gluten-free, vegan/vegetarian, zero-sugar, without sacrificing taste or appearance (pic center: cocktail menu with no differentiation between alcoholic & non-alcoholic) - Luxury is also a statement: drinking artisanal mezcal from copitas (bottom right) says “I have money and taste, but I also care about craftspeople who live in poverty”.
- - Furniture & design: simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Form follows function. Dyson example: at Dyson, you can only even begin to talk about your idea if you can present a somewhat-functioning prototype. Until you can, no-one will even discuss your idea. Function comes first. See pic: custom-made tables at Pouring Ribbons have a menu slot, so there is always a menu available and the menus themselves don’t get spilled on or otherwise dirty. - Do the doors open inwards, welcoming you in, or outwards, pushing you back? - Are the bar stools and chairs at the right height for men and women, drinking and eating? - Does the lighting make everything (and everyone) look beautiful? - Do you have hooks and power/USB ports for hanging coats & bags and charging phones? Or do you have portable phone chargers to loan guests? - Is every seat a good seat? Can you relax in every seat? - What materials are being used: Hard/soft, old/new, exotic/familiar.
- - Menu: classic & familiar? (Pictured left: book-menu Blacktail NY. Right: Trick Dog (San Francisco), current World’s Best Cocktail Menu (Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards 2017) Airline edition (previous editions: dog calendar, Pantone colors, etc) Mass-produced or custom-made? Does it function as a menu, or does it demand long, intensive reading? Weight, paper, What’s NOT on the menu? It should communicate who you are, and what you aren’t. Everyone can order everything at the bar – but not everything is listed on the menu
- - Everyone can order the same cocktail in a bar, but they also (usually) see their cocktail being made, by the person making it – that’s a powerful thing. Luxury cars also have webcams to the factory floors, so you can see the craftspeople building your car, piece by piece. -Bloody Mary is problem-solving: perfect hangover drink! What problem are you solving elegantly with your cocktail?
- - Attitude and body language of staff is affected by their circumstances: is everything Ok at home? Did they sleep enough? Eat enough? Are they hungover? Did they have to rush in, deal with traffic delays and start flustered and embarrassed..or did they turn up early?
- - The words that people use are influenced by their blood sugar and sleep levels, by the extent to which they have cleared their minds and focused on their work… - but also, by habit. We say things almost automatically to guests like “No problem”. Why would we ever say the word “problem” to a guest? It plants a negative, worrying seed; if you don’t agree, try NOT to think of monkeys for a minute. Impossible, right? Even though I said “ try NOT to think of monkeys”? That’s why phrases like “No problem” become a problem. - Leo Robitschek (bottom right) built the drinks program for Eleven Madison Park, from one Michelin star, to two, then three, and then to World’s No. 1 Restaurant (World’s 50 Best Restaurants). Together with the owners and other managers, Leo realized early on that they fundamentally had to change the way they spoke to guests, as well as delivering accurate and welcoming service. They banned phrases like “yep” and “no problem” and replaced them with phrases like “Certainly” and “It would be my pleasure”. They also focused on delivering a true luxury service for all guests, anticipating their needs by researching their guests in advance, and personalizing each experience.
- Millennials graduated college during and after the Great Recession of 2008–2009, and many witnessed or experienced corporate downsizing and layoffs in their 20s—which means they generally have a complicated relationship with the corporate culture in a first world setting (this is specific nut not exclusive to the US and the UK). As a result, Millennials are in a position time is a much more intense commodity compared to the hey-days of when the baby boomers were in charge.
- Coupled with the advancements of technology and the world of hyper-connectivity, Millennials and some Gen-xers would argue that their time is worth more to them than it was to the era of the baby boomers. So how does this translate to modern and affordable luxury in the modern era?
- It’s simple; an emphasis is based on ‘doing’ rather than ‘possessing’ “Experiencing” is the new black. More and more in todays generations, its a case of Value vs. Things, of Being vs. Having Nowadays, luxury is as personal and contextual as it is definitive. Luxury is anything that feels special. I mean, it can be a moment, it can be a walk on the beach, it could be a kiss from your child, or it could be a beautiful picture frame, a special fragrance. I think luxury doesn't necessarily have to mean expensive
- Italian journalist Franca Sozanni, who was also the editor-in-chief at Vogue Italian before she passed in 2016, challenges our perspective on luxury in the 21st century, by saying If you misunderstand it with richness referring to expensive items only, then you have an old idea of luxury.
- Dick Powell, Co-Founder & Chairman of Seymour Powell, and internationally renowned design and innovation company, reckons “More people have the money to spend on themselves. From a business perspective, it’s an area of opportunity”
- Jason Clampet, Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief at Skift - a media company that provides news, research and marketing services for the travel industry - says this; The new standards of modern luxury are consumer-led rather than brand-driven, and they are steering the direction of high-end hospitality and travel (segue into bars, experiences and examples) One of the biggest trends in the modern luxury market is the shifting focus towards experiences over material things. By 2022, the Boston Consulting Group predicts that personal and experiential luxury alone will be a €1,135 billion market—a 34% increase from 2015.
- Alastair Burgess is one of the main proprietors and owners of Happiness Forgets, a basement bar that specialises in cocktails and mixed drinks. Opening in London in 2011 on a budget of around £30,000 (Alastair told me he even went to the extent of maxing out his personal credit cards to open it), the bar opened in a basement in Hoxton Square at a time when most of East London was untapped in terms of the cocktail bar scene. Numerous awards and even more nominations later, Alastair has extended his portfolio even further, with another bar in Stoke Newington and a French Bistro style restaurant called Petit Pots right above the original HF. One of the stand out offerings of Happiness Forgets is their pricing on certain American Whiskies they carry, with bottles such as Eagle rare 27, Sazerac Rye 18 and Thomas H Handy. Usually expensive and definitely rare, Alastair has priced them out in a way that one can enjoy them in an Old Fashioned or Manhattan for a price which business wise doesn't make much sense. Still, at the heart of it, you have the ability to enjoy some of the oldest and most traditional and famous of all cocktails with some superior liquid for a very modest price.
- Jason Scott & Mike Aikman; Founders of Bramble, The Last Word Saloon, Lucky Liquor and Mother Ship Events Company. Award winning bartenders and operators with over two decades of hospitality experience. Opened up Bramble in 2006 on less than £15,000 Launched the Affinity Cocktail in 2011; a barrel aged and hand bottled cocktail consisting of Glenmorangie, Byrrh and Dry Vermouth A bespoke, small batch, hand crafted product that’s available for less than the price of some cocktails in the surrounding areas in other bars in Edinburgh The duo also have their own range of liqueurs, but more importantly, they also have a range of limited bottling from Buffalo Trace Distillery and Glendronach
- The Savoy Hotel, London Home to the world famous American Bar and Beaufort Bar Rooms in the hotel range from $509 - $18,000/$20,000 range …however, if you cant afford that, then something as simple as a glass of champagne or a Martini might be more approachable Too boring for you? Then you maybe you could explore their Savoy Collection - a range of spirits specifically selected by the beverage management team that have been bottled exclusively for the Savoy - or maybe you could explore their vintage cocktail program, which consist of spirits as far back as the 1860s. Prices range from $50 to $5000, the latter of which will get you a vintage Sazerac with the original Sazerac-de-Forge et Fils.
- - Copenhagen restaurant Noma (former world’s No. 1 restaurant) ran a 6-week pop-up in Tulum, Mexico that sold out on prepay system Tock immediately. Dinner for 2 with drinks was $1500.
- - Top: Tableside martini service at Maison Premiere, Brooklyn, NY (W50BB) - Bottom: Martini trolley at The Connaught, London.
- - Top: Customer being fitted for a dress - Bottom left: Guest discussing wine with sommelier - Bottom right: Ice ball the guest has to break to reveal the cocktail, Aviary, NY
- - Top: Negroni Week, an initiative where bars are urged to put at least one Negroni on the menu for which they donate $1 to a local charity of their choice; currently 7700 bars participate. - Middle: Graff Diamonds created the Facet Foundation, which funds development projects in Africa, where many of their diamonds are mined. - Bottom: The first bottle of Beluga Lalique was auctioned for $11, 000 and the proceeds donated to the Naked Heart Foundation, which improves the lives of disabled children in Russia.