Selling spectrum
Cold-brew cocktails are marketable across categories, dayparts and seasons, finds Brandon Wise, beverage director for the Denver-based Sage Restaurant Group, operator of three-unit Urban Farmer and several other casual concepts. He says the cold-brew cocktails at Sage’s restaurants are popular at brunch, but the majority of sales come in the afternoon and evening, ordered both as an aperitif and an after-dinner drink.
He’s also found that these coffee cocktails are less seasonal than hot coffee. While Irish and other hot coffee drinks may be successful in winter, cold-brew cocktails have been more of an anytime beverage, he says.
Cold-brew drinks also sell throughout the day at Artisan’s Table, a casual American restaurant and bar in Orlando, Fla.—including in cocktail form at brunch. “The Tequilaccino is sort of an adult milkshake,” says General Manager Monica McCown. Made with cold-brew coffee, tequila, banana and cocoa nibs, the drink appeals to fans of Frappuccinos, she says. McCown has found that customers will order the Tequilaccino instead of a mimosa or bloody mary, but it’s creamy enough that guests will also sub the $10 beverage for dessert.