Grey Goose’s draught cocktail bar serves sub-zero espresso martinis

Bacardi-owned vodka brand Grey Goose has designed a draught system that allows bartenders to serve cocktails on-tap at sub-zero temperatures.

The system aims to “revolutionise cocktail culture,” according to Grey Goose, giving consumers instant gratification on their espresso martini needs, while also “putting Grey Goose at the forefront of innovation in the drinks sector.”

The draught system is designed to use a non-carbonated or charged liquid held in key kegs, eliminating the need for the pre-charging of gases such as CO2 or nitrogen within them.

It can also chill the liquid on demand so that staff no longer need to pre-chill kegs for up to 48 hours before used.

“One of the major challenges was to bring ambient temperature liquid (above 20 degrees) down to sub-zero temperatures using an on-demand system – allowing drinks be served instantly – rather than the necessity to pre-chill the liquid held in kegs for a period of 24–48 hours,” said European programming director Marc Plumridge, acknowledging that instant chilling is “a general requirement of other systems available on the market today.”

“The new, innovative draught tap system has been designed with this versatility in mind, allowing bars to cater for a wide assortment of drinks now and into the future.” Lee Applbaum, Global Chief Marketing Officer for Grey goose, said.

“The cutting edge technology used delivers spectacular cocktails, dispensed at speed, all housed within a transparent casing – allowing individuals to have a full view of the technology at work.”

It marks a new innovation in the fast-growing draught cocktail market, which drinks giant William Grant & Sons noted will continue to expand in its 2018 Market Report.

Blended rum brand The Duppy Share became the latest spirit to capitalise on the growing number of bars and restaurants serving draught cocktails this year, with two draught cocktails being trialled by venues owned by the Incipio Group in the UK. Due to their success, the brand is now rolling out the cocktails to the wider on-trade.

Speaking at the launch of WG&S’ trend report last year, commercial director Matt Billinghurst said consumers “want their experiences to be more efficient and as enriched as possible.”

“They don’t want to wait in a queue for 20 minutes while their friends’ drinks are prepared.”