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Shots In The Dark
d=”standfirst”>It’s been a fast and furious ride for the shot market but concerns over binge drinking and a more sophisticated consumer could cause problems for the sector, says Phil Pemberton
Are you 18 to 24 years of age? Do you like to “partay”? Are you, for all intents and purposes, “up for it”? If you answered “yes” to those questions, firstly I would be congratulating the subscriptions department for successfully spreading the net of this publication, and secondly I will be expecting you to drag me to the boozer and force a shot down my neck at my earliest convenience.
But I may just have you pegged wrong. It seems that the rush to get blasted by a shooter has slowed down somewhat of late and the chances are that you, my young friend, and I will be sipping a contemplative cocktail instead.
So what’s happened? Is it the changing whims of those notoriously fickle youngsters or the cut-throat competition in this sector? Perhaps the government’s drive against binge drinking is taking a toll? Well, it seems that all these elements are affecting the shot market. But before we line them up, let’s remember how this sector really got going.
If you have woken up in Aberdeen train station wearing fishnets and sucking a baby’s dummy (who hasn’t?) you’ve undoubtedly had a good night out with the lads or lasses. If this happened anytime after 1997 it’s a good bet that one digestif you had been downing was After Shock. This 40% ABV cinnamon-flavoured liqueur was introduced that year, swiftly found its way onto the back bar of numerous young adult venues and soon became an essential part of any serious pre-Aberdeen expedition. Like many a teenage pop star, After Shock was an overnight success and spawned many imitators, such as Allied Domecq’s Magma. This 40% ABV cinnamon and chilli concoction is one of many that have fallen by the wayside. But despite the fragile attention span of the 18 to 24year-old target market, After Shock has managed to stay ahead of the competition. So how has it managed that?
Brian Woods, brand manager for After Shock at Maxxium, says: “We have really benefited from our first-mover status. After Shock essentially invented the category as we know it today and that gives consumers and the trade confidence in the brand. It is very much an established bar call.”
Woods is unworried about the growth of cocktail culture and feels no need to move into that market. “We are known as a shot drink and I just think it confuses the proposition by moving into other areas,” he says, “but that does not mean we are not innovative, this market is fast-moving and new flavours are introduced all the time and we keep pace with these changes.”
After Shock has led the market in the UK for sometime and its dominance looks like lasting. It stands ahead of the shots and shooter crowd, along with those traditional tipples tequila and sambuca. But below those big three is a scrum of different products vying for the attentions of the good time gal and guy.
One of the fast-growing brands, which launched just over two years ago, is Corky’s Vodka Shots from Global Brands. The company is attempting to be more innovative than the simple “down in one” shot approach. Helen Tungland, Corky’s public relations officer, says: “We have developed into more of a versatile spirit offer than merely a range of flavoured vodkas consumed as shots and, as such Corky’s also competes with brands like Malibu or any spirit used as a base for cocktails or mixed with carbonates.”
Although the company mainly targets the 18 to 24s it is attempting to break into an older demographic with its cream-based flavours such as butterscotch, white chocolate and cream egg. Tungland believes Corky’s has benefited from appealing to the consumer as a shot, while bar owners can use it as a cocktail base. She says: “We launched five new flavours last year and feedback from bar managers and our in-house promotional team helped to shape the development of the range. As it became apparent that Corky’s vodka shots were often being used as a cocktail base and as a mixer with carbonates, as well as a shot, we took the range in a slightly different direction, launching Corky’s Coconut in December, which we envisage will be primarily drunk with mixers. We also launched the Corky’s Mixologists Handbook just after Christmas which is basically designed to be used as a working cocktail menu for bar staff.”
This development away from emphasising the shot as the only way to enjoy its products has also been adopted by Halewood, one of Global Brands’ competitors. The Liverpool-based company snapped up the Sidekick brand from the troubled Bulmer stable after it originally achieved great success through its single-serve packaging. This was designed to sit snugly by the side of a pint, which proved a winner for punters keen for a “chaser” and equally pleasing for bar owners, who had cash symbols flashing in their eyes when they served it. After losing its way in the demise of Bulmer, Sidekick is being rejuvenated by Halewood.
David Hughes, Sidekick’s brand manager, says: “There has been a lot of shakeout in the shots category in the past few years. The 18 to 24-yearold market is very fickle but we believe the trend is moving away from the ‘down-in-onedare’ style of drinking shots. That is why we are introducing a 30cl bottle of Sidekick and promoting it as a drink over ice or with cocktails. Consumers have definitely become more interested in cocktails in recent times, as can be seen by the popularity of style bars.”
One of the other forces behind shots companies rethinking their ranges is pressure from the government and the Portman Group. During the tortuous journey of the new Licensing Act through Parliament there was hardly a week that went by without some screaming headline about binge drinking. It even vied for copy space with asylum seekers and house prices within the pages of The Daily Mail. The moral panic of that moment envisaged legions of young people blasted on shots and alcopops in a city centre pub, 24 hours a day. As it transpires it looks like the first licence of that kind will be operated by a pub serving real ale in the City of London (it’s called the Swan if you’re desperate for a pint of Pendle Witch). However, shot producers need to take binge drinking seriously, as they are perceived as one of its creators. Brian Woods from Maxxium says: “I think shots have come in for some unfair criticism. Nobody seems to mention the numerous pints of lager people consume before a shot or the fact that it is only like having a whisky. But we feel a responsibility to take a lead and that is why we show every piece of a product marketing to the Portman Group before we release it.” The Portman Group, the unofficial watchdog of the drinks industry, was set up in 1989 by the UK’s leading drinks producers with the aim of promoting responsible drinking and to encourage responsible marketing.
Helen Tungland from Global Brands also recognises the importance of the shot industry sending out the right messages. She says, “The Portman Group has recently talked about possibly revising its code of practice with regard to how members should sample out their products, for instance, offering more clarity in volumes given to people. Sampling is about giving people the opportunity to taste product rather than getting people drunk.”
But will the shot companies move towards cocktail culture find favour with the country’s bar staff? Barry Chalmers believes so. He is currently head bartender at Lonsdale House in Notting Hill and has worked at such London luminaries as Soho House, The Player and Shaun & Joe. “I’ve noticed during my working life how people have become more knowledgeable about cocktails,” he says, “and that’s becoming true of shots as well. I think the industry as a whole is recognising that it’s not good to encourage people to get very drunk really quickly, it does nobody any favours. Nowadays it’s more about enjoying flavours.” So, does he not serve shots then? “Of course we do, but we tend to serve mini-versions of cocktails such as B52s or mojitos and of course there will always be a place for tequila, although even here people are getting more interested in a quality product.”
Ah, those consumers, they always have an input don’t they? Alistair Mutch, operations manger for United Brands, owner of Dooleys toffee liqueur, thinks they should never be underestimated. He says, “We have never marketed ourselves as a shot, but the consumer has adopted Dooleys into that category. However, the product can easily be drunk over ice or mixed if that’s the way the trend is going.”
It seems it is: while the brand leader, After Shock, can afford to remain resolutely as a pure shot, its competitors are expanding into other areas of the bar. So, can I be the first to introduce a new category? The cocktail shot. Now I just need to get back from Aberdeen.