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What’s Your Flavor?
Endless Flavored Vodka Choices=Curious Customers
Alia Akkam
 Most industry folks aren’t surprised by the revelation that vodka remains the country’s favorite spirit—and it’s a long-term trend that doesn’t show any signs of stopping. In today’s culture of choice the sheer amount of flavored vodkas on the market alone is certainly helping to propel this desire for more of the spirit, allowing consumers to sample vodka in creative iterations.
The proliferation of flavored options available to consumers are vast, ranging from subtle fruit flavors to sweet candy-inspired creations to ones with clean, earthy notes. And, as our table reveals, it seems the classics—like citrus and orange—will never really go out of style.INSIDE THE NUMBERS
Over the last decade, unquestionably flavors were among the key drivers fueling the growth of the vodka category. According to DISCUS, flavored vodkas represented just under 8% of the total vodka category in 2000, but was closer to 15% by 2009. And from 2002 to 2007, total case volume of flavors grew from 4.51 million 9-liter cases to 7.05 million 9-liter cases, or a 56.4% increase. During that same period, the number of flavored vodka brands were up from 223 to 357. By comparison, the total number of classic vodka brands was 410 in 2003 versus 484 in 2007. While it seems likely that the flavor revolution may wane slightly over the next few years, the amount of innovation and creativity in the category will not.
For the Love of Flavor
Bridget Albert, master mixologist at Southern Wine & Spirits of Illinois, and director of the Academy of Spirits and Fine Service, agrees there are more flavored vodkas in its category than most spirits, but there’s a good reason: “The flavored category is exploding because they are consumer-friendly and easy-to-mix. I think consumers enjoy the simplicity and the familiarity. If you order a raspberry and soda you know what to expect.”
Convenience is one of the reasons Philip Raimondo, master mixologist of Beam Global Spirits & Wine, believes flavored vodka is such a success. “In the off-premise, people are always trying to find ways to add flavor into drinks, and flavored vodka can do that for them. It is easy for the home bartender to create easy drinks.” Typically, Antonio del Rivero has wine on his mind. The wine director of Napa Valley Grille in Westwood, CA, however, is noticing “a surge in demand for flavored vodka cocktails. Guests keep drinking and asking for them. They’re versatile, fun and full of flavor. There may be a lot of flavors out there, but I think it’s because there is a demand for them. At some point the trend will stop and the return of the classic Cosmo will once again reign supreme.” Patricia Richards, mixologist at the celebrated casino resort, Wynn Las Vegas, who also snagged fourth place in the Finlandia Vodka Cup this year, likes to work with vodkas that offer distinctive flavor, yet are light and refreshing. “It’s like adding two ingredients to a cocktail, adding more depth of flavor and complexity, yet you are only pouring one, so there are fewer ingredients, which the bartender likes,” she explains. “To the consumer, the lure of vodka is its lightness on the palate and its neutrality. Let’s face it, the marketing of vodka will have some sort of subconscious effect on consumption as well.”
Flavored Vodka vs. Fresh Fruit
Simon Ford, Pernod Ricard USA’s director of brand education and trade outreach, says the recent cocktail revival’s origins can be traced to vodka. “Once bartenders learned to use vodka they wanted flavored vodka. The bartender skill set is continuing to improve, and they are looking for more complicated spirits to work with. However, there will always be new bartenders learning the craft, and everyone needs to start with vodka; it’s the one spirit that allows you to understand how other flavors work in a cocktail,” he notes. “The other thing to consider is the consumer. Flavors such as raspberry, citrus and mango are ones a consumer can understand, and they can be enticing when seen on a menu or back bar. There will always be a small group of bartenders that will go that extra mile and use fresh ingredients, but for many that simply isn’t practical, so flavored vodka fills a consumer need.”
Raimondo does feel the on-premise’s declining interest in the flavored vodka category, however. “There was a time, not too many years ago, in the late 1990s, when it was very difficult to get a great drink in a bar,” he reveals. “Now all that has changed, but then, when flavored vodkas really started coming on strong, cocktails were not as popular. Bars could simply add a flavored vodka to just about any mixer and make a more interesting drink. Flavored vodkas are not as interesting to bartenders in this new modern era of the cocktail, and guests are lagging behind.” Despite those bored bartenders, it’s the customers who continue to run the show at their bars and they want flavored vodka. Beam’s fellow master mixologist, Bobby “G” Gleason, says: “The flavored vodka category was created to make things easier for bartenders too lazy or not trained properly on using fresh fruits. That said, there are many really good flavors that are on the market. I believe that some bartenders are pushing back because of the movement back to fresh fruits. The consumer is driving the demand for the flavored vodkas and as long as they are asking for it, producers will keep making them.” Keep It Interesting
A martini is timeless, but when guests crave flavored vodka and the inventiveness they’ve come to expect in this era of modern mixology, what do bartenders flaunt? Among the whimsical favorites del Rivero serves are the “Creamsicle” with Three Olives Rangtang, and “Pop Culture” with Stoli Citron. Meanwhile, for the summer season Richards is busy making a “Strawberry & Grapefruit Collins” with Finlandia Grapefruit, a “Mango Yuzu Highball” with Absolut Mango and the “Açai and Kiwi Smash” with 42 Below vodka. Currently, Albert enjoys whipping up Caipiroskas in which flavored vodkas can enhance the cocktail’s seasonal fruit. “It can bring a fruit flavor to a cocktail when the produce is unavailable,” she points out. “Simple cocktails are usually best for flavored vodka since the flavor of the vodka is what you are trying to taste,” Raimondo adds. “The most common is also the most boring, and that is mixing it with soda or maybe lemon-lime soda. I like to search for unique flavored vodkas and work with them. Black cherry is a great flavor and there are only a few on the market. Cucumber is another favorite and works well in herbaceous or savory drinks like a Bloody Mary or cilantro cocktail.” Flavor Forever?
In oversaturated markets, Ford points out there is often a fight for market share, leading to a continuous influx of flavor launches: “The question has to be asked: Do we really need, say, another citrus vodka? On the other hand, we also see innovation such as flavors like apple and ginger or tea.” Richards doesn’t know how much more the category can grow unless a supplier decides to phase out some of their old products. “Our bars are already so packed with products, and with properties that contain several bars under one roof, one needs to have some product continuity when a guest walks throughout a property from bar to bar, ordering their ‘brand.’” Intriguing and familiar cocktails alike are enough to fuel the flavored vodka market yet there is also an added bonus: sales in this segment can also lead to sales of good ol’ pure vodka. “The sales create awareness of the brand’s portfolio. This category is just getting started; flavors are only limited to your imagination,” says Albert. Ford agrees: “Flavored vodka can help drive awareness of the base brand vodka, and it’s also another visibility option for a brand in stores and on back bars,” adds Ford. “But flavored vodka is also so big that it can stand alone.”
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