Ideas for elevating your wine and cocktail offerings
Make sure bar glasses are sparkling and hygienic with the GP-100 Glass Polisher from Bar Maid Corporation. Lightweight and portable, the GP-100 makes glassware polishing fast and easy, while reducing unhygienic handling, labor costs and risk of injury associated with hand polishing.
In addition to reducing the spread of pathogens (compared with hand polishing), the GP-100 greatly reduces glass breakage and associated injuries, resulting in considerable savings in glassware and potential workers’ compensation claims. Standard polishing heads polish most sizes and shapes of glassware. Long polishing heads for taller glassware and a specialized champagne flute polishing head are available. • bestinthebar.com/product/glass-polisher
Add some bling to your cocktails with all-natural garnishes from Dress The Drink. The company creates eye-catching and edible garnishes that will dress up your drinks during the holidays—or anytime. • dressthedrink.com
Get guests talking with HeadLimes, a memorable way to add a lime wedge to a beer bottle or glass. Simply insert a medium-sized lime wedge into the jaw of the HeadLime, then clip the HeadLime onto the neck of a bottle or rim of a glass. The guest can then squeeze the jaws of the HeadLime and watch as the lime juice flows into the drink. The base can even be used to mix the beverage. HeadLimes make great party favors, and larger orders (minimum 80 pieces) can be customized with text or a logo. Varieties include Football, Gator and Lime editions, which can be ordered in packs of six, including an assortment pack that includes two of each. • headlimes.com
Bronco Wine Co. Picks for Holiday Gatherings
Celebrations may be smaller this year, but you can still help clients have a festive season by serving wines that enhance each holiday. Here are a few suggestions from California-based Bronco Wine Co., which offers a diverse family of wine brands sold across the world and distributed throughout the U.S. • For more information, visit broncowine.com.
Halloween: La Catrina “Day of the Dead”
Add a spooky note to Halloween parties by serving these Napa wines with striking bottles featuring Day of the Dead skeleton characters that go along with their tasting notes. As noted for the “Mother of the Bride” Chardonnay, for example: “Rich and a bit fruity, this voluptuous lady offers tastes that linger and echo.” • lacatrinavino.com
Thanksgiving: Zinfandel by The Great American Wine Company
For this favorite U.S. holiday, serve up a home-grown wine from The Great American Wine Company, by Rosenblum Cellars, which pays tribute to classic American varietals and winemaking techniques. The brand’s Zinfandel features enticing aromas of currants and raspberries, with spicy notes including vanilla and cedar (plus a portion of each case sale is donated to the National Park Foundation). • tgawc.com
December Celebrations: Longevity Cabernet Sauvignon
For holiday office celebrations, or social Christmas and Hanukkah gatherings, recommend this medium plum-colored Cabernet with a rustic fruit expression favoring dried cherry, cassis and pomegranate notes. A minority certified winery, Longevity was founded by winemaker Phil Long, who began his journey making wine in the garage with his wife Debra. • longevitywines.com
New Year’s Eve: Blanc de Bleu
Ring in 2021 memorably with this blue California sparkling wine in a gorgeous bottle. The palate-pleasing Blanc de Bleu combines a subtle touch of blueberry with a dry, crisp finish. • blancdebleuusa.com
Complement catered meals with a premium, premixed cocktail—which boasts the added benefit of being safe and easy to serve. BuzzBallz are single-serve cocktails expertly crafted in a variety of flavors at 15 percent alcohol by volume (ABV), in brightly colored spherical containers. They’re available in two varieties: BuzzBallz Cocktails, which are spirit-based (200 mL) and available in such flavors as Lotta Colada and Watermelon Smash; and BuzzBallz Chillers, which are wine-based (187 mL) and available in such flavors as Cranberry Chiller and Strawberry ’Rita.
For those looking for a larger format cocktail with two servings per can, BuzzTallz Classic Wine Cocktails come in a variety of flavors—including Horchata and Lime ’Rita—at 13 percent ABV in slim, 375 mL plastic cans. • buzzballz.com
