Better blended drinks: exotic new flavors and premium spirits turn up the heat on frozen drinks.

The presentation of frozen drinks on a menu says pure enjoyment to patrons. Whether familiar favorites or exciting innovations, frozen drinks are a consistent bright spot for guests on even the most gregarious drink menu.

But for operators, they can prove deceptively challenging. Impatient with the status quo, Americans are demanding more flavors, more variety, higher-quality ingredients, more interesting glassware and, depending on the venue, fun promotions.

Behind all that, operators must be certain that procedures are in place for consistent drink preparation and ongoing recipe development, not to mention all-important regular equipment maintenance and sanitation.

What's more, frozen drinks can be labor-intensive, so operators must also insure that the number of them on their menu doesn't hamper and slow production during peak periods. And then there's the task of keeping up with the latest taste trends.

How trends affect an operation and its frozen drink portfolio is a "difficult" one, according to Rich Frank, the general manager at the Fat Tuesday's in Philadelphia's touristy South Street area. "Sometimes, for example, we'll get into doing our frozen drinks in a Martini glass because Martinis are happening right now."

Fat Tuesday's, whose corporate parent David Briggs Enterprises operates 60 Mardi Gras-themed bars in nine states (in Louisiana, the concept is called New Orleans' Original Daiquiris), also makes and markets its own line of Daiquiri mixes. The 238-seat Philadelphia location carries 18 varieties of Daiquiris on its menu, at an average price of $7.50, and also serves Margaritas, Pina Coladas and a range of original concoctions.

Tropical or party-themed concepts haven't cornered the market on frozen drinks. These colorful concoctions are increasingly making heads turn in upscale establishments, as well. Frozen drinks are big business at Bellagio, the high-end hotel and casino in Las Vegas, according to Drew Levinson, beverage manager and mixologist. "At the pool and during the summer, it's very big business."

Frozen drink trends tend to follow those people looking for new flavors and fruits, Levinson suggests. "Traditionally, you'd get the Pina Colada, the Margarita and Strawberry Daiquiri and that was about it. Now we're doing a lot of things with mangos, passion fruit, lemonades and different flavors. I tend to think they do follow the flavors of other cocktails, and we're seeing more experimentation. People aren't content with just the traditional frozen drinks anymore."

Indoors, Bellagio's various drink venues have less demand for the frozen beverages. As Levinson puts it, hand-crafted cocktails have "kind of been our claim here." But quality is crucial in all Bellagio drink offerings. In the outdoor locations, he notes, "we always make the drinks from scratch, using fresh ingredients."

Four to six frozen specialties are available poolside. One of the most popular is the Java Slide, made with Navan cognac-based vanilla liqueur from Grand Marnier and Madagascar vanilla beans. "It's very good quality, very good stuff," says Levinson. "You get a coffee vanilla thing, coconut milk, cream and actually a little pineapple juice in it. It's all frozen, blended up and it comes with chocolate-covered espresso beans for the garnish." The Java Slide is priced at $12.

Another frozen favorite at Bellagio is the Mango Passion Bellini, also priced at $12. This drink features a traditional Bellini (peach cocktail with champagne) with sparkling wine and fresh white peach, fresh mango and passion fruit purees.

"It's a really complicated drink," Levinson admits, "but when you blend it with ice and serve it frozen, it's very cool drink." New this year at Bellagio is The Absolut Pink, made with Absolut Citron, pink lemonade and cranberry juice.

CLIENTELE CONSIDERATIONS

Bellagio's Levinson believes that the proper number of frozen drinks to carry on one's menu depends on the clientele. "Especially inside, we tend to get a more sophisticated clientele, and the frozen drinks aren't as popular for them as they probably are for patrons at other strip casino hotels," explains Levinson.

Bellagio's frozen drinks demand higher prices than most operations, "but we use higher quality ingredients than you'll find in many other places," says Levinson. "For example, we use all premium call spirits, not just well spirits. We use fresh purees and fresh juices that cost us triple or four times what [other ingredients] would cost."

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To keep the offerings fresh, Levinson replaces one or two frozen concoctions each summer. Last year, a featured drink was the Pisaro Passion, made with Tanqueray No. Ten gin, Limoncello, passion fruit juice and a little bit of passion fruit puree, blended with blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Although Levinson will replace it for summer 2006, the drink will still be available by request.

Bellagio bartenders use Vita-Mix blenders for their frozen drink prep, says Levinson, who extols their reliability. "They tend to blend at a higher, more powerful level, and we've had good success with them. A traditional blender wouldn't be able to handle the volumes we do." The units are washed after each drink, and the outer parts are cleaned daily.

While the search for new flavors continues, many operators find putting new twists on familiar frozen drinks pays off. "I don't know about trends, but I think the staples are still solid," says David Alphonse, vice president of beverage for Back Bay Restaurant Group, Inc. in Boston, Mass., which operates five restaurant concepts. "The frozen Margarita, the Pina Colada and the Strawberry Daiquiri--those sales are always strong."

PREMIUM BRANDS

Back Bay keeps things interesting by featuring premium brands. Its Pina Colada, for example, is made with not one but two rums, Bacardi and Myers's, to give it more flavor. The Frozen Almond Joy features Amaretto Di Saronno, Malibu Rum and Absolut Vanilia blended with a vanilla yogurt base and chocolate syrup, and garnished with whipped cream.

Frozen drinks sell for $6.50 at Back Bay's Joe's American Bar & Grill, Charlie's Eating & Drinking Saloon and the Atlantic Fish Co. concepts. The Mud Slide is a popular one, as is the Frozen Fruit Salad, developed in-house by a Back Bay bartender. Ingredients include Parrot Bay Mango Rum and Pineapple Rum with Creme de Banana and Bacardi Apple Rum, with strawberries and fresh orange juice. "That one's probably our best seller," notes Alphonse.

On the drawing board for this summer is a peach-flavored frozen specialty and perhaps one with blueberry because, says Alphonse, "those flavors are really hot."

While some operations like to layer the ingredients to attain a two-tone color or add some other touch of pizzazz, Alphonse prefers to "keep it as simple as possible with the staples, for two reasons. First, they sell. Second, we have a very high-volume restaurant and I don't want to bog down the bars and slow the process of getting the drinks out to the guests."

Alphonse does balance the frozen drink offering in terms of color, however. "If three frozen drinks go to a table I want them all to look different. That way, someone will say, 'What's that one? What's that red one?' and are more likely to sample one."

Exacting preparation is key to a frozen drink, he adds. "Most bartenders will first put ice in the blender, and then place the liquor in the mix. I have them measure out the mix first--the blender's got the measurement on the side--then the liquor, then the ice. When they blend it, it turns out the same drink with the same consistency all the time." Each restaurant is equipped with two Vita-Mix blenders, although additional units may be added during summer months.

HEALTHY MARGINS

Frozen drinks are promoted on the beverage menu at Back Bay concepts, and, during warm-weather months, on little table tents. Alphonse doesn't mark them up as much as he might, he adds, "because they're already profitable as it is. There's no reason to gouge." The margin on the drinks stands at approximately 60 percent to 65 percent.

For some operations, frozen drinks and splashy promotions go hand in hand. Mark Malkin, director of training and on-premise marketing for Island Oasis, based in Walpole, Mass., which markets a frozen drink line, as well as blenders and freezers, says his company offers both generic and customized point of sale items. Island Oasis operates an in-house print shop, creating anything from inserts to laminated menus in multiple sizes, as well as posters, banners and more.

"We try to make sure that everybody has some sort of point of sale out there because it's really necessary to have something either in the menu or on the table to let people know that you do offer frozen drinks," Says Malkin.

While frozen drinks may seem like a slam dunk, especially in warmer weather, they do require vigilance. Where do operators go wrong? According to Dave Commer, president of Commer Beverage Consulting in Carrollton, Texas, "They make the same mistake with a frozen drink as they do with any other drink, and that's not following the recipe."

PROPER PORTIONS

Typically, with frozen drinks, bartenders will over-portion the ice cream or other mixer ingredient. By doing so, says Commer, they inevitably will leave some left-over product in the blender. What such miscalculation does is "dilute the balance of the drink. The good news for the operator is that they're less likely to over-portion the alcohol, but still it's not a balanced flavor or a balanced drink. It all comes back to adhering strictly to recipes."

Another potential pitfall operators routinely make, says Commer, is-once again, with frozen drinks as with all drinks-failing to use great ingredients. "You can't make a great drink with bad ingredients."

Having the proper equipment, and keeping it in working order, is another vital part of a successful blended or frozen drink program. As Commer notes, "There are tons of blenders out there. Some are better than others, and all of them work well when they're new. So it's important to properly maintain the blenders, and to have a maintenance schedule so that they're working properly and quietly."

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Marketing remains an "important piece" of a frozen beverage program, says Commer. He suggests that operators winnow their menu offerings. "They need to focus on a few that they can do well, rather than trying to offer many."

As for tracking the trends, they "go back and forth, really," says Island Oasis' Malkin. "The hottest thing right now, at least with us, is the tropical flavors, offering something that is a little bit different. I mean, everybody has a Strawberry Daiquiri, a Pina Colada, a Mudslide and a Margarita. To make it a little more interesting, people will serve a Wildberry Margarita or a Mango Colada.

"Some are even doing swirls," he says. When serving a Margarita, for example, pouring the drink into the strawberry mix in the bottom of the glass "creates kind of a flowery look in the glass when it shoots up the sides. It's just a more creative presentation, and that definitely helps. Any time something like that goes through the dining room--either in creative glassware or that is garnished nicely--people will look at it and say, 'What's that? Maybe I'll try that.'"

And, increasingly, Americans are.

RELATED ARTICLE: HOT TIPS FOR FROZEN DRINKS

David Commer of Commer Beverage Consulting's recommendations for a winning frozen drink program:

* Follow recipes exactly

* Use quality ingredients

* Use blenders that can keep up with your operation's volume

* Clean and maintain blenders regularly

Howard Riell is a veteran beverage and foodservice journalist who has contributed to Cheers since its debut.