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Bernie and Booze

May 19, 2011 No Comments

I knew that sooner or later, I’d get to post something about Bernie Madoff and the booze business.

Morrell and Company held an online auction of his wine and spirits collection. For a swindler who lived the rich life having stolen $65 billion, his wine collection seems to me to be paltry and uninspired. But, buyers gladly overpaid for the boasting rights of owning the charlatan’s wine and spirits.

As the auction house put it, “Some of the bottles are better viewed as conversation pieces rather than valued for their contents.”

The wines went for well beyond their value. A case of 1996 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild was valued at $3,200 to $3,800 and sold for $6,800. A bottle of Chateau Lynch-Bages from 1990 went for $2,200 despite a value appraised at no more than $1,600.

But, my favorite over valued auctioned items was on the spirits side.

Four minis consisting of Bombay, Grand Marnier and Smirnoff valued at $10 to $20 went for $300. Minis?

Nine bottles that included Jack Daniel’s, Jose Cuervo and Drambuie sold for $500 versus an estimated value of around $200. (The value must have taken into account the prices billionaires have to pay for booze in midtown Manhattan or in The Hamptons.)

Included in the nine bottle lot was – drumroll please – a bottle of Seagram’s VO with the original Canadian tax stamp dated 1981. All those years trying to figure out how to make VO grow – who knew it was a collector’s item!

A personal note to Madoff:

Dear Bernie,

Happy you are rotting in prison and hope you are not doing well. While many are laughing about your choice of alcohol libations, I for one am pleased that you obviously were not “from the drinkers.” I’m also pleased that the industry did not benefit from your ill-gotten gains.

But I am curious about something. I can understand ripping off minis from an airplane or hotel room bar. But Smirnoff and Cuervo?

Well anyway, at least the victims’ fund got some money — $41,530 to be exact. I suppose it’s a rounding error in the scheme of things but I also got a posting out of it, didn’t I?

Bartender, a shot of Botox please

May 16, 2011 No Comments

Just when you think you’ve heard of everything, every gimmick, and every ploy to sell a drink – along comes a new one.

There is a bar and club in NYC where the bartender and a “beauty vendor” have teamed up to create cocktails whose mixer ingredients are supposed to smooth skin, plump it up or otherwise enhance the appearance.

Among the cocktails is a Watermelon Kiss which mixes tequila with watermelon, “to even out skin tone,” according to a newspaper article on the club. Another drink uses kumquats and special vitamins and minerals to reduce oiliness.

You get the picture.

Call me old school but alcohol with or without a mixer can be a social lubricant, a calming influence, a road to mood change and, of course, relaxing. If I’ve had a drink or two, you probably can convince me that some products enhance the romantic moment. But, a cocktail for skin improvement? No way.

I think this is how it works – you have 3 or 4 cocktails, go to the restroom and look in the mirror. You’ll love what you see.

In any event, hats off to the owners for a novel way to sell booze. Shows that the PT Barnum adage is still alive and well.

Industry Events

May 11, 2011 2 Comments

Just thought I would take a moment to alert readers – consumers as well as those in the industry – about upcoming events of interest related to the booze industry.

First and foremost, from May 13 to 17 is the Manhattan Cocktail Classic all over NYC. It starts with a Gala at the New York Public Library and there are events all over town. Anyone who has been to previous events recommends it highly. Here’s the link www.manhattancocktailclassic.com – got to warn you, most events are sold out.

In June (28 and 29), the Javits center in NYC has the Bar and Wine Show for the on premise trade. www.newyorkbarshow.com

Finally, and not directly related to spirits and wine – there is a charity event called The Lone Star Chili Cookoff on May 21. What does this have to do with the booze business? Not much except when I think of the business I often think about Texas. You know, 6^th St. in Austin, Crown Royal and great times with the Southern region. Here’s the link. www.lonestarchilicookoff.org/about.php?club=NYAMC

Who says this blog doesn’t provide a public service?