News & Updates

Alcohol & Spirit Brands are some of the most well known brands in the world, but with new brands being announced every day it's becoming more difficult than ever to make your brand standout. Customers visiting a restaurant, bar, or grocery store are confronted with a seemingly endless number of alcoholic brands to choose from. This creates unique challenges for spirit brands including (1) getting customers' initial attention to purchase your product, and (2) leaving a memorable impression on customers that causes repeat purchases. RP & Associates worked to develop a new product that addressed both these challenges and created a unique solution called The Hitch.

The Hitch is a unique shot glass that’s designed to be an miniature replica of your existing bottle and can be served on top of a beer bottle or glass. Every Hitch is custom designed to be an exact replica of your bottle; we can make it any size or shape, and can duplicate your bottle's texture, logos, and labels. The Hitch can be used as a traditional shot glass, or is a great compliment to any drink since the hook allows you to uniquely serve it on top of any glass or bottle. It’s a new and unique promotional tool that can be used to increase sales - both on-premise and off-premise - while expanding your brand in a creative way.

Use The Hitch on-premise to drive sales and activations by generating a buzz for your brand and giving customers a memorable experience with a unique take-home shot glass. When customers visit a bar or restaurant they have a variety of options and typically go with their "old favorite" if they don't find something new that catches their eye; The Hitch is designed to do just that and can be used with a variety of different programs. Since most customers have never seen a miniature shot glass that’s an exact duplicate of a bottle, it immediately catches their attention and is a great tool for driving sales.

Use it as a standalone shot glass, or the unique presentation of serving it on top of a bottle or glass makes it great for "Beer & Shot" or "Drink & Shot" programs. Customers can order a beer/drink and add a shot for a few extra dollars; it’s a great tool for up-selling. Hitch promotions get attention themselves, but they create even more buzz when customers see the service staff and other customers being served drinks and beers with a shot glass on top. Customers ask questions about the shot glass, talk about it, and often order one to take home themselves. While it’s great for increasing on-premise sales, the benefits translate to off-premises sales as well.

The Hitch increases off-premise sales by leaving a memorable impression and creating bottle recognition among your customers. When customers visit a store to purchase a bottle they're given a ton of different options to choose from. By using the Hitch on-premise, customers remember your brand for off-premise purchases since they’re familiar with your bottle; in a sea of never ending bottles, your bottle now stands out and is associated with the good memories of the last time they enjoyed your drink. You can even use The Hitch as a free gift with purchase off-premise to attract even more new clients and drive sales.

Whether you're looking to increase your spirit brand's sales on-premise or off-premise, The Hitch is a great tool for helping you accomplish your goal. It's a versatile tool that can be used with a variety of on-premise programs and helps your off-premise sales by creating bottle recognition. It’s take-home advertising component will keep your brand top-of-mind each time your customers or their friends/family see The Hitch. Contact us today to learn more about our new and unique products, or to get your very own custom Hitch.

Restaurants and catering services have been using plastic jugs for beverage carryout and take-home for teas, sodas, and other drinks for years. It's become a standard in the industry, but that standard is starting to shift due to its high cost and low return on investment.

Instead of buying one gallon jugs wholesale and having to ship and take up storage space, companies like Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen use Beverage Bags to increase profitability on take-out/catering orders and save tons of storage space compared to gallon jugs.

Beverage Bags fit more than 200 1-gallon bags into the same box that fits only twelve 1-gallon plastic jugs. This reduces required storage space and freight costs, while improving operational efficiency and sustainability. Just like jugs, beverage bags can be used blank, or for added value and additional in-home brand reach, you can customize the bags with your logo or design. Here are some additional facts about beverage bags:

• Works for both carbonated and non-carbonated beverages
• Durable Design
• Reinforced Comfort Handle
• BPA Free
• Available in 1 and 1/2 Gallon, and can be custom made for any volume
• Integrated Pour Spout

Beverage Bags beat jugs for catering and carryout both in profitability for you, and in value and experience for your customers.

Don't forget to checkout NBC's Today Show on June 15 at 10am to see our Keep Cold Cup featured on their Father's Day Gift Ideas segment. Our Keep Cold Cup was picked out of thousands of products to be featured on their segment. To compliment the segment we've also been asked to setup an online retail store so consumers can directly purchase the products for Father's Day or otherwise. To access our new online retail store visit UniqueDrinkware.com or click here to learn more about the Keep Cold Cup.

Update: If you missed the show you can check out the clip below or view the full segment here.

Guiness Book of Records removed many categories from their book including "Highest Blood Alcohol Content" which appeared in the 1979 edition of the book, but there are still other spirit related records.

1. Greatest Distillery Mouser
The femail tortoisesehll named Towser caught an estimated 28,899 mice at the Glenturrat Distillery in UK. For 24 years she helped keep catch mice that were eager to eat the grain in the barley store. Today a statute of her stands outside the distillery and a paw print in her honor is printed on every the company's highland Liquor

2. Most Expensive Cognac
Have about £1,000,000 burning a hole in your pocket? If so, you can spend your $ on Henri IV Cognac Grande Champagne. It's been aged for 100 years and the bottle is dipped in 24k gold, platinum, and decorated with over 6,000 diamonds.

3. Largest Mojito
It was made in Italy, in 2012, with a total volume of 2,100 litres. The massive mojito contained 300 litres of rum, 120kg of brown sugar, 25kg of mint, 240kg of lime, 1,200kg of ice, and 600 litres of sparkling water. Once the record was confirmed, the party really started and the eager crowd began to down the history making Mojito.

4. Most Cocktails Shaken at the Same Time
For thier 100th store grand opening, a Belgium hardware store set the record for shaking 970 cocktails at the same time.

5. Most Cocktails Mixed in One Hour
A New York Cocktail Mixer made 1,003 cocktail in 60 minutes. It was at the Empire State Building in 2011, and each drink had four ingredients: fresh fruit juice, a couple falvored syrups, and vodka.

Pouring a beer from the draft system seems simple – and it is. To achieve the best quality pour, be sure to keep these simple steps in mind when pouring:

1. Start with a clean glass:

Using clean glasses may seem like a no-brainer, but busy nights can wear down even the experienced bartender and cause them to overlook a few things. Glassware washed in low temperature machines are sanitized with chemicals rather than high heat. This type of sanitation may leave lipstick marks or fingerprints, and can also leave chlorine deposits that will kill the beers foamy head. If a high temp dishwasher is not being used, take extra care to make sure that all glasses are completely rinsed and cleaned.

2. Hold the glass at an angle:

When pouring a beer, experts suggest holding the glass at about a 45 degree angle. Open the tap quickly and fully; the beer should hit the middle of the glass and slide down the side to the bottom. This prevents too much head from developing too quickly. Once to glass is 1/2 to 2/3 of the way full, stop pouring and hold the glass upright.

3. Look for the right amount of foam:

A little head on a beer is a good thing. It helps the drinker notice more of the flavors and aroma of the draft a they take the first sip. Aim for about a half-inch of head in a pint glass, and a little more in other types of glass. Adding distance between the tap and the glass will create more of a foamy head.

4. Take your time: Some beers require more time for the perfect pour. Guinness experts and enthusiasts recommend using the double-pour method for the thick and nitrogenous stout. Pouring the beer 2/3 of the way full and then waiting a good 30 seconds before filling the rest helps the nitrogen bubbles in the beer settle. Guinness enthusiasts swear that this method produces the perfect amount of head and the best tasting Guinness.

5. Assess the final product:

Before serving the beer, take a look: does it have the right amount head? Is it the right color? Does it smell the way a good beer should? If anything is off, it could be a sign of a problem with the tap system or the beer itself and needs to be investigated.

Pouring the perfect draft beer requires attention to detail and consistency. Even on busy nights, take the time to care for each beer being poured. Making sure you have a healthy tap system and following the 5 easy steps will give you the perfect pour every time, and your customers will love you for it.