New Zealand-based Beverage Company SHOTT Beverages was stirring up the bars and resorts of Viti Levu this past week. Mixologist extraordinaire Rich Clark led mixology masterclasses in bars and resorts in Suva and the Coral Coast ending in the West with a trip to the Mamanuca Group.
Last Monday and Tuesday, Clark and SHOTT brand manager Miranda Reid were in Suva holding mixology lessons at Bad Dog Cafe and Shenanigans before heading to the Coral Coast.
SHOTT Beverages is a privately owned company founded in 2007 by Richard Plimmer, Tami and Simon Louisson, all of whom have previously owned drinks companies. Although the company originates in Petone, Wellington, its products now reach the full length of NZ and are also exported to Australia, Singapore, Korea, China and the UK.
The company offers a range of syrups made from fresh fruit, sugar cane and spring water from a fountain in Petone that is renowned for its pure, clean water. The fruit syrups are a popular cocktail ingredient and the range of cafe syrups and smoothie bases are now used in many cafes around the world.
They are also available for use at home to add a fresh, unique flavour to milkshakes, as a food marinade or in your very own cocktails. The products are very versatile hence the soaring success of the beverage company who have twice been named in the Deloitte’s Fast 50.
The company’s now introducing their products to Fiji.
Clark has highlighted the need for bartenders to realise mixology is an art form which gives them an opportunity to progress in their career. Like most bartenders, he started in the hospitality business believing it was just another job to pay the bills but now has a real passion and thirst to learn more about the world of mixology.
Clark stressed the need for bartenders to be more creative with their work, research the history of mixology, modernise older cocktail recipes, adapt existing recipes etc. After travelling across Asia to places such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand as a mixologist, he has the experience, knowledge and contacts to recognise a superior beverage brand such as SHOTT Beverages.
SHOTT Beverages now wishes to export to Fiji. Brand manager Miranda Reid believes that Fiji is the perfect setting for the product with its large tourist industry and diverse food culture providing an ideal audience.
The idea of sipping a cocktail on the beautiful beaches of Fiji is a tourist’s dream, a dream that SHOTT Beverages can make come true with their cocktail syrups. The fresh, diverse fruits that are central to any Fijian food market echo the natural, locally sourced fruits used in the syrups making Fiji the perfect place to launch SHOTT products in the South Pacific.
The masterclasses with Clark aims to demonstrate to bars and resorts that SHOTT products can take their drinks to the next level. The syrup range is versatile, adaptable and fresh; the perfect ingredients for a successful cocktail. The sessions are also the ideal platform for bartenders to realise the full potential of their roles and be given the right tools to progress further with their mixology skills.
Suva-based company Victoria Wines, which imports fine wines, beers and spirits from around the world, are to be the sole distributor of the SHOTT Beverages range in Fiji.
