NRA Show Blog

Fire and Ice: Drinks and Desserts for the Holidays

By Kristina Vanni

While exploring the New York Chocolate Show this fall, I discovered the unique and delicious Fire and Ice Cocoa Mix from 2 Chicks with Chocolate. Their combination of dark chocolate and cocoa nibs along with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves is simply irresistible. I love using the mix to create the unique and delicious Fire and Ice Martini. Simply prepare the mix with milk and cream, and shake it up with chilled Cold River Vodka*. This super-premium vodka is a craft distiller from Freeport, Maine. From “Ground to Glass” this vodka is produced from scratch with potatoes from their farm and with water from a nearby aquifer.

Fire and Ice Martini
 
1 ¼ cup milk
1 ¼ cup cream
1 ½ cup 2 Chicks Fire and Ice Cocoa Mix
8 ounces Cold River Vodka

5 big ideas from last week's "Getting Bodies in Seats" webinar

by guest blogger Andy Sernovitz

As a follow-up to the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event (IWSB) November 17 webinar, "Getting Bodies in Seats with Word of Mouth and Social Media," I thought I'd share some of the key takeaways from that discussion:

1. Happy customers are your best ads
 
No amount of fancy, big-budget marketing can beat real love from an army of true fans.

2. Word of mouth marketing isn't luck

Word of mouth marketing is really about two things: 1) Giving people something to talk about, and 2) Making it easier for those conversations to take place.

3. Your brand isn't what you say it is, it's what your customers say it is

People learn about and understand who you are as a restaurant not so much from your Web site or your commercials -- but rather from their friends, their co-workers, and from reviews from strangers. Your advertising might be what they see first, but it's your word of mouth that drives the sale.