The Tasting Panel magazine

September 2011

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Soaking up every last second of summer we can before descend- ing into chilly fall oblivion, THE TASTING PANEL pays tribute to one brand making a splash year-round, thanks to innovative packaging that's making poolside bottle service safe again Can-Do with KRÜ A by Rachel Burkons At nightclub venues (poolside or not!), KRÜ82 stands out from the crowd. 72 / the tasting panel / september 201 1 s a former lifeguard, take it from me: 1) Yes, you will slip and fall if you're running on a wet deck, and 2) Glass and bare poolside feet do not a happy marriage make. For years, the second of these two Universal Poolside Truths has kept pool/cabana bottle service on a tight leash, with every order being served in an unbranded (yet poolsafe!) plastic carafe that lacks the class and cachet of the equivalent bottle service in a traditional night- club or bar setting. So what's a spirit brand to do in markets like Las Vegas, Miami and L.A., where poolside accounts are a burgeoning consumer segment and where maintaining branding could lead to a boon in sales offsite as well? Well, if you're KRÜ82 Vodka, you're in great poolside shape, right off the backbar. With its unique shatterproof, stainless steel packaging, KRÜ82 is cabana-ready and putting the bottle back into bottle service. "Customers are used to getting their bottles poured into a carafe when they order bottle service," admits Howard Weiss, Regional Director of Nightlife Operations, Strategy and Development, Eastern Division at Caesar's Entertainment, which owns and operates The Pool After Dark at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City. With its sexy, glam, pool-turned-club appeal, The Pool After Dark has all of the elements of a traditional nightclub, a fact that is only enhanced by KRÜ82 serve-readiness. "Ordering KRÜ82 bottle service at The Pool After Dark really helps our customers feel like they're in a real nightclub," explains Weiss. "We have the lights and music, but when our customers are able to get the alcohol they ordered and see it, and feel it and touch it, they understand what they're drinking—and they like it better." With its shiny metal container, KRÜ82 couldn't stand out more from the other bottle service vodkas, all clear, nameless liquids served in their generic plastic containers. "It's an easy upsell," says Weiss, "especially when customers see other people order it. It looks so different!

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