Coffee-Liqueur Fad Puts Broker In High Spirits

A CONVERSATION WITH MARK LEVINE -- Job: Managing principal, chairman, Levine & Sons, a wine and spirits brokerage, and K&L Distributors Inc., private family owned companies, based in Bellevue. -- Age: 49. -- Residence: Capitol Hill. -- Honors: Inducted into The Keepers of the Quaich, the Scotch Whisky Society's exclusive honorary organization. Named "Broker of the Year" by StateWays Magazine, a liquor-industry trade publication. -- Quote: "It used to be that drink fads got started in London or New York and the fad moved west. Now, many start here and spread east."

A liqueur-and-latte rage is brewing here in the Emerald City, one that is expected to spread across the country. Seattle, apparently, will soon make a name for itself in liqueur-blended coffee drinks, just as it has with the espresso craze, says a leading spirits broker.

Coming on strong for the holidays are lattes laced with Bailey's Irish Cream, Kahlua, Chambord Royale, Sambuca and Canton ginger liqueur. These specialty drinks come with catchy names such as "Galiano Hot Shots" or "Key Lime Highs."

The combination is bound to benefit both the coffee and liqueur businesses, said Mark Levine, chairman of Levine & Sons, a Bellevue-based spirits brokerage.

"Thanks to Starbucks, everybody is talking about new drinks. We have no idea how big Starbucks will be," Levine said. "And combined with liqueurs, who knows?"

Levine's biggest customer is the State Liquor Control Board, but he also deals directly with restaurants and bars. He spends hours watching people order drinks and finding out what's new. He borrows ideas and recipes hot in one area and peddles them to another to promote sales.

Consumption of alcoholic beverages may be on the wane - falling an estimated 5 percent annually the past three years - but the quality of spirits being consumed is rising, Levine said. This is a trend fueling the business at a time when more people are focusing on non-alcoholic drinks.

"We're seeing the concept of drinking less, but drinking better, especially at the bar level," said Levine, whose work takes him to bars and restaurants worldwide. His 23-employee brokerage serves Washington and Oregon. His larger K&L distribution business, with 300 employees, reaches into Alaska.

Levine recently spent five days in Scotland, being honored with induction into the exclusive Scotch Whisky Society's honorary Keepers of the Quaich. He was one of 48 executives worldwide elected to the elite society for their contributions to the industry. The society's title stems from the two-handled drinking bowl described in ancient Gaelic language of Scotland as a "cuaich," or quaich, a vessel long associated with the drinking of Scotch whisky.

Unlike earlier generations, most young people have no interest in acquiring a taste for scotch. That's a challenge, says Levine.

Restaurants and bars are planning a campaign to "return to the classics," Levine said. These include drinks such as the "Ultimate martini," Manhattan and Old-fashioned. One way he hopes to promote scotch is with a drink called a Rusty Nail, a mixture of scotch and drambuie.

To pump holiday sales, three new specialities will be available in state liquor stores: Sheridan's Original Double, a double bottle containing half vanilla liqueur and half chocolate, with separate spouts; Godiva chocolate liqueur; and Goldschlager, a 107-proof cinnamon schnapps containing gold flakes.