Renaissance Hotels nationwide are turning Japanese this summer with launch of the Soul of Sake cocktail program. The promotion features TY KU Sake & Spirits cocktails created by Francesco LaFranconi, executive director of mixology & spirits education for Southern Wine and Spirits.
The Soul of Sake cocktails pay homage to the music and career of TY KU partner and Grammy award winner CeeLo Green, with names such as “The Freak” (pictured) and “LadyKiller.” LaFranconi created 14 cocktails for the program; each Renaissance property selected the drinks they wanted to feature locally.
Why did the Renaissance want to promote sake cocktails? According to Lou Trope, vice president restaurant and bar for Marriott International, the hotel chain wanted to bring the “concept of discovery” to its cocktail program this summer. Trope said in a release that sake tends to be an undiscovered beverage category in the U.S.–especially sake in cocktails. “We wanted to give guests the opportunity to discover it in our bars and by our pools,” he said.
The Soul of Sake program kicked off on June 19 on Renaissance Hotels’ “Day of Discovery” with special events and performances with CeeLo’s artists and protégés including Juliet Simms in Los Angeles and That Girl V in Dallas. The cocktail promotion will run through Aug. 27.
