Flavor Branding for a Leading American Credit Card

Provocachic(sm) presents one of its recent corporate project – the “Pure Platinum” Cocktail, designed as a form of flavor & emotional branding for the Platinum Card of a leading American credit card brand.

“Pure Platinum” was launched through a series of events that started on 8th September 2007, and shall be available exclusively to the client's Platinum Card-members at select restaurants, bars and clubs.

Details on the profile of the target market are withheld to maintain the confidentiality of sensitive branding and marketing information.

THE DESIGN PROCESS

Key Elements and Goals:
Brand identity ('personality') and strategies were studied together with the profile of the target market. Key elements are then selected as a foundation for the design process.

Recipe design should reflect the client's reputation such as integrity, trust and quality which it had earned, especially in times of crisis and/or unreliability. Founded in 1850 (New York) as one of the most reliable express mail company, it was ranked in 2007 as the 15th most valuable brand in the world (estimated US$20.87 billion) by Business Week and Interbrand.

The branding strategy for their Platinum Card, experience the vibrant new Platinum life is expressed through "L.I.V.E. Platinum" – namely luxury, inspire, vibrant and entertainment.

The bespoke recipe was created to communicate the brand's key elements and tag line in a manner most appealing to the target market (after an in-depth study on their profile).

Main Ingredients:
Based on requirements for the recipe to be easily reproduced by the client’s partner merchants, the design uses only a few ingredients and a simple shake & strain method.

Using two well-liked flavors, lychee (litchi) and chocolate liqueurs, and a refreshing sparkling spring water, “Pure Platinum” is mainly composed of familiar flavors yet in an uncommon combination.

A unique element in the design is kewra essence, distilled from the male flower known as known as pandanus odoratissimus. The cocktail is completed by a touch of the luxurious Amedei Chuao dark chocolate.

Flavor Profile:
The liqueurs offer sweetness with a touch of alcoholic bitter. The cacao offers richness, while the lychee exudes muskiness.

The good quality dark chocolate is a smooth bittersweet, with a complex fruity acidity. To engage discerning palates, a flavor outside the bar environment was necessary. The kewra essence presented just such an opportunity as it expands on the multifaceted flavors with a hypnotic floral dance. Even better, being very affordably priced makes kewra easily accessible.

Found across regions ranging from Hawaii, Australia and India, one may unknowingly encounter kewra in items such as mango lassi (fruit yogurt drink), northern Indian sweets, or in a particular type of Indian spiced rice known as pakki biryani. It is actually related to the pandan leave familiar to the cuisine of South-east Asia.

The sparkling spring water displays mineral salt and a bubbly-ness that helps to release a wider range of aromas. The heavier cacao components add weight to the other lighter facets, resulting in an intriguing balance – “Pure Platinum.” The unique aroma has even being known to be experienced in fleeting shadows across the palate hours or days after.

Branding Psychology:
Reflecting the “L” and “V” in the “L.I.V.E. Platinum” tagline, sensory interpretations in the form of sparkling (vibrant) spring water (luxury) also connects with its functional health aspect.

One of the most popular fruits, lychee offers a familiar anchor to the kewra essence. Legendary fans of this fruity pearl of the Orient include Lady Yang Kuei Fei. Everyday the Emperor ordered guards to travel 600 miles south of the palace to bring back fresh lychees to woo her. This famous patronage (luxury) helped build its reputation as a symbol for royalty and love.

The crème de cacao also anchors the other floral and fruity elements. Together with the lychee liqueur, it presents two popular flavor that are seldom paired together, an interesting new experience.

The choice of dark chocolate for the garnish reflects a seductive quality especially appreciated by men. Created by one of the best chocolate artisans (multiple Gold winners at the World Chocolate Awards in 2005 & 2006 for best dark chocolate and bean to bar), Amedei Chuao was the natural choice. This is the first time that the legendary single-origin and single-varietal Chuao criollo cacao was tamed and used purely to create a full bodied (70% cacao) dark chocolate.

Chuao, the name of the plantation and Venezuelan peninsula where it is cultivated, was the renowned cacao cultivar of the ancient Mayans. It was selected for its elegant fruitiness to pair with the kewra, yet strong enough to hold its own. This (luxurious) indulgence has also gained a healthy reputation for its anti-oxidant benefits.

Distilled from the white layer covering the male kewra flower, an ounce of this precious essence demands at least a thousand flowers. Apart from its ability to awaken the mind (inspire), Ayurvedic experts also use it to relieve insomnia and headaches – quite an exotic and stress-relieving appeal.

The ‘carefree’ kewra at one end, and the heady cacao at the other, are pulled together by the feminine and powerful lychee (not unlike the modern woman). While the female palate usually prefers milk chocolate, a very good quality dark chocolate would probably be quite attractive as it may not be that dry and bitter. If fact, it could be quite creamy with only a tinge of bitterness, like the Amedei Chuao. At the same time, dark chocolate has a strong flavor profile often appreciated by the male palate, exuding a masculine quality.

Seldom does chocolate brands source their own cacao and produce their own chocolate, and Amedei is one such rarity. The brand’s exclusivity with the Chuao cacao growers was earned through a relationship of respect and fair trade, building a reputation of integrity. The trust build also allowed the chocolate makers (Amadei) access to almost the whole chocolate creation process, managing the quality from cacao bean to chocolate bar. Trust and quality are also recognized reputation build by the this leading American credit card brand.

Cacao, also known as theobroma, “food of the gods” in Latin, also enjoys demand across many countries, with a positive connotation of reward (since childhood) and gift giving in multiple cultures.

Amedei Chuao’s long, complex and elegant finish is also a sign of the highest quality. This is also contributed by the sparkling spring water and kewra. Believed to even seduce cobras, kewra also offers a certain edgy image.

An interpretation of the concept of “Pure Platinum,” the recipe was designed to be colourless, which also enhances the intense flavors when tasted, driving further at a distinct edginess and understated quality.

Though transparent, when the cocktail is freshly shaken, it displays a frosty silver (platinum) hue. Against this chic canvas, the finesse of the vibrant effervescence and aromas are best captured within the champagne flute glassware, which enjoys a luxurious image due to its association with champagne.

“Pure Platinum”
Imagine a bright floral muskiness distilled from the male kewra flower, “King of all Orissa fragrant flowers” (from South Asia). Possibly the first time it is used in a cocktail, you don’t see it coming, this falsetto. Reputed to invigorate the mind, kewra stimulates creativity & inspiration.

A slice of the finest Amedei Chuao dark chocolate hints at the crème de cacao in this elixir, exuding composure in its energetic personality. Strong without being domineering, the fresh cacao has decisive notes of red fruits with a touch of honey. The garnish raises the pitch towards the luscious lychee (fruit of an empress) used in this design.

Pure, colourless, a cool platinum hue when freshly chilled and presented, this veil only deepens the mystery. The vibrant bubbly spring water frees the whole spectrum of this unconventional fusion of kewra, lychee and cacao liqueurs.

Reward yourself with the luxury of “Pure Platinum,” the exclusive choice of the discerning chic.

Provocachic(sm) at the Amex Centurion Gala 2007

Provocachic was recently invited to be part of the Amex Centurion Gala project on the 13 June at the Red Dot Museum. This was the second year of the exclusive celebration for Centurion members in Singapore. The celebrity bar element last year was mixologist Colin Field from Hemmingway Bar of the Paris Ritz hotel. (This event is featured in the August issue of the Singapore Tatler, from page 46.)

Three basic cocktails were offered, namely the “Rose Cosmopolitan”, “After the Rain” and “Lemongrass Champagne Mojito” (2007 June’s cocktail for The Gilded Fork).

Easily one of the most popular cocktails of that evening, the “Lemongrass Champagne Mojito” is a beautiful collage of La Mauny white rum, Dom Perignon champagne, lemongrass vanilla cane sugar syrup, spearmint and Tahitian lime.

For the “Rose Cosmopolitan,” a touch of rose on the ever-popular Cosmopolitan cocktail (supposedly popularized after Madonna was seen having one at the Rainbow Room bar in New York), crafted with a much fuller & drier mouth feel through the choice of pure organic cranberry juice. Belvedere Cytrus was used as the base, a wonderful lemon-lime flavored vodka through quality maceration, in an industry of vodkas mainly flavored artificially or through addition of essential oils.

Amedei Jamaica Cru was designed to be the garnish for the "Rose Cosmopolitan", selected for its aggressive dark cocoa, pronounced acidity and gentle fruitiness, with a tinge of grassy note.

One of the best Polish vodka (Belvedere Pomarancza: orange-mandarin-orange blossom) marries the lovely notes of fresh lychee, Japanese yuzu, organic Bourbon vanilla, thyme and calamansi. These gorgeous fruits, strongly balanced with the best spirits, are fashioned into what could become one of your favourite fun cocktails – “After the Rain.”

A highly limited sampling of the following three cocktails was also offered in a special tasting. These are more true to the potential of Provocachic’s core specialty.

“Pan-Asian Cosmo”
Torch ginger bud, Tahitian & Bourbon vanilla, Advocaat, Malibu, Japanese kelp (konbu), fleur de sel (flower of salt), yogurt, ruby grapefruit zest, sparkling apple juice, Volvic spring water ice.

“Theobroma”
Belvedere Pomarancza, Amedei Chuao (Gold Winner of “Best Dark Chocolate” and “Best Bean to Bar” in 2005 & 2006 at the World Chocolate Awards), Tanqueray gin, beetroot, pure maple syrup, Hungarian “Noble Sweet” smoked paprika.

“Candle In The Wind”
Belvedere Pomarancza, Dom Perignon champagne, frizzante Moscato d’Asti, ruby grapefruit, parmesan.

Being the official "Liquid Chef/Flavor Artist", it was a wonderful experience being able to share Provocachic's unique offerings, which at its core bespoke level, answers the evocative question:"what would your story taste like?"