Just over 100 years ago, Perlick was founded in a small shop on Reed Street here in Milwaukee. Over the course of the last century, we've introduced mechanical refrigeration to the industry, created the first remote beer system that can carry beer 100 feet, and have evolved into an industry leader in commercial bar and beverage equipment. And we have the Best-In-Class Awards to prove it.

Champagne, as we all know, is as closely tied with New Year's Eve as noisemakers, Times Square, and Dick Clark. As the ball drops, we lift up our flutes and toast to the promise of the coming year with the people we love. New Year's is a time to celebrate. But did you ever wonder why we do it with champagne? The short answer is there isn't one particular reason why we drink champagne on New Year's Eve. It's a long and complex association that is tied in with the history of champagne as much as anything. And that history has many chapters.

The Tobin Ellis Signature Cocktail Station was recently awarded the 2015 GOOD DESIGN™ Award from the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. Founded in 1950, GOOD DESIGN™ is the oldest and most recognized program for design excellence in the world. This year alone, the museum received several thousand submissions from the world's leading manufacturers from nearly 50 countries. Winners were selected in November.

Just when others have perfected straight lines and 90-degree angles, Perlick throws a curve. With unique, ergonomically designed underbar equipment like the Tobin Ellis Signature Cocktail Station and the Ice Cream Station, Perlick has been recognized as the Best-In-Class underbar equipment leader for the 12th year in a row from Foodservice Equipment & Supplies.

Bars and brewpubs are facing more and more pressure to provide a wider range of beers on tap. This is directly related to the craft beer movement, which has created a growing consumer demand to try different styles of beer made by different breweries. This, in turn, has created some challenges for bars and restaurants.

In low margin businesses like food, beverage, and hospitality, operators cannot afford to miss out on profits. Even worse, they can't afford to watch those profits go down the drain. Literally. Beer programs can be great profit centers in the food and beverage industry. They can serve as entertainment centers that serve up the perfect pints of beer. They affect the experience you provide and ultimately your bottom line.

It's your choice. When designing your bar with maximum throughput in mind, you get to decide the features, the quality, and the configuration. These choices will ultimately determine how efficient your bar will be, how productive your staff will be, and how profitable your operation will be.

Vermouth. A classic almost mystical spirit that experienced its heyday in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Its versatility is limited only by the bartender's imagination, as it works in cocktails ranging from the Martini to the Manhattan to the Negroni. But to understand why vermouth is making a comeback, you first have to know why it lost favor in the first place.