At Beam, researchers search for the next hot flavor in alcohol

Maria Yost is making margaritas. If everything works out, ladies could be sipping them at book club get-togethers 18 months from now. Surrounded by test tubes and liquor bottles at Beam Inc.’s Clermont, Ky., lab, the research scientist is working on a prototype flavor for the Skinnygirl brand of alcoholic beverages aimed at calorie-conscious women. “Right now I’ve found a flavor I like – this one happens to be a citrus product – and I’m dosing at different levels,” Yost said while holding a pipette over 10 test tubes filled with a basic margarita solution.