CoCktails
Elevated experiences InspIratIon for bars lookIng to bolster theIr cocktaIl offerIng post covId-19
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ockdown saw many people recreating some of their favourite cocktails at home. Howbeit, nothing truly hits the spot like a professionally mixed tipple. Now venues are back open, consumers will be enthusiastic to indulge in bar-quality serves, crafted with luxury ingredients and executed with skill, technique and dazzling aesthetic. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely to be a quick recovery for the cocktail category, which is in for a tough time as we emerge from lockdown. However, there’s room for optimism for operators who are willing and able to flex. For some, it may be lucrative to continue cocktail delivery services, which boomed during the shutdown period, while for others, it will mean studying the drinking trends that emerged in the off-trade, and adapting menus and serve formats to ensure a safe, efficient and enjoyable invenue experience for guests. According to CGA’s Covid recovery study, 80% of consumers want just as much value for money as they did pre-lockdown. Within that, “good quality” and “worth the cost” were called out amongst the top five factors. This creates the opportunity to position cocktails as a strong value option, delivering high-quality serves that are worth the spend. Light, long, refreshing options are traditionally popular at this time of the year, and Campari expects the Aperol Spritz to be a firm favourite. “With social distancing measures encouraging more frequent use of outdoor spaces, these drinks are a natural fit, well-suited to being enjoyed al fresco and creating a ‘taste of summer’,” explains Nick Williamson, marketing director at Campari UK. “Outside of Spritz-style serves, we have also seen a trend towards bitter cocktails. The Negroni has been the ‘drink of lockdown’. Awareness of the serve is rising, with many consumers creating their own versions at home. A simple combination of Campari, gin and red vermouth, the Negroni allows bartenders to tap into the growing popularity of vermouth as a cocktail component, and add flair to a classic serve with creative twists.” The team behind Slingsby Gin, a Spirit of Harrogate brand, have identified several key trends across the cocktail market for
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“Cocktails will never go out of fashion. It is just the flavours and recipes that change with the times, and although we will never really know how long the on-trade will take to pick up post lockdown, we still predict the cocktail category to be a huge hit. 2020, centred on health and sustainability. Consumers are choosing to drink less, opting for lower-ABV alternatives, and bars are backing the zero-waste ethos. Alongside this, they pinpoint a growing interest in savoury and vegetable ingredients. “Everyone is on the lookout for new and exciting flavour pairings, creating complex cocktails which move away from the sweet, tropical concoctions
that have been around for many years,” says Marcus Black, co-founder of Spirit of Harrogate. “Interesting flavours have been on the up throughout 2019 and are showing no sign of slowing down through 2020. We’re seeing beetroot, radish, samphire, mushrooms, chorizo, yuzu and oysters on cocktail menus all around the country – and that’s just to name a few. These ingredients allow bartenders to add an extra layer of
