Jumping on the trends for frozen and craft soft drinks can help pubs jazz up their offering
“
Make a real thing of Dry January – don’t do it half-heartedly. Embrace it and you’ll reap the benefits In exclusive partnership with
exciting things punters can have, rather than what they cannot. “This time of year can be an opportunity for licensees to thrive off alcohol restrictions and push other segments of their bar that typically don’t get as much attention,” Jen suggests. “This could be around premium soft drinks and food pairing for example, something we’ve invested heavily in around the Franklin & Sons range.”
Soft drinks with style
Whatever you choose to do, certainly don’t be apologetic about it, says Mark Eagle, head of soft drinks at Bottlegreen. “Make a real thing of Dry January –don’t do it half-heartedly,” he says. Embrace it and you’ll reap the benefits.” He believes January is a great time to show just how great soft drinks in pubs can be – particularly pertinent now that more and more people are giving up alcohol all year round. “Give a little flair and make the serve look special,” he says. “Adding a fresh garnish is a relatively easy way to give a soft drink an eye-catching look. Along with ice, a slice of lime or orange can help transform a drink’s look – making it
appear something that’s been prepared rather than just poured. If other garnishes are available, such as raspberry or rosemary, then all the better. These extra touches demonstrate that a pub really cares about its soft drinks in the best way possible and are noticed and appreciated by customers.” Licensees should also look to capitalise on trends such as craft and premium, which are driving as much interest and growth in non-alcoholic drinks as other categories, and both of these trends come to life in a mocktail range, says Amy Burgess, trade communications manager at Coca-Cola European Partners. “Mocktails can be just as creative as cocktails and licensees should make the most of flavours from adult soft drinks to keep their offering exciting,” she says. “As nearly a third of people say they’d consider ordering a mocktail if offered (CGA Mixed Drinks Report), this is a great opportunity for licensees to maximise sales.” To help publicans interested in pushing mocktails this January, syrup brand Monin ran a survey to help determine what it is people want from their alcohol-free concoctions. In terms of flavours, strawberry and raspberry were the front-runners (with 41
trade.inapub.co.uk p26-27-29-29 dry january.indd 27
21/12/2018 16:55