Beverage

Remember when molecular mixology was the hottest (and coldest) thing in cocktails? We’re talking clouds of smoke, color changes, and scientific wizardry designed to make guests ooh and aah.

People are ready to go out, have a drink and let loose. But bars will have to compete for their attention — and their budget.

As consumers grapple with an overall higher cost of living, “enticing people out of their homes and into bars will become the number one priority for venues,” predicts Imbibe Live. Higher costs mean 40% of consumers plan to go out less frequently, CGA by Nielsen data shows, and 20% intend to cut back on the number of drinks they order.

How can bar owners get customers in the door? Entertain them, intrigue them, and delight them. That’s the theme of these bar and cocktail trends for 2023.

It’s summer. You’ve got your Shibumi sunshade. You’ve got your platform flip-flops. But one trendy accessory is missing: the drink in your hand.

A few years back, the must-have summer cocktail was the Aperol Spritz. Then came the summer of frosé, the summer of White Claw, and the summer of the espresso martini (and other coffee cocktails). But summer 2022 hasn’t found its One Drink to Rule Them All — and that’s OK! We’ve found some possible candidates.

Can you have a successful cocktail bar with no — or less — alcohol? It’s an experiment that’s increasingly seeing success.

IWSR Drinks Market Analysis forecasts that in 10 core global markets, the compound annual growth rate in no- and low-alcohol volume will rise by more than 8% between 2021 and 2025, outpacing alcohol volume growth.

What’s driving this sustained interest in no-and-low drinks? It’s not strict teetotaling; rather, “moderation is the most common reason for the consumption of no-and-low products,” The Spirits Business reports. About 43% of adults in IWSR’s survey said they used no-and-low drinks as substitutes for alcoholic drinks for certain occasions, rather than abstaining altogether.

We’re witnessing a major upheaval in the world of spirits: People are turning away from vodka and raising a glass of tequila. In 2021, sales of tequila and mezcal shot up more than 30% in the United States. This made agave-based spirits the second-fastest growing category, behind pre-mixed cocktails.

Measured by revenue, agave spirits are selling more than any other liquor category except for vodka, which has reigned supreme in the U.S. since the 1970s. In fact, tequila was the main driver of growth for the entire spirits industry, the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) reports.

It seems like everyone is drinking tequila, according to Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes, whose company owns Don Julio and Casamigos: “It has crossed over. The multicultural growth is very strong. It cuts across age segments, it cuts across gender, it cuts across dayparts, the occasion and the nature of drinks. It’s not just shots and margaritas as it used to be many years ago.”

After the long, dark days of Drynuary, we all ask ourselves: What are we drinking this year?

The question is especially poignant after an up-and-down 2021, when many guests celebrated the return to cocktail bars and then found themselves stuck at home again. Here’s a bar’s-eye view of the cocktail trends of 2022.

Hong Kong’s Penicillin, winner of the 2021 Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award, is more than green. It’s a new shade of super-ultra-green.

On the menu, you’ll find vodka infused with scrap bread, rum flavored with used tea leaves, and the One Penicillin, One Tree cocktail, which funds the planting of a Mallotus muticus tree in Borneo. The bar’s tables were built with tropical storm debris, and even the lights were salvaged.

Does it all sound a little… fussy? Here’s the kicker: Penicillin owners Agung Prabowo and Roman Ghale also operate a traditional dive bar, Dead&, that serves cocktails on tap and canned beers. Dead& provides ingredient sourcing for Penicillin, Agung tells 50 Best — for instance, Dead&’s discarded paper cups are recycled to make coasters, menus and labels for Penicillin.

The moral of the story: Whether you run an upscale cocktail bar or a neighborhood watering hole, sustainability is within reach. All it takes is creativity and collaboration.

Dessert or a drink? How about both in one glass?

There’s something delightful about a frozen drink that’s as pretty, palate-pleasing and carefully constructed as a fancy dessert. They don’t have to be overly sweet. The key difference is thoughtfulness: “taking something basic that everyone understands and building it out to a memorable experience. In this case, sometimes less is more, but a balanced recipe, great ingredients,

 elevated glassware, and creative presentation tells a story in itself,” Andrew Pollard, Beverage Innovation Director at Monin,tells Bar Business.

Bartenders are creating sophisticated new takes on frozen cocktails that incorporate fresh, plant-based and housemade ingredients. A high-performance commercial blender is the last ingredient you need to craft frozen dessert drinks with the perfect consistency: no grainy texture or chunks of ice. Consider putting your own spin on a few of these drinks and adding them to your menu.

Smoothies will never grow old.

They’re always being reinvented: as an afternoon pick-me-up, a pre-workout booster, a post-workout reward, a meal replacer, a refreshing breakfast, or an indulgent dessert. Consumer tastes have evolved right along with them, as smoothie fans continually ask more from their drink. What do on-trend smoothies look like right now?  

In the spring of 2021, NPR asked Americans what they most wanted to do once the pandemic ended. 28-year-old Hannah Moran knew right away: “I want to go to an old-fashioned diner and order a great big breakfast and a milkshake from a menu that I could hold in my hands and flip through and choose from.” 

She’s not the only one. Milkshakes are in high demand, whether they’re dairy-free or dairy-full, novelty-themed or old-fashioned. Hamilton Beach Commercial takes a closer look at the trends.

Pâtissez Freakshow Shakes (Image source)