Beverage

You’ve probably heard that Gen Z — those born between 1997 and 2012 — drinks much less alcohol, compared to older generations. But that doesn’t mean they’re not thirsty.

Driven in large part by younger consumers, beverage consumption in the United States has recently seen robust growth. This “could be due to consumers increasingly seeking out specialty beverages away from home — the average number of beverages purchased from foodservice has increased since 2020 — as a more affordable way to treat themselves,” Katie Belflower, associate editor at Technomic, told The Food Institute. 

They’re drinking punch. Mocktails. Slushies. Iced coffee drinks. Bubble tea. Arnold Palmers. Refreshers. Energy drinks. Gen Z’s taste in drinks is adventurous, wide-ranging, and insatiable. Let’s take a look at some of the beverage trends they’re defining.

Growing coffee shop chains are coming up with all kinds of new ways to entice customers and build loyalty. Whether they offer a welcoming place for customers to sip a crafted coffee drink or a high-speed drive-thru for an afternoon treat, several up-and-coming coffee chains in the U.S. have created uniquely compelling reasons for customers to come in the door.

You can make it decadent or elegant. Low-cal or super-rich. Sweet or savory. Any way you whip it, cheese tea is delicious. 

Consumers in China, Japan and other Asian nations have been enjoying this frothy, fun drink for years — even waiting hours in line just to try it. Back in 2017, The Washington Post was calling it “the latest Instagram-worthy food trend.” While cheese tea hasn’t quite hit the mainstream in the United States, more tea shops are beginning to offer it. Let’s take a closer look at the cheese-tea trend.

Crowning the menu at Malibu-based chain SunLife Organics is the Billion Dollar Smoothie, a blend of 16 ultra-premium ingredients that some health enthusiasts promise will nourish the body and mind. It won’t enrich the wallet, though — the Billion Dollar Smoothie costs $28. (The Million Dollar Smoothie is a comparative bargain, at $15.95.)

The $28 price tag is due to exotic ingredients like goat colostrum, adaptogenic mushrooms and silica. (Oddly, the smoothie just tastes like vanilla.) While the health benefits of ingredients like these aren’t always proven, many customers are avidly seeking out ultra-premium smoothie ingredients.

A little more mellow. A little less sweet.

A little less complicated. A little more fun.

We feel like cocktail trendsetters are taking a deep breath in 2017. While artfully made craft cocktails continue to be in demand, bartenders just aren’t trying as hard to impress us — and that’s a good thing. We’ve noticed six new cocktail trends that are getting the year off to a refreshing start.

Lemon coffee. Birch water. Shrubs.

Where do beverage trends come from, anyway? Often, it’s a collision of big consumer trends and individual innovation. In recent years, the beverage industry have seen consumers turn away from sugar; embrace drinks billed as all-natural, organic or clean; and expect the ability to customize drinks to their preferences. Millennial consumers, in particular, crave novelty: 40 percent are “bored with standard fruit and juice flavors,” a 2016 Fona report found. Then, too, there’s the Instagram factor. Beverages that are unusual, beautiful or colorful (see “smoothie stacks,” below) have greater potential of catching on.

Here’s our take on nine non-alcoholic beverage trends that may become mainstream in 2017.

This month's Hamilton Beach® Commercial blog recap includes a familiar winner (you love your chocolate & Kahlua!) and some new posts for you to check out. If you see content you like, be sure to subscribe for regular updates from that category, whether it's Beverage, Food, Hospitality or Recipes.

We're introducing a new feature here on the Hamilton Beach® Commercial blog - each month we will bring you the recap of the most popular posts from the previous month. Just to be sure that you haven't missed anything.

The popularity of craft cocktails is only expected to grow in 2016, and will account for 10 percent of all spirits sales by 2020.  Bar customers want a show. “Theatre remains very, very strong with cocktails ordered," Katy Carter, Cellar Trends’ research and brand manager, tells The Spirits Business. "Great looking drinks sell best  — although speed is important in high-volume accounts.”

Customers want creative drinks, made with flair — but they want them fast. How can beverage directors keep up with cocktail trends while balancing speed and finesse? Here are some strategies to try.