Year on year we have seen consumers becoming savvier and more mindful towards what they choose to drink and now more than ever, after the surge in at-home cocktail making, it is important for brands to keep their drinks offering fresh, exciting and on trend. At ICB, we keep our finger on the pulse and often look to global trends for cocktail inspiration, finding new ways to adapt them and introduce them to a UK market.
Hard Seltzers
One of the largest drinks developments we’ve seen emerge over the past 12 months is the increasing popularity of hard seltzers, which originally took the American market by storm. More and more consumers are looking for ways to be healthier and consume lower calorie drinks, and hard seltzers provide the perfect opportunity for this. Often available in ready-mixed convenient cans, hard seltzers offer a range of innovative flavours and ease of serve every time.
Social Media
Increasingly, the influence social platforms have on what a customer orders or makes is huge and they’re also looking for something to share through their own channels. We saw this when the Aperol Spritz took the UK market by storm and large, bold, orange coloured drinks became the must have drink on social media feeds. For our brands, we too want to create cocktails which not only look great but taste great too, appealing to a wider audience but also very ‘Instagrammable’.
In the social world, these Instagram-worthy cocktails aren’t something we see disappearing any time soon and so brands should look to create dramatic, eye-catching drinks which encourage consumers to capture and share photos. Ingredients such as dry ice and smoked garnishes are often seen in cocktail bars and we are always thinking of new and innovative ways to serve and add theatre to our drinks while retaining and showcasing the quality of our liquid in everything we serve.
Seasonality & Occasions
We develop cocktails that are relevant to the seasons. Winter will see mulled warming drinks perfect for snuggling up by the fire, whereas summer will encourage light refreshing cocktails with fruity and tropical flavours. We believe cocktails should be created to celebrate key events and holidays too, bringing people together to toast with a special, celebratory serve! We always look ahead at key dates to create delicious, themed drinks and also create exclusive cocktail recipes for our on-trade bar partners and event and brand partners.
Keep It Local
We are seeing an increase in consumers looking to grow their own in efforts to create more sustainable cocktails at home. Lockdown has provided many with an opportunity to get green-fingered, and the desire to grow your own fruits and herbs such as strawberries, mint and rosemary will result in fresher ingredients and a reduction in carbon footprint for those at home cocktail nights.
We also anticipate seeing pubs and bars embrace this trend with the use of in-house ingredients. With all the lockdowns we’ve faced, the on-trade will be doing all they can to increase footfall and unique cocktails crafted with intriguing ingredients such as home-made juices, infusions and syrups will give the drinks a bespoke feel whilst offering an edge over competitors.
Our brilliant range of spirits and liqueurs are crafted with mixing in mind. To find out more about our great range of products, get in touch today!
