The recently released IWSR US On-Premise Insights: Cocktail Trends report reveals the hottest cocktails, categories and brands on menus at the leading craft cocktail bars across 25 US cities. The Bourbon- or rye-based Old Fashioned and vodka-based Moscow Mule account for a combined 30% of cocktail menu mentions, with the Old Fashioned leading as the most mentioned cocktail heading into 2017.
By category, whisk(e)y cocktails are most prevalent across craft bar menus with a 23% share, followed by rum (16%) and gin (15%). The cities with the most Old Fashioned menu mentions are Los Angeles, Baltimore and Portland. Trending variations of the cocktail includes barrel-aged, sherried and vinegar, as well as flavour profiles such as walnut, chocolate, fig, ginger, cherry and more. Data shows that consumer search interest in the Old Fashioned spikes around the holidays, and increases in consumer interest correlate with the growth of on-premise US whiskey consumption. In addition, 45% of on-premise operators surveyed believe the Old Fashioned is trending positively among their customers.
The IWSR US On-Premise Insights: Cocktail Trends also includes an analysis of more than 6,000 brands listed on craft bar menus and ranks the most mentioned brands by category. Buffalo Trace is the number one Bourbon brand on tracked craft bar menus, followed by Bulleit, Four Roses and Maker’s Mark. In the rum category, Plantation 3 Stars and Gosling’s ranked highest. How important are brand mentions? Nearly three-quarters of on-premise operators surveyed believe the brand name is an important factor when selling cocktails.
The report also looks at on-premise consumption across categories and includes a historical analysis of the top 20 most searched cocktails online. Starting from a national view of consumer search preferences online, the IWSR looked at 20 key cocktails that have collectively ranked the highest over the past year and analysed category sales to see what’s trending up and down – and why. Whisk(e)y-, gin- and rum-based cocktails like the Sazerac, Manhattan, Daiquiri, Dark n’ Stormy and Negroni are all trending up.
Distilled spirits is the only segment of the beverage alcohol industry projected to increase its on-premise share levels over the next five years. While beer and wine are expected to decrease their on-premise share levels by approximately -1%, spirits are projected to increase their on-premise share levels by 0.6%, ending 2021 with a 23.5% share in the on-premise.
