SPRITZING IT

Sales of Spritz this summer in Scotland are booming. Latest stats show that sales of Spritz drinks in Scotland have grown by over than 53%, over the last year, and in the last 12 weeks sales are up more than 64% with the market worth £16m a year in Scotland. The proportion of Spritz serves in the Scottish market are still quite a bit behind the proportion of total sales for the UK so there is still plenty of room for growth. An Aperol Spritz is by far the most popular with consumers and bartenders alike with more Aperol Spritz sold than Pimms. This issue we talk to the people behind Scotland’t top cocktail bars to find out other trends making their mark.

JOHN CLARK – GENERAL MANAGER THE WHITEHOUSE, INVERNESS

The Whitehouse likes to be a trend setter in the Inverness bar scene – from high quality, themed boozy brunches, to being the first venue in Inverness to introduce aluminium straws, they are always looking for innovative ways to improve - and the drinks are no exception.

General Manager, John Clark says, “We have a fine balance between a great setting and all of our team are really flexible about drinks. We like to break the mould and set trends. Our house cocktail list is designed to give good balance, but we are happy for customers to order off menu. For example, if someone wants a whisky cocktail then we can offer a range to suit the persons taste -from a sour, to an Old Fashioned or even a Boulevardier.”

The range of choice at The Whitehouse is clear, but there are some of their house cocktails that sell extremely well. John adds, “We do a cocktail called a ‘Pop Rocks Martini’, our modified version of a Pornstar Martini, that has pineapple gin, orange gin, pineapple juice, passionfruit puree, vanilla and is topped with a vanilla and passion fruit cream then garnished with popping candy.

“One of our other fizz-based drinks is called the ‘Fizzy Rascal’ made with gin, Aperol, strawberry and topped with a Prosecco float. It looks almost like a lava lamp in the champagne flute.

The Whitehouse also do their part for sustainability. As well as the aluminium straws, they’ve swapped out a lot of lemon and lime juice for citric acid, as well as dehydrating, making cordials and creating infusions

SARAH SCORGIE – GENERAL MANAGER THE GIDDY GOOSE, DUNDEE

The Giddy Goose in Dundee has a bohemian feel with its floral décor and beautiful outdoor area making it one of Dundee’s hot spots, especially in the Summer.

General Manager, Sarah Scorgie, tells me, “We like to have our own little twist on everything. We do classic cocktails as well, but we have section on the menu called ‘Giddy Classics’ where we have cocktails that we come up with ourselves with our own twist. The specials change every week so the staff can always get creative and be involved as well.”

She adds, “Our most popular drinks over the Summer are the ‘Ophelia’ which is pink gin, amaretto, raspberry puree and lemonade, or a ‘Raspberry and Coconut Mojito’. We’ve definitely noticed that when its sunny people love a drink in a tall glass. A favourite of mine is the ‘Tipsy Tipples’ which has coconut rum, pineapple and orange – it’s so refreshing!”

The Giddy Goose also runs cocktail classes which are hugely popular for birthdays or hen parties. Sarah tells me, “These are run by one of our mixologists and people can come in just for that, or pair it up with a party package featuring nibbles and food too! They’ve been so popular and actually run across all our venues.”