Overview

A Retrospective

Historians Anistatia Miller and Jared Brown on a decade of change in the world of drinks

We have witnessed sweeping changes in our three decades in the drinks industry. However, this last decade has surpassed them all in our living memories – a time of evolution within hospitality, within the brands. It’s been turbo-charged by social media, which also became global and ubiquitous this past 10 years. Here, we’ll look at some of those changes as well as some of the areas in which we’d like to see more change. One shock was seeing the Martini surpass the Negroni in UK sales for the first time. The Martini, forever genteelly the second bestselling gin drink after the Gin and Tonic, was finally eclipsed by a drink so rare that 20 years ago it was a secret bartenders’ handshake. Wellness and mindfulness have inexorably shifted from the fringe to mainstream – as they should. People who commit to a lifetime in the wonderful professions offered in this industry should live long and healthy lives – as should our customers. When Seedlip launched in 2015, it was received as a novelty, a curiosity seemingly embraced by a few expectant mothers and recovering alcoholics. Few imagined the no- and low-alcohol market would blossom to an estimated 3% of the global alcoholic beverage market in just a few years. Today, there seems to be a race to launch non-alcoholic line extensions. These drinks are not just selling to teetotalers but to responsible drinkers. This revelation is as shocking as when brands were still pushing larger serves 20 years ago while Milk & Honey in New York and London proved you could sell a smaller serve for more money – if you made it well. The most notable spirits to take the spotlight this past decade are mezcal and gin. Once reserved for specific religious holidays in Mexican villages, mezcal is now the hardcore bartender’s latest crush. Without discussing its merits here, it is easy to point fingers at two irrepressible and passionate entrepreneurs for this surge. Such is the power of Del Maguey Mezcal’s Steve Olson and Ron Cooper. Such is the powerful effect of sharing knowledge. In a world in which the past few generations have had the exact same rum-and-cola, ginand-tonic, whisky-and-soda experience in every bar on the planet, the ultimate experience is now a local one. Local spirits producers, local mixers producers, local beer producers, even local wine producers have found lucrative demand for regional flavours. This has signalled the return of a lost business model in alcohol production – the small business. For decades, it seemed the standard business plan for a start-up spirits brand finished with a goal of selling to one of the multinationals. The pandemic has also had an enormous impact on the industry – even on consumer habits. Drinking at home will undoubtedly continue. This doesn’t mean there’s an ongoing shift from on-trade to off-trade spirit sales (although there was a significant change during lockdown). Suddenly products such as the NIO line of letterbox cocktails make sense. While BrewDog launched its version, so did Mr Fogg’s and numerous other bars. A new playing field emerged with odds not so steeply pitched in favour of big brands over bars. Consumers will invariably spend more time drinking at home over the next few years, so this opportunity will remain. Similarly, sales of ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails have soared in supermarkets – another pre-pandemic change – that has now hit visibility levels unseen since the 1970s’ RTD boom. In the midst of this, consumers continue to buy cocktail books and search the web for recipes, as home mixing increases in popularity. Pop-ups have gone mainstream, emerging as a viable business model rather than an occasional occurrence. In the past six months, Cölin Crowden, creator of Campfire Trailer Taproom & Street Food in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, has staged five pop-ups in woodland settings complete with campfires and archery. “The pop-up format has been really liberating for us,” Cölin says. “In a year in which we haven’t been able to gather folk together to enjoy traditional restaurant or bar settings, we had to innovate and approach it with a ‘what can be done’ mindset rather than what couldn’t be done due to restrictions.”

Can it continue post-lockdown? “It’s something we will be focusing on next year as our core offering. We would love to do more pop-ups in urban settings as well. I think it keeps the city centre offering really fresh and is somewhere that can have a continuously evolving offering – something city centres have often lacked with the threeto-five-year lifespan of most concepts.” Street-food vans have shown up in droves. A far lower initial investment than a bricksand-mortar establishment, they quickly spawned the sub-category of mobile bars that now populate summer festivals and other events. Ideal for private events, they will undoubtedly continue to rise in popularity. Gin has gone even further. Twelve years ago there were a dozen distilleries in the UK. Today the number is in the region of 500. Will it continue? “Since 2010, sales have rocketed from 27 million 9-litre cases to in excess of 42 million 9-litre cases,” says Shelley Macintye, Global Senior Marketing Director for Beam Suntory’s gin brands. “Whilst the pandemic softened global gin sales in 2020, all expectations are that it’ll come back and exceed pre-pandemic levels, with growth driven by an ongoing premiumisation.” Next to gin, the other hot liquid has been coffee. Marco Arrigo of London’s Bar Termini and Illy Coffee explains the java revolution. “Well, we had the 1971-1999 Starbucks dynasty, which started a revolution against dark-roasted, fast, big cups and led the market into single origin exploration and beautifully hand-crafted lighter roasts,” Marco says. “Covid came along and coffee boomed, even clothes shops started selling tea and coffee to remain open,” he continues. “Local roasters dropped off free coffee to the community to secure their patch. Bars and cafés have to evolve together since London rents are too high for a single model. Coffee shops close at 5pm and bars open at 5pm, that’s why Bar Termini does both coffee and cocktails. But we make coffee like mixologists, not baristas. It’s future proof.” In the past 10 years we have seen some strides in diversity making its way into the drinks industry: bartenders, bar owners and drinks developers are coming from a broader ethnicity than they did 10 or 20 years ago. But it is not nearly enough. As Sly Augustin, Managing Director of Trailer Happiness in London, comments: “I think there have been some small improvements, specifically with young bartenders, but I don’t see much change at the executive level. There still isn’t a lot of diversity of colour among bar owners, managers and brand reps. It’s pretty much still the same faces as when I started almost 10 years ago. Less, in fact, with the recent passing of Douglas Ankrah [creator of the Porn Star Martini, p. 66].” While there are far more women in all aspects of the business than a decade ago, this is another area with a lot of room for improvement. “First off, I hate the fact we have to keep on discussing gender at all,” says New York bartender and educator ms. franky marshall. “Yes, of course the fact that there are women in every facet of the industry is worth celebrating. But the fact that it still needs to be celebrated is unfortunate. I’ve always been someone who has wanted to be recognised as a distinct individual, judged on my own merits, rather than because I fall into the ‘we need one of those’ category. So, I’d love for us to get to a place where the landscape with women dotted everywhere is just the norm. When the remarkable becomes unremarkable, we will have finally arrived!” Yes, the drinks industry has truly changed over the past decade, mostly for the better. However, it is clear more change is needed. Thankfully, much of the transformative and transitional work has transpired through the determined efforts of the new generation of young professionals. They have worked their way up in hospitality and are determined to make improvements rather than accepting the status quo. While flavour trends will invariably come and go, evolution is also inevitable. Which trends will be set in stone? Only time will tell.

Pop-ups have gone mainstream, emerging as a viable business model rather than an occasional occurrence / The most notable spirits to take the spotlight this past decade are mezcal and gin/ Street-food vans have shown up in droves / Next to gin, the other hot liquid has been coffee / In the past 10 years we have seen some strides in diversity making its way into the drinks industry / While there are far more women in all aspects of the business there is still a lot of room for improvement / The drinks industry has truly changed over the past decade, mostly for the better. However, it is clear more change is needed...

HOW WILL YOU BUSK IT?

THE BUSKER: WHERE TRADITIONAL IRISH WHISKEY MEETS A MODERN ATTITUDE

There are a lot of great things to be said for the heritage of Irish whiskey. And there’s just as much that should be said about the vibrant and authentic soul of Ireland of today.

The Busker embodies the very best of both worlds in a range that takes all that’s special in Irish whiskey, then reimagines it for the modern drinker. The drinker who seeks new flavours, new experiences and new ideas.

With a friend or on your own, no planning or ceremony. On a weeknight, on a weekend or just because. It’s all about making a moment with The Busker. In other words, ‘Busk it!’

MEET THE BUSKER

Just looking at the design of the bottles suggests something decidedly different, something bold and unpretentious. The four whiskies are clearly a family – but with each boasting a unique colour on its artfully torn label, it’s obvious that they are distinct individuals too, with their own story to share.

At the Royal Oak Distillery in County Carlow, in Ireland’s Ancient East, respect for craft and tradition has been skilfully married with innovative ideas to create an expression of each of the four types of Irish whiskey: Single Grain, Single Pot Still, Single Malt and Blend.

THE BUSKER TRIPLE CASK TRIPLE SMOOTH

Made with a high-quality single grain along with a high percentage of single malt and single pot still, the blend is then matured and finished in bourbon, sherry and marsala casks to create The Busker Triple Cask Triple Smooth. It’s an appealing yellow-gold colour, with a rich body and an aroma of tropical fruits and vanilla. As for taste, malt, sweetness and dark chocolate mingle with intense hints of toffee fudge and cinnamon, before a mellow, wellbalanced sweet finish.

THE BUSKER SINGLE COLLECTION

The centuries-old production of whiskey in Ireland’s history consists of three classic styles, each proudly represented in The Busker Single Collection.

THE BUSKER SINGLE GRAIN

Choosing the highest-quality spirits then maturing them in hand-selected bourbon casks from the USA and rare marsala casks from one of the oldest Sicilian wineries, Cantine Florio 1833, results in The Busker Single Grain, a light, pale straw-coloured whiskey. The taste begins by offering sweet caramel and moving to soft vanilla and oak notes. On the palate are hints of caramel, vanilla, oak and hay. The finish is long, dry and sweet.

THE BUSKER SINGLE MALT

Distilled in large copper stills, then matured and finished in bourbon and sherry casks, The Busker Single Malt is a deep golden whiskey promising an intriguing complexity. It begins with an arrangement of fruit, which gives way to intense pine essence and malt biscuit. The palate has rich, chocolate notes and concludes with a sweet and creamy finish.

THE BUSKER SINGLE POT STILL

A distinctive expression of Ireland, The Busker Single Pot Still is a whiskey with an exceptional character. Made from barley in the traditional way in copper stills, before maturing and finishing in bourbon and sherry casks, it’s an intriguing whiskey with a burnished copper colour. It opens with a rich and complex bouquet, consisting of fresh flowers, honey, oak, fudge and clove oil. Beautiful intense spices and peppery notes are balanced subtly with toffee before a long, warm, rich and spicy finish.

BUSKING ALL OVER THE WORLD

The Busker may have only launched last year but it’s already making waves in the best possible way. When it comes to winning awards, each of the four whiskeys in the range has been picking up accolades in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, not to mention at the World Whiskies Awards.

SO, HOW WILL YOU BUSK IT?

Whatever your style, whatever you’re looking for, however you like your whiskey, The Busker has got you covered. Neat, over ice, in cocktails. Your call. Or as they say, ‘Busk it!’

BUSKING COCKTAILS

Why make life complicated? Just add one part The Busker to two parts grapefruit soda, ginger ale or cola in a tall glass filled with ice. Garnish with mint sprigs, a lime wedge or lemon zest, respectively. You’ve got yourself a Busker Paloma, Buck & Ginger or Busk & Cola. Job done.

UNBOXING THE BUSKER

From Ireland to New York to London, to check out what some of the bar world’s most influential figures have to say when they unbox The Busker just scan the QR code.

CIARÁN SMITH,

Homeboy, London

EDVINAS "EDDIE" RUDZINSKAS

Cocktails For You, Ireland

JILLIAN VOSE

Dead Rabbit, New York