Looking ahead

On the horizon

The future of the drinks industry belongs to those who will create positive change. So says Simon Ford

Even before 2020 came and did a big poo in the punch bowl, it was becoming hard to see how the industry could maintain the forward momentum we had all helped build over the past decade. Having just attended Brooklyn Bar Convent 2021, though, I witnessed the innate resilience of our industry first-hand. Despite the current headaches of travel, the international bar community came out in force to represent their establishments, brands and themselves. It was evident from everyone’s behaviour how much we had been deprived of each others’ company, and we were all the better for getting to see one another in person and not on a screen.

The masks were the only giveaway that we were in the middle of a pandemic as we stumbled through conversations like baby horses, remembering how to be sociable. People hugged each other! We all reconnected and allowed ourselves to bask in each other’s energy – the actual fuel of the industry. It was good to see everyone together, and happy; and what I saw gave me a glimpse of how the next decade might look for our industry. My quick predictions, in no particular order:

- Ready-To-Drink offerings will continue to thrive and multiply. - Eco packaging will evolve to make more meaningful positive impacts on the environment. - We will see more countries jump to prominence on the international bar scene. - Another celebrity will make another billion dollars on another new tequila brand. - Some lucky bartender will become the first to make a cocktail in space, sponsored by a suitably massive brand. The price tag will be astronomical. - Someone will design a bar that fits into self-driving cars. I will likely want to buy one of each. - The non-abstinence cure for the common hangover will remain undiscovered – bad news for me, but great news for proponents of low/no-ABV cocktails. As much fun as it is to imagine the shape of things to come, I’m no Nostradamus, a lot of what I believe might happen is informed by the past. Looking back at the previous decade, bartender ingenuity reached levels of creativity once reserved for the best chefs in the world. Collectively, we influenced and improved what and how people drink across every continent. Through our passion for innovation, our obsession with perfecting classic cocktails, as well as our love for creating inspiring spaces, design and atmospheres, we helped usher in an era where there is more than a dusty old bottle of Angostura in our bitters collection.

We got people to put vermouth in fridges and saw the Negroni go from a drink that made people grimace to one of the world’s most popular cocktails. Bottles of Bourbon whiskey, once sold on discount, now command the kind of price usually reserved for first growth Bordeaux and terminology such as “Grower Champagne”, “Single Village Mezcal” and “Bespoke Ice Program” are part of our everyday lexicon. Cocktail festivals popped up all over the world attracting thousands of attendees and, for better or for worse, the term “startender” was coined. A global community was formed and through the mixed bag of social media, a new generation of industry professionals challenged the status quo, addressing issues such as diversity, safety in the workspace and self-care, to name a few.

Watching this community continue to grow and flourish through the years has been nothing short of spectacular, the past few years especially with the endless stream of pivots and re-re-launches, and I believe this momentum will run into the next decade with the focus remaining on social change and community support. In many ways, the pandemic is forcing us as an industry to reassess our work values, too. Just as with Prohibition in the USA, there has been an exodus of talent and our farm league will need to be rebuilt. In many areas, we may be starting from scratch as a new generation joins the industry. It will need to learn the basics we have come to take for granted, and this will invigorate the educators and mentors. Hopefully, it will usher in a renewed focus on industry education. This next decade will also bring about the task of ensuring our industry can provide liveable wages for families, can support a healthier work/life balance and most importantly promulgate a culture of safety and accountability to make hospitality a more attractive career choice. This may increase the cost of eating and drinking, which, in turn, should lead to improved levels of service and experience. It is in our nature to want to justify any increase in the cost of going out to our guests, and this will further drive innovation. We will inevitably see technological advancements that will contribute to the communication between the hospitality industry and its patrons.

What matters most is knowing the kernel of our industry has survived, and that it’s comprised of a lot of good and caring people. A shared trait among this “mother strain” is the earnest desire to make others happy and create an atmosphere of positivity and inclusion. After all, it’s not just because we believe that service is love made visible, as well as a gratification unto itself, the fundamental basis of hospitality is predicated on everyone feeling welcome.

“It was evident from everyone’s behaviour how much we had been deprived of each others’ company, and we were all the better for getting to see one another in person and not on a screen!”