WORLD COCKTAIL DAY: SHAKEN AND STIRRED

Shaken and stirred

Brydie Allen reviews the key opportunities to focus on around World Cocktail Day next month.

In recent years, Australian consumers’ interest in cocktails has clearly and significantly expanded. No longer are the delicious mixed drinks just a treat when out at a bar. During the pandemic, cocktails cemented themselves as an easy and satisfying option in the home, by necessity.

And the taste for cocktails in any location has stuck around ever since. According to De Kuyper, 50 per cent of Australians drink cocktails when they’re out, and 28 per cent are drinking more cocktails overall.

Next month is World Cocktail Day, a great opportunity to connect with the cocktail loving consumers around country. With the love of home mixology staying strong, this is not just something bars should celebrate, but retailers as well, bringing a bit of fun and theatre in-store to inspire shoppers around the occasion.

Trending serves

The way to a cocktail lover’s heart may well be through their tastebuds, so the first thing to think about when preparing for World Cocktail Day is what flavours and recipes are trending right now.

Emily Prochazka, Brand Manager for De Kuyper at William Grant & Sons, said that consumers are currently gravitating towards “classic cocktails primarily with a tequila, vodka and gin base as these categories have experienced the most growth.”

Topping most lists when it comes to the highest in-demand cocktails of our time is the margarita. Agalima is one cocktail mixer that has certainly seen this.

“Margaritas are certainly riding the agave boom! Tequila has been steadily growing over the last couple of years, and Margarita Mix has become the top bundle purchase across key independent banners,” said Sally Turki, Brand Manager for Premium Cocktail Mixers at Agalima’s local distributor, SouthTrade International.

Another classic that is high on everyone’s radars is the martini, and all its iterations (including the espresso martini). Simon Ford, creator of Ford’s Gin, said the simple martini has made a huge comeback in the last couple years, as witnessed in a growing number of bartenders using Ford’s Gin in their signature martini recipes. This is inspiring cocktail making outside of bars, for example, with twists on the classics.

As Ford said: “Home bartenders have definitely taken to trying at home what they have seen in cocktail bars and the drinks that they find in cocktail books.”

There are wider industry movements that are impacting taste trends in the home cocktail space. Things like the ‘better for you’ trend (including the no and low alcohol boom), the desire for refreshment and the need to try something new and interesting all are influencing the segment.

Lisa Antoney, Senior Brand Manager for premium cask wine brand Winesmiths, said the exploratory nature of cocktail consumers has opened the door for wine as an exciting cocktail ingredient, particularly for lower alcohol batched serves.

“There is a desire for no and lower alcohol drinks that are interesting and fun, with younger consumers having diversified tastes,” Antoney said.

“Consumers are looking for refreshing, lighter drinks that are easy to prepare, but that are also good for sharing with friends.”

Convenience is a wider movement that is also influencing demand. This has seen ready to serve bottled cocktails become of interest, for example, Batch & Bottle by William Grant & Sons.

“Look out for ready to serve as a category, bringing bartender quality cocktails to the home in an easy and efficient serve,” said Mike Lowe, Brand Manager for Challenger Brands at William Grant & Sons.

Bring the energy in-store

One of the key reasons to celebrate occasions like World Cocktail Day in retail settings is to bring a bit of fun energy instore, for more special shopping experiences for consumers. That not only means more sales around the occasion itself, but more satisfied (and hence loyal) customers.

This energy can come from a number of places. For Prochazka, it’s about empowering customers to have everything they need for fun cocktails at home – from the ingredients themselves to the bar equipment essentials they’ll need to put it all together.

“Do the classics well – really highlight those top global cocktails by showcasing all products and brands that go into each one, and maybe even creating bundles with some collateral for shoppers to take home (like ‘how to’ guides),” she said.

“Inspire shoppers to try something new – the average shopper will stick to what they know and what is easy, but if you can engage with a shopper and inspire them to try something different there is a chance that you can make a loyal shopper out of them.”

Creating some hype around those different ideas is key to Antoney, who said: “World Cocktail Day is a great opportunity for retailers to generate some theatre around the two litre cask category by showing consumers exciting ways to enjoy the wine. Once they have the wine in their homes, they will continue to discover this format’s benefits.”

The tried and true ‘liquid on lips’ strategy is always a safe bet when it comes to in-store theatre. Jeremy Davidson, CEO and Co-Founder of Mr. Consistent cocktail mixers, noted that this can show how easy it is to make certain cocktails and where creative touches can come from.

“As simple as it sounds, there is so much power in sampling a product. The surprise and delight element gets people excited and getting liquid on lips is a sure fire way to convert people into customers,” he said.

Ford noted as well that many cocktail enthusiasts will now already have all the basics for cocktail creation, so there can be opportunity in helping them step up their game. Fords, for example, has launched a vinyl record called ‘Music to Drink Martinis to’, designed to help people consider the full experience they are creating.

A final note to remember comes from Turki, who said it can be useful to think about the situations in which consumers are creating cocktails in your area, and heroing everything that can help them get there.

“Consumers are starting to experiment with different flavours as well as looking at larger formats. With Australians back to busy lifestyles and challenged with the rising cost of living, cocktail mixers are an essential for any social gatherings or sunset drink with a partner, friend or family member,” she said.

“Simple is best! A cocktail shaker, strainer and a jigger for measuring [are the basics]. A fun glass never goes astray…”

Cocktail to try: Flavoured Margarita

The margarita is the most in-demand cocktail in Australia right now, and with De Kuyper, the possibilities around the drink are endless. As a leading liqueur brand that has been in the business since 1695, De Kuyper knows how to create the flavours that perfect cocktails. Consumers don’t need to just settle with the classics they already know and love –they can easily shake up high quality, delicious twists on all their favourites.

Replace Triple Sec with other De Kuyper liqueurs for a twist on this classic. Great options include Watermelon, Wild Strawberry, Mango, Passionfruit and Blue Curaçao.

Ingredients:

45ml tequila

30ml De Kuyper Triple Sec

30ml fresh lime juice

5ml agave or sugar syrup

Method:

1. Add ingredients into a shaker with ice and shake.

2. Strain into a chilled glass and garnish with a lime or salt rim.

Discover more at https://www.dekuyper.com/cocktails/

Cocktail to try: White Mojito

This white wine mojito is made to refresh, perfectly pairing with relaxation in the Australian sun. It uses Winesmiths Sauvignon Blanc, a bright and zesty delight featuring grassy scents complemented by tropical fruit flavours. Available in premium two litre casks, Winesmiths helps consumers craft light and delicious drinks for the at-home sharing occasion. This is just one example of the easy, affordable and lower alcohol cocktail recipes that are possible with Winesmiths.

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients:

3 cups of Winesmiths Sauvignon Blanc

3 limes

2 cups of lemonade

1 cup of mint

Sugar to taste (optional)

Method:

1. Add the wine, two juiced limes, lemonade, half the mint and sugar into a large jug and give it a good stir.

2. Pour into a glass, add a few pieces of fresh lime and the remaining mint leaves.

Discover more wine-based cocktail recipes by heading to: www.winesmiths.com.au/cocktails