In the Nearly two decades that I have been working behind the stick and in the industry, I have seen many trends pop up, and disappear into the darkness. It is imperative that we as beverage professionals stay abreast of the upcoming trends so that we may better serve our clients and keep our offerings on the cutting edge of beverage innovation.
As we all know, Gin and tonic has by far been the biggest trend up to now and continues to do relatively well despite the predictions that customers would grow tired of the trend, however, I have seen a decline in the clients requesting gin and tonics. The more that something grows in popularity, the more it becomes commercial and oversaturated and slowly loses the appeal that it burst onto the scene with. We have over 200 distilleries now in SA that are producing gin and the market is officially saturated, there is just not enough space behind the bar or on the local bottle store shelf to stock the full offering of gin locally and from abroad.
So, as with all other trends, gin is starting to dip and my prediction is that it will continue to drop throughout the year and will make room for the upcoming trends that I will introduce below. Having said this, as much as I believe that gin will decline in popularity, it has grown a strong fan base and will continue to show good sales despite the decline in popularity so don’t go and get rid of your gin offerings just yet.
Whats on the cards for 2020?
I have seen a massive spike and interest in the cocktails that were popular in the 90’s and early 2000’s. the tall colourful, rum laden tipples that we used to enjoy at places like News Café, cantaloupe alley and Rhapsody’s. drinks like the Pangalactic gargle blaster, strawberry daiquiri’s, pina colada’s, call me a cab, between the sheets etc are cocktails that are delicious, quick to make and represent a powerful fashion statement when seen gracing your table! People are generally tired of taking drinks too seriously and want to start having fun with their drinks again. Enjoying the culinary mixology delights at your local speakeasy cocktail bar that will undoubtedly impress you is making way for quick, colourful and fun drinks. Sharing cocktails are also making a comeback so watch out for the late forgotten Fish Bowl to start making an appearance on cocktail menus! Rum based TIKI drinks are also making headway in this hot summer heat!
A NEW WAY TO ENJOY TONIC….
A new way to enjoy tonic this summer is making its rounds in Europe and American cocktail bars, tonic and espresso mixed with a neutral spirit such as vodka! The best way to enjoy this is with a regular tonic, single serving of vodka and layering a double pulled espresso on top, served in a tall glass with cubed ice. Layer it for extra effect! Try your hand at mixology by pairing herbs along with this mixture but beware of basil!
Social responsibility is making a rise with people increasingly aware and against drinking and driving, so, Mocktails and low alcohol cocktails are gaining ground at the local watering holes. Single servings instead of doubles and using wines, champagnes and beers instead of spirits are making great strides. The key is to create a cocktail that can be sipped and ordered again without causing a legless situation when standing! Mocktails are competing strongly against cocktails because despite the responsible person sitting at the table drinking non alcoholic drinks, they still want to join the fun and enjoy “Out There” drinks without the narcotic effect! Non alcoholic “off the shelf” drinks are also gaining in popularity such as castle free and Heineken 0.00 in the beer segment, savannah lemon in the cider segment and JC leroux with their non alcoholic sparkling wine
SUGAR IS THE DEVIL, OR MAYBE ITS JUST HOW WE ARE USING IT…
Just incase you have been sleeping for the past two years, sugar has seen huge pressure from the health department and related communities on the negative effects that it has on the human body. So much so that added tax penalties have been added to try curb the consumption of sugar in SA. Apart from obesity, sugar is claimed to assist us in dying a bit faster with diseases such as cancer, dimensia, altzheimers and diabetes to name a few. However, despite the need for sugar free drinks, sugar is still a staple necessity in a well balanced cocktail, the key here is to use it for the purpose of balancing a drink only, so take your favourite classic recipes and tinker with them using less sugar until you achieve the magic level with min sugar, max flavour and perfect balance! FYI, sugar free drinks use Aspartame to sweeten up, which is just as bad, if not worse than sugar so in this regard, less sugar is better than using an aspartame replacement.
I hope that this helps all the budding bartenders out there as well as the bars prepare for the epic year ahead, keep an eye on our facebook page (@barsmithcocktailco) for an epic cocktail “How to” video every week and start exploring and experimenting!
Get in touch with us for bespoke, on site bartender training in bartending ethics, mixology and practical working flair. Email [email protected] or call 0766746357
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