BBFB PREDICTS 2013 COCKTAIL TRENDS

16th October, 2012 by Becky Paskin

Big garnishes, YouTube and lively bartenders are the three drinks trends set to take off in the UK in 2013, according to Bacardi Brown-Forman (BBFB).

Big garnishes, like the one used on this Aged Pisco Punch served at London’s Nightjar, will be hot stuff in 2013

Having already predicted the rise of sharing cocktails, innovative drinking vessels and the use of Japanese drinks techniques during 2012, the drinks company has looked forward to the year ahead and chosen its top three trends to watch.

“These are the things that we think will spread through the trade over the next year,” said Ian McLaren, head of training at BBFB. “You may have seen some of these before but it’s what we think will grow in popularity.”

Big Garnish

First on the list is the extravagant, considered garnish, which although has been in circulation at high-end hotel bars for decades, is something BBFB believes will become trendy in the mainstream in 2013.

“They can be expensive and as such it is only the big hotel bars leading the trend, but they can be cost effective,” said McLaren. “Generally a good garnish costs 25% of the overall price of making a cocktail, but the flourish means you can get away with charging that little bit more. Plus a big garnish can catch people’s eye and generate drink jealousy, helping bartenders to upsell.”

He noted the garnishes created at London bars Purl and Nightjar, as well as at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast, as inspirational.

YouTube

Believing that the power of the internet should not be underestimated, McLaren suggests bartenders in the UK will get into the habit of uploading videos of themselves as promotional material for their bars.

“You are more likely now to learn from a bartender in Berlin than a bartender next door,” he said. “The Americans are very good at putting their staff on YouTube making cocktails and such, and we have to get ourselves out there too. Consumers and guests love it. If we can upload more videos, it will make a big difference to business.”

Fun

Lastly, sulky bartenders failing to engage with their guests will become a thing of the past, according to BBFB. It believes bartenders generating a fun, interactive relationship with their customers will be a hit over the next year.

“Having fun in the bar industry is not about making smutty innuendos on a cocktail list, or mucking about with your mates in the bar team. Not many people go out for a serious experience; they go out to have fun. Making your guests a part of what’s happening in your bar, and giving them an experience to remember is what will set you apart from the one next door.”

In addition, McLaren also highlighted the Martini, carbonated and bottled cocktails as additional trends to watch during 2013.

Source :-http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2012/10/bbfb-predicts-2013-cocktail-trends/