The biggest and best new drink trends for 2022 Wine News

Tastes have continued to evolve, despite pubs and bars continuing to close at a rapid pace…and times are changing. According to Drinks International, in 2021 the Negroni ended the Old Fashioned’s eight-year run as the world’s best-selling cocktail.

Drinking at home has increased in 2020 (causing headaches for healthcare professionals) and evidence suggests connoisseurs have stepped up their drinking at home. The “quarantini” has become an oft-repeated joke on Friday night Zoom calls, coinciding with surging vermouth sales. According to data from consumer research group CGA in 2021, 47% of cocktail drinkers continue to explore at-home mixology in the post-pandemic world.

But it’s not so bad for bars – the rise of the cocktail pub has been seen, with your favorite low-key local upping its cocktail game to cater to those who had been more fond of a fun drink.

Some drinks have made their own comeback on the bar scene, including the Gimlet; the Martini and the Garibaldi, while local shopping didn’t stop at food and clothing – extending to British spirits brands such as Black Cow vodka, Filey Bay whiskey and Everleaf non-alcoholic aperitif .

But what will be the trendy drinks of 2022 to make your friends and family green with envy when you invite them over? We spoke to the experts…

Beverage trends 2022

Bitter is better

“Bitter is an important flavor profile in mixology that has been increasingly rediscovered and appreciated over the past few years,” says Elon Soddu, who runs the new Amaro bar and is the former head mixologist at the Savoy. : Amaro means “bitter” in Italian. .

“The shift to classic flavors and products has resulted in a revival of traditional liqueurs, distillates and wines – from amari to bitters and fortified wines,” he continues. “Similarly, cocktails with more bitter flavors have made a comeback: the Negroni especially, the Hanky ​​Panky and drinks steeped in classic Italian tradition like the Garibaldi.”

Beverage specialist retailer The Whiskey Exchange saw a 17% increase in the category in 2021. on the back of the lockdown phase of making negroni and people who want to spice up gin and tonic without need tons of toppings,” suggests Dawn Davies, the company’s purchasing manager.

Affordable luxury

Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne, the co-founders of London Cocktail Week, say the bars that attracted the most people during the festival also tended to be the upmarket and glamorous bars, with the highest average spend .

“Coming out of the peak of the pandemic, people are looking to elevate their experience when they go out: to enjoy the best of the best without it being ‘special treatment,'” they said. “To maximize this change, some of the more upscale bars are making their experience more accessible, which will certainly continue the trend in 2022.”

Sharman-Cox and Payne cite the Connaught Bar, within the ultra-luxurious Mayfair Hotel, which recently topped the World’s 50 Best Bar Awards whose saying, ‘don’t have a ceremony’, won focused on making five-star hotels more accessible service, with welcome drinks and free pizza as bar snacks. It also has a working cart, offering patrons a bespoke martini with flavors and garnishes to encourage play.

Accessibility is also a trend for the drinks themselves. “Many of the best bars in London serve mini versions of the strong drinks that most people would be nervous to order,” explained the founders of London Cocktail Week. “Tayer + Elemental [No2 in the World’s 50 Best Bars] has a ‘One Sip Martini’, and the Cadogan Arms has a whole menu of ‘Tiny Cocktail Chasers’. They’re cheaper than a full-size cocktail – and we think they’ll be a gateway for more people to order stronger, bolder drinks over the next two years.

drink green

No, not the return of absinthe (although the UK’s first absinthe distillery opened in 2021, so who knows?), but the more general interest in eco-credentials and sustainability.

Drinks with a purpose have exploded during the lockdown, such as Hawksbill Rum and Elephant Gin, which give money for every bottle sold to protect endangered sea turtles and elephants respectively. Additionally, two of the busiest events of London Cocktail Week were zero-waste events hosted by sustainable vermouth brand Discarded and Brewdog Distilling Company.

“Other brands are finding clever ways to use waste – for example, Maison Mirabeau Rosé turned excess wine into a new vermouth,” add Sharman-Cox and Payne. “Bars are also excited, and there’s a lot of behind-the-scenes discussion among bartenders about how to use every element of every ingredient to eliminate waste in their bars.”

Unaged spirits

The gin boom has proven that age isn’t everything and as sales of this spirit stabilize, other unaged spirits could pick up the slack. This category includes white whiskey and any spirit that is not legally required to age (but don’t confuse it with moonshine!).

“Premiumization is happening throughout the beverage industry and it’s really impacting unaged spirits,” says Davies. “Agavé is on the rise and I see growing interest in pisco which has seen 23% year-on-year growth at The Whiskey Exchange.”

Agavé spirits are in the spotlight for Ago Perrone, director of mixology at Connaught Bar. “There’s growing interest in spirits like tequila and mezcal, for their incredible flavors and mixability, but also for the nod to Mexico’s intriguing heritage. Spirits lovers are moving beyond their classic gin or whiskey comfort zone to explore the rich variety that the mezcal category offers today. Mezcal has become a staple of our signature cocktails and is often requested as a spirit to sip.

But while exotic agave may be getting a lot of attention from bartenders, Davies also thinks consumers will turn to vodka as gin fades away. “I think vodka will also start to experience a renaissance as more start-up distilleries move away from gin and look at making vodka with flavor – who knew that might be a thing?” she comments ironically.

Continuing Trends

“In the UK itself, 49% of adult drinkers said they wanted to stop or reduce their alcohol consumption and drink better,” says Camille Vidal, founder of the conscious drinking platform La Maison Wellness. “While we started the non-alcoholic and low-alcohol category with mostly gin alternatives, now you can find everything from non-alcoholic rum, whiskey and even tequila. The aperitif category has grown and counts. also real beauties like Aecorn and Everleaf.

Another great trend to know concerns wines. Global supply chain issues continue to be a factor, according to wine manager Milena de Waele at luxury London restaurant Park Row. “I think a shift away from classic regions will happen,” she suggests. “As we struggle with imports from France and shortages as well, many of us could be locked out of the price of Burgundy and Bordeaux, and we should take the opportunity to explore a new style or a new country. I see great things for Canada, the Canary Islands and Slovenia this year.

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