Cocktail sales rising in restaurants

More than half of all cocktail drinkers in the UK now enjoy their cocktail in restaurants reveals new research from CGA Strategy.

This seems to prove that the popularity of mixed drinks continues to surge, states the market researcher.

The finding numbers among a number of insights in the latest Mixed Drinks Report, the annual survey of the market from CGA Strategy. The Report also reveals that cocktails are now sold in around a quarter of all on-trade outlets in the UK—up by 2.3% in the last six months alone.

Once the preserve of late night bars and nightclubs, cocktails are now firm favourites on the drinks menus of pubs and restaurants too, the report concludes.

But restaurants are just as popular among cocktail drinkers as bars, especially among younger drinkers, with pubs not far behind. This reflects both the sophistication of cocktail offerings in casual dining restaurants these days and the increasingly close connection between mixed drinks and food.

The report confirms the importance of cocktails to restaurants, bars and pubs. Cocktail drinkers drink nearly three serves on an average visit and are willing to pay £5 to £7 for a drink, while promotions permitted in the UK like Happy Hours and two-for-one deals are particularly effective in enticing younger adults.

Vodka remains the country’s most common cocktail ingredient, with the branding of the spirit becoming more important to consumers

The mojito remains the UK’s most popular cocktail—but among frequent drinkers, choices like Aperol Spritz, Caipirinha and Pornstar Martini are common selections too.

‘Berry’, ‘fruity’ and ‘citrus’ are the most popular cocktail flavours for women and younger drinkers but men tend to prefer smoky and sour flavours

Low-fat and non-alcoholic cocktails have taken a growing market share with a quarter of cocktail drinkers now preferring to order a skinny option.

The “soaring popularity” of cocktails in restaurants, “is a sign of just how far cocktails have penetrated into the mainstream and the increasing sophistication of drinkers shows the trend has a long ways to run yet,” comments CGA Strategy Client Services Director Rachel Perryman.