Hot mustard: Global cocktail trends might surprise you

If you get past jargon like Luxury Liberators, Digital Drinkers, Sustainability Seekers, The Sober-Curious there is a lot of interesting  info a new report into cocktail trends released by Bacardi.

The Bacardi Cocktail Trends Report highlights increased consumer demand for premium and canned cocktails, natural and NoLo ingredients, and citrus and spicy flavours, including hot mustard. we might all end up drinking Bacardi Pomegranate mojitos (above).   

·      The top trend is Luxury Libations, as consumers seek high-quality drinking experiences. This looks set to drive another wave of premiumisation across spirits categories, including RTD and pre-mixed offerings. Some  50% of bartenders worldwide reported their customers are drinking more premium beverages. There is a focus on natural and sophisticatedly flavoured RTD options. 

·        Digital drinking will see consumers embrace technology to create cocktails at home. To help support the popularity of the home-premise and desire for experimentation amongst resident mixologists, Bacardi created Mix Lab, an app launched initially in the UK and US to provide more than 300 cocktail recipes to consumers making drinks at home, including classic serves and unique cocktails. 

·      Bacardi believes sustainability will be at the forefront of drinking habits this year, with more initiatives shaped by a focus on how spirits are made. Ethically sourced materials and businesses that support local communities will become increasingly important and a vast majority of people are willing to pay more for ethically sourced refreshments.  

·       Consumers are becoming more flexible in their approach to sobriety, and 2022 looks set to see an increase in low ABV and non-alcohol choices. 58% of consumers globally are drinking more non-alcoholic and low-ABV cocktails (NoLo) compared to a year ago. 

·      Drinkers are seeking cocktail experiences that deliver transformation, celebrate social connections, offer new experiences, and offer some sort of learning and personal growth. The report says than 40% of global consumers plan to spend more time going out to late-night bars, pubs, and restaurants. 

·    Citrus flavours are likely to remain in the limelight, driven forward by grapefruit and blood orange. A focus on spice from the food space is also impacting the world of cocktails with a rise in globally inspired flavours, such as tajin (increasing in use by 42% since 2020), furikake (+70%), and even hot mustard (+29%).

Those interested can check out the full report here: 

https://d3bbd6es2y3ctk.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/30131507/Bacardi-Cocktail-Trends-Report_Final.pdf

Global drinks giant aims to say farewell to plastic

Global drinks giant Bacardi has announced it plans to cut plastics in its gifts packs this Christmas and for all gift packs to be 100% plastics free by 2023. 

The company owns brands including Bacardi, Grey Goose, Patron, Dewar's, Martini and Bombay Sapphire.

All gift packs in family-owned company’s range are on track to being 100% plastic free over the next two years and this holiday season its range of gift packs will contain 50% less plastic than last year.

Bacardi is removing a total of 147 tonnes of single-use plastic used annually in its gift packs through innovative new designs, which remove the need for plastic, and by replacing plastic inserts or trays with sustainable alternatives. 

The company has set 2030 as the goal for being 100% plastic free.

“As a family-owned company for nearly 160 years, we have crafted exceptional drinks enjoyed by generations of consumers,” said Rodolfo Nervi, vice-president Global Safety, Quality & Sustainability (that's quite a title Rodolfo) for Bacardi. 

“We have achieved this long success by always looking to the future and doing the right thing for our consumers, our customers and our company.  

"We want to be the most environmentally responsible global drinks company and we will only achieve this ambition by constantly exploring and investing in new innovations, like sustainable alternatives to plastic;  which will help us meet our environmental goals.”

Other goals, which are in addition to the company’s commitment to be plastic-free in a decade, include: 50% cut in greenhouse gas emissions; 25% cut in water consumption; 100% key raw materials and packaging sourced sustainably; 100% of product packaging to be recyclable; 40% recycled content of product packaging materials. 

More details at www.bacardilimited.com/corporate-responsibility/environment/