Cocktail sales booming in British bars

There is good news for the on-trade as UK cocktail sales grew again during the last six months, with the Mojito remaining consumers’ favourite mixed drink.

The Mojito is still the king of cocktails for UK consumers

According to The Mixed Drinks Report, the annual survey by market researcher CGA Strategy, sales of cocktails were up 4% in the last six months compared to the previous six months, which witnessed net sales decline -7%.

“Skinny” cocktails also appear to be finding favour among consumers, with 20% of frequent cocktail consumers admitting they always prefer to order a low calorie cocktail option.

Lower abv drinks such as the Pornstar and Espresso Martini have experienced a renaissance in the last six months as well, as consumers turn away from serves like the Long Island Iced Tea.

Furthermore, vodka is the most used spirit in cocktails, closely followed by speciality spirits, and while the majority of women (52%) enjoy drinking cocktails, men are closing in with 35% saying they now drink mixed beverages.

“Our latest research further reinforces the scale of the cocktail category and the breadth of cocktail consumption when people go out to drink,” commented Tom Lynch, commercial director at CGA Strategy.

“We’re now seeing a far greater variety of serves making their way into the consumers’ repertoire, with more adventurous flavours and increasingly sophisticated mixology now permeating the mainstream for the first time.

“We’re also seeing the rise of healthier, lower strength serves mirroring similar trends we’ve seen in wine and beer, providing operators with a challenge; extend your menus to meet increasingly diverse customer expectations, while maintaining cost control in a challenging category to deliver efficiently.”

CGA Strategy also highlighted the importance of promotional offers, with 80% of those questioned saying they would be more inclined to visit an establishment that was running a special offer.

Bartenders’ recommendations are also highly influential when it comes to choosing a drink for 39% of people, while 34% say they are put off drinking cocktails as they are too expensive.