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Survey: 80% of UK drinkers claim to make world’s best G&T

More than 80% of gin lovers in the UK believe they make the world’s best G&T while 75% believe their skills are superior to local bartenders.

Subscription service Craft Gin Club spoke to 600,000 gin enthusiasts to uncover the category’s key trends

The Gin Report 2018 by UK-based subscription service Craft Gin Club is the result of research from a survey given to 600,000 members of its club.

According to the report, 2018 saw the “spirit of experimentation shift from the makers and mixologists to amateur mixologists at home” as gin lovers become “connoisseurs” when it comes to serving the perfect G&T.

On average, gin drinkers in the UK claim to have five or six bottles of different gins at home, with 80% claiming they are “gin-confident” and create “the best G&T in the world”.

The survey also found that 90% of consumers spend time experimenting with different garnishes. Drinkers are also said to be moving away from lemon, lime and cucumber garnishes, with pink grapefruit (38%) named as one of the top garnishes.

Around 91% of gin drinkers enjoy experimenting with less obvious garnish choices including rhubarb (60%) and foraged berries (58%).

As the trend for flavoured gin takes off, Craft Gin Club reveals that salted caramel is the flavour the UK are most hoping to try this year, with more than three out of 10 (31%) drinkers claiming the flavour is on their radar.

The findings also claim that gin is being used in cooking and hot drinks, with hot gin recipes set to trend at home in 2019.

Clementine Beach, Craft Gin Club’s resident gin expert and gin taster, said: “One of the key emerging gin trends is seasonality. The G&T is considered a quintessential summer drink; but
 our data shows a spike in uptake around Christmas.

“The gin and tonic has cemented itself as an all-year-round drink. We’ve also seen a massive increase in hot gin serves and the availability of gins spiced with flavours such as cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.”

Jon Hulme, co-founder of Craft Gin Club, said: “The gin boom has been going on for 10 years and is showing no signs of slowing down. People’s taste for gins are becoming more sophisticated as is the way gin is being consumed.

“We’ve seen a 60% year-on-year membership growth and with the festive period proving to be the perfect gifting moment, we predict our number of monthly subscriptions to rise by 4,000 between now and January 2019.”

In July 2016, Craft Gin Club secured an investment of £75,000 (US$97,000) on hit BBC show Dragons’ Den from London Cocktail Club co-founder Sarah Willingham.

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