Diageo uses AI to recommend cocktail recipes

Diageo has launched a digital platform, ‘What’s Your Cocktail’, which recommends recipes through Flavourprint technology.

The Al-powered technology is used by Diageo to help consumers match with new products that suit their preferences.

The What’s Your Cocktail platform offers consumers a quick interactive test – said to take under 15 seconds – where they are recommended the ‘perfect’ cocktail for their flavour profile and occasion.

Users can also get cocktail recommendations for food pairings through ad optimisation and a path-to-purchase service.

The ‘Smart Ads’ module helps people find cocktails that match with food recipes on websites such as Allrecipes, Simply Recipes, and BBC Good Food, while the path-to-purchase service enables consumers to ‘seamlessly transition’ from searching for the perfect recipe to adding all of the ingredients to their basket.

Insights from the service found that consumers are looking for savoury and sweet flavours, with the Don Julio El Diablo and Bulleit Sweet Manhattan cocktails trending.

“From Palomas to Virgin Mojitos and everything in between, the world of cocktails is very broad and can be complex to navigate,” said Guy Middleton, global breakthrough innovation director at Diageo.

“I’m very excited by these new platforms, particularly ‘What’s Your Cocktail’, which is an entertaining and accessible way for consumers to make better sense of this wonderful category and find the perfect cocktail for any occasion.”

What’s Your Cocktail is free to use and leads consumers to Diageo’s online shop, thebar.com. It is available in the UK, while the Smart Ads module can be used in the UK and US, and the Multi Path to Purchase in the US. The plan is to roll out the platforms globally in the coming years.

Diageo has already utilised Flavourprint technology for its ‘Journey of Flavour Tour’ experience at the Johnnie Walker Princes Street store and its ‘What’s Your Whisky’ platform.

The latter is said to be used by one million people.

To broaden its scope with Flavorprint to other categories beyond whisky, Diageo purchased the technology’s developer Vivanda in June 2022.

The technology uses a set of simple questions to engage with consumers and find their flavours. The answers then give a digital representation of consumers’ taste palates.

Jimmy Klein, head of Flavorprint Lab at Diageo, said: “We know that consumers are looking for more personalised, interactive, and relevant experiences, so this Flavorprint expansion is a hugely exciting way of engaging with more consumers and across new occasions.

“I’m very proud of the engagement we have seen so far and look forward to helping millions more with cocktail inspiration.”

In its first Distilled: A Diageo Foresight Report, Diageo noted that AI was a fast-growing trend in drinks.