Nicholson On Tap boasts triple-digit growth in UK
Draught cocktail system Nicholson On Tap has boosted cocktail sales by up to 369% across stadiums, festivals and hotels.
The company’s draught cocktail systems, now installed at Chelsea FC, The Kia Oval, Lusty Glaze Beach, and Ministry of Sound, are designed to combine bar-quality serves with ‘significant’ improvements in speed, profit margin and operational efficiency.
Additionally, the brand’s activations have included the Ascot Festival and an expanding list of hotel groups.
Since installing six Nicholson On Tap units in 2024, alongside a bespoke cocktail menu, Lusty Glaze Beach in Cornwall has experienced a 300% increase in cocktail revenue year on year. Specifically, cocktails have grown from 2% to nearly 15% of total drinks sales.
Additionally, the bar has increased the average cocktail price by 45% year-on-year and reduced the time to serve them to under a minute.
According to Nicholson, Chelsea FC has expanded its cocktail programme after strong early results, with units served per game increasing by 225% from August 2025 to May 2026. Nicholson On Tap now operates in five bars at the club’s home stadium, Stamford Bridge, in London.
Internationally, Nicholson has served more than 90,000 cocktails through custom installations at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the Caribbean.
In Antigua, where Nicholson conducts product development and testing, partner Rocks Group reported a 369% year-on-year increase in cocktail sales following the implementation of the On Tap system.
Easier serves
In the UK on-trade cocktail market, which, according to CGA by NIQ data, is now valued at more than £700 million (US$936m), Nicholson believes draught serves will be crucial to the next phase of category growth.
Alex Johns, CEO of Nicholson, explained: “Operators are under enormous pressure to serve better drinks, faster, with fewer staff and lower waste. We haven’t just built a draught cocktail system — we’ve built a complete commercial and operational solution that genuinely improves venue performance.”
Nicholson On Tap solution is built around higher-ABVs than some of its competitors, with a minimum ABV of 18%.
The on-tap selection features serves such as the Espresso Martini, Tommy’s Margarita, Classic Margarita, Negroni, and Pomelo Spritz. At the same time, Nicholson’s Pro Series offers premium gin and rum bases as ‘building blocks’ for various cocktails.
The brand’s new product launches scheduled for 2026 include a Caribbean Rum Punch and a Passion Fruit Martini, both developed and refined in Antigua.
To accommodate venues that cannot install draught systems, Nicholson is expanding into canned cocktails and bag-in-box formats.
“The old assumption was that fast cocktails meant compromising on quality,” Johns added. “We’ve spent years proving the opposite.”
Earlier this month, Nicholson secured a listing with UK grocery retailer Bayley & Sage for its ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktails.
Related news
Inside this year’s Tony Award cocktails
