Which US states are the most ‘cocktail-obsessed’?
The states considered the ‘most cocktail-obsessed’ in the US have been revealed, with the northeast region dominating the top 10.
In a study conducted by gaming website Ace.com, cocktail-related Google search data from across all 50 states – including searches for cocktail names, recipes, and ingredients – has been analysed to reveal which states show the most interest in cocktails by population.
Keywords related to cocktails, including cocktail names, recipes, and ingredients, were used to source search volume data from the last 12 months.
Population data was sourced from the US Census Bureau, which enabled Ace.com to calculate per-capita search volumes.
States were then ranked by average monthly search volume per 100,000 population in descending order, with higher values indicating greater interest relative to population.
Hawaii tops the list with an average of 4,254 searches per 100,000 residents each month, generating 61,055 total monthly cocktail-related searches among its population of 1,435,138.
Of all cocktails analysed, the Mai Tai is the most searched for in the island state, with an average of 11,592 monthly searches, followed by the Margarita with 3,675.
Interest also extends to terms such as Mai Tai recipe’ (3,217), ‘Pina Colada recipe’ (1,858), and ‘Pina Colada’ (1,650).
New York ranks second, recording 4,214 searches per 100,000 residents.
Despite having the highest total monthly search volume among the top 10 at 824,748 average monthly searches, its large population of 19.5 million translates to a lower figure than Hawaii’s.
The most searched term overall is simply ‘Cocktails’ (33,933), followed by ‘Margarita recipe’ (27,608), ‘Aperol Spritz’ (27,450), ‘Margarita’ (26,175), and ‘Old Fashioned recipe’ (21,400).
‘Margarita recipe’ is the most searched term in Massachusetts, which is considered the third most cocktail-obsessed state.
It boasts 4,025 searches per 100,000 residents and 281,785 total monthly searches from its 7,001,399 residents.
Despite having just 647,464 residents, Vermont ranks fourth, with 3,837 searches per 100,000 people and 24,841 total monthly searches.
The state’s most commonly searched cocktail-related term is ‘Bramble’ (2,275), ahead of ‘Margarita recipe’ (1,040), ‘Old Fashioned recipe’ (758), ‘Aperol Spritz’ (725), and ‘Negroni’ (627).
Rounding out the top five with 3,607 searches per 100,000 residents and 212,029 total monthly searches across its population of 5,877,610 is Colorado.
‘Old Fashioned recipe’ is the most searched term with 8,892 searches per month, followed by ‘Margarita recipe’ (8,317), ‘Mimosa’ (8,200), ‘Aperol Spritz’ (7,317), and ‘cocktails’ (6,583).
A spokesperson from Ace.com commented on the findings: “The Northeast really dominates this data in an unexpected way. Seven of the top 10 states are in New England or the mid-Atlantic. There is clearly something about that region’s bar culture, its emphasis on craft cocktails, and perhaps even those long winters that drives people to experiment at home.
“What really stood out was Vermont punching well above its weight. With under 650,000 residents, it is searching for cocktails at nearly the same rate as New York, which suggests a genuinely enthusiastic cocktail culture that goes beyond big-city bar scenes.”
Meanwhile, southern states dominate the bottom of the rankings, with Mississippi at the bottom of the list. Despite a population of 2,939,690, the state only sees 1,468 monthly searches for cocktail-related terms per 100,000.
West Virginia, Arkansas, New Mexico, and Alabama also feature in the bottom five.
Data has previously revealed which US states drink the most alcohol, and which consume the most rum.
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