Dry January is finally over. Were you a paragon of mindful drinking the whole month or was denial and restraint too much in the bleak midwinter? Perhaps both camps can agree that the key to an improved drinking culture is the ambition of drinking better, rather than more.
Tastes have continued to evolve, despite pubs and bars continuing to close at a fast rate… and times are changing. According to Drinks International, in 2021 the Negroni ended the Old Fashioned’s eight-year run as the world’s best-selling cocktail.
Drinking at home surged during the pandemic (causing a headache for health professionals) and the evidence suggests connoisseurs have stepped up their home drinking game. The ‘quarantini’ became an oft-repeated joke on Friday night Zoom calls, coinciding with soaring sales of vermouth. According to data from consumer research group CGA, 47 per cent of cocktail drinkers continue to explore at-home mixology in the post-pandemic world.
But what will be the fashionable drinks of 2022 to make your friends and family green with envy when you invite them over? We spoke to the experts…
Bitter is better
“Bitter is an important flavour profile in mixology that has been increasingly rediscovered and appreciated over the past few years,” explains Elon Soddu, who runs the new Amaro Bar and is the former head mixologist at The Savoy: Amaro means ‘bitter’ in Italian.
“The shift towards classic flavours and products has translated into a renaissance of traditional liqueurs, distillates and wines – from amari, to bitters and fortified wines,” he continues. “Equally, more bitter flavoured cocktails have made a comeback: the Negroni above all, the Hanky Panky and drinks rooted in classic Italian tradition like the Garibaldi.”
Specialist drinks retailer, The Whisky Exchange, saw a 17 per cent rise in the category in 2021. “We are seeing an increase in different types of bitters, from cocktail bitters to Amaros and new iterations of the aperitivo – this is a trend is coming off the back of the negroni-making phase of lockdown and people wanting to pep up gin and tonics without needing tonnes of garnishes,” suggests Dawn Davies, the company’s head of buying.
Approachable luxury
Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne, the co-founders of London Cocktail Week, say the bars which attracted the most footfall during the festival also tended to be the high-end and glamorous ones, with the highest average spend.
“Coming out of the height of the pandemic, people are looking to elevate their experience when going out: enjoying the best of the best without it being a ‘special treat’,” they said. “To maximise on this shift, some of the highest end bars are making their experience more approachable, which will definitely perpetuate the trend in 2022.”
Sharman-Cox and Payne cite The Connaught Bar, within the ultra-luxurious Mayfair hotel, which recently came out on top at the World’s 50 Best Bar Awards whose saying, “don’t stand on ceremony”, has focused on making five-star service more approachable, with complimentary welcome drinks and pizzas as bar snacks. It also has a trolley in operation, offering guests a bespoke martini with scents and garnishes to encourage playfulness.
Approachability is also a trend for the drinks themselves. “Lots of the top bars in London are serving mini versions of the strong drinks that most people would be nervous to order,” explained the London Cocktail Week founders. “Tayer + Elementary [No2 in the World’s 50 Best Bars] has a ‘One Sip Martini’, and the Cadogan Arms has a whole menu of ‘Tiny Cocktail Chasers’. They’re cheaper than a full sized cocktail – and we think they’ll be a gateway into more people ordering stronger, bolder drinks in the next couple of years.”
Green drinking
No, not the return of absinthe (though the UK’s first absinthe distillery did open in 2021, so who knows?) but the more general interest in eco-credentials and sustainability.
Drinks with a purpose have exploded during lockdown, such as Hawksbill Rum and Elephant Gin, which donate money for every bottle sold to protecting endangered sea turtles and elephants respectively. In addition, two of the most attended events at London Cocktail Week were zero-waste events hosted by the sustainable vermouth brand Discarded and Brewdog Distilling Company.
“Other brands are finding clever ways to use waste products – for example Maison Mirabeau Rosé has turned surplus wine into a new vermouth,” add Sharman-Cox and Payne. “Bars are keen too, and a lot of discussion behind the scenes amongst bartenders is how to use every element of every ingredient to eliminate waste within their bars.”
Unaged spirits
The gin boom proved age isn’t everything and while sales of that spirit are levelling off, other unaged spirits could pick up the slack. This category includes white whiskey and any spirit not legally required to be aged (although don’t get it confused with moonshine!).
“Premiumisation is happening all over the drinks industry and this is really having an impact on unaged spirits,” says Davies. “Agavé is on the up and I can see more and more interest in Pisco which had a 23 per cent growth year-on-year at The Whiskey Exchange.”
Agavé spirits are front-of-mind for Ago Perrone, director of mixology at the Connaught Bar. “There is more and more interest in spirits such as tequila and mezcal, for their incredible flavours and mixability, and also for the nod to the intriguing heritage of Mexico. Spirits lovers are going beyond their classic gin or whisky comfort zone to explore the rich variety the mezcal category offers these days. Mezcal has become more of a staple in our signature mixed drinks and is often requested as a spirit to sip on.”
But while exotic agavé might be drawing a lot of attention for bartenders, Davies also thinks that consumers will shift back towards vodka as gin trails off. “I believe vodka will also begin to have a renaissance as more start-up distilleries move away from gin and look at producing vodka with flavour – who knew that could be a thing?” she comments wryly.
Continuing trends
“In the UK itself 49 per cent of the adult drinkers have stated they want to cut out or reduce their alcohol consumption and drink better,” says Camille Vidal, founder of mindful drinking platform La Maison Wellness. “If we started the no- and low-alcohol category with mostly alternatives to gin now you can find everything from alcohol-free rum, whisky and even tequila. The aperitif category has grown and has some real beauties like Aecorn and Everleaf too.”
Another major trend to be aware of is in wines. Global supply chain issues continue to be a factor, according to head of wine Milena de Waele at luxury London restaurant Park Row. “I think turning away from the classic regions will happen,” she suggests. “As we struggle with imports from the likes of France and shortages too, many of us might be priced out of the likes of Burgundy and Bordeaux, and we should take that as an opportunity to explore a new style or country. I see big things for Canada, the Canary Islands and Slovenia this year.”
