As with every year, we started out 2019 with some bold predictions about the state of cocktails and what big changes we expected to see this year. Sometimes we’re bang on, other times we miss the mark entirely, but that’s what’s exciting about the world of cocktails, it can be entirely unpredictable.
So, how did we do this year? Keep reading to see whether we got things right, or were complete dunces.
CBD Cocktails go mainstream (Right….ish)
CBD cocktails definitely became more prominent than they have ever been before, but to consider them mainstream, might be a bit of a stretch. That being said, there’s ready to drink CBD drinks, more bartenders are experimenting with CBD, there’s a whole host of do-it-yourself recipes. So we’re giving ourselves the win on this one, even if it’s not quite there yet.
Low Proof Cocktails (Right)
If there was one dominating trend this year for bartenders it was making cocktails more refreshing, and lower in alcohol. This follows right along with the beer trends, where consumers are looking for options they can readily, and steadily, drink any time of day with the repercussions of having to deal with a massive hangover or the perception of too many calories. Consumers are smarter, and low ABV drinks are performing exceptionally well.
Bars Get Environmental (Right)
No waste cocktail making has been in the news for a few years, none more prominent than the Trash Tiki movement. So it’s fitting that for a year we predicted to see more emphasis on green bartending that the founders of Trash Tiki themselves announced a permanent bar location in Toronto.
Craft Canned Cocktails (Right)
This was hands down the year of the ready-to-drink cocktail market. From a booming canned wine/cocktail industry, to the ridiculous overwhelming success of hard seltzer, consumers were drinking canned cocktails more than ever before.
Expect this trend to continue to pick up steam next year. We’ve moved beyond the terrible ready-made pre-mix era and into an exciting new world of pre-made craft cocktails.
Vegetal and Savoury Cocktails (Wrong)
Okay so we couldn’t be 100% right about everything. While the idea of savoury and more earthy cocktails is still valid and exciting, it hasn’t quite caught on with the wider audience, so we’ll take the hit on this one and call it a miss.
Total Score: 4/5
That’s pretty darn good, and easily a B+ if not an A-. In the next few weeks we’ll be looking at the landscape for 2020 and predicting what crazy things cocktail drinkers will be getting into next.
Ale/Sessions 