Now that spring weather is slowly showing up, it is only a matter of time before the first warm rays of sunlight cause us to flock en masse to summer events. Which drink is hip to serve on your event and which are outdated? Four trend watchers and alcohol experts have their say.
Vermouth This fortified wine (usually 15%) has been aromatised with various herbs and spices and will be seen a lot this summer, swears Vincent van Dijk, of marketing and trends agency HBMEO. "In the 19th century, vermouth was very popular, but nowadays it has all but disappeared. Martini is the most famous example, but this brand does not market itself as a vermouth. Now that the drink is becoming a trending top, you can see that Martini is planning on saying once more on their labels that the drink is a vermouth", says the vermouth religion's preacher.
In 2013, Van Dijk was in Barcelona - where the gin-tonic trend also originated - and saw that a couple of hip bars had replaced gin-tonic with vermouth. "It looked very festive, but it is easy to make and a lot cheaper than a gin-tonic."
Ingmar Voerman, the big man behind the blog 'Ingmar Drinkt', also tips vermouth as the new summer drink. "If you are heading off to Barcelona for a weekend, you would even start to wonder why we at home are not all sipping vermouth. So who knows?"
Mister Cocktail, also known as Albert van Beeck Calkoen, is a fan as well: "Vermouth is one of the best and oldest drinks on earth. The drink was invented in China in 4000 BC and is a true tradition in South America. He continues: "Martini is a good way to start: a low alcohol percentage and a lot of taste. There's no end to the cocktails you can mix with vermouth."
Still going strong
However, according to the trend watchers gin-tonic is far from done for. The beverage gained a lot of popularity last year, and it is still going strong. "We are discovering premium cocktails. A decent expensive rum, pure gin or tequila with soda and lots of ice in a large glass, instead of a Bacardi-Cola in a tin can, from the local supermarket", says Van Beeck Calkoen. "Gin is in fact a stepping stone to vermouth."
Young genever is also gaining popularity, and no longer as the little beverage that granddads sip. "There are plenty of young people who make their own gin or genever. It is a classic drink with a modern twist: genever-coke, genever-tonic or with ginger beer or Ginger Ale", says Mister Cocktail.
Beer and juices
Still not anything that appeals to you? No worries, according to Judith Pagrach of My Food Blog lighter beers such as Radler will still stay hip in 2016. "Possibly in other varieties. Last year, many other 0,0 % beers entered the market, besides Radler. I think that this is a trend which will continue: more lighter and non-alcoholic beers."
Okay, a few more: "Now that fruit juices are not done thanks to the high dose of sugars, vegetable juices receive a boost. Celery, broccoli, spinach, beetroot. We let loose the juice!" Pagrach states. 'Hip coffee' with names such as slow coffee, cold drip coffee and dirty chai are going to do well, claims the blogger.
These drinks are no longer hip, according to the experts:
- Jillz
- Limoncello
- Mojito
- Prosecco
- Cocktails from a can
