What’s Hot?

In addition to surveying chef’s about hot food trends for the New Year, The National Restaurant Association (NRA) surveyed 195 professional bartenders to uncover hot drink trends for 2013. It wasn’t surprising that producing and buying local is a top trend for drinks, similar to food, including onsite barrel-aged drinks which top the charts. Other top drinks include food-liquor/cocktail parings and micro distilled/artisan liquor.

Here Are The Top 20 Drink Trends For 2013:

1. Onsite barrel-aged drinks
2. Food-liquor/cocktail pairings
3. Culinary cocktails (e.g. savory, fresh ingredients)
4. Micro-distilled/artisan liquor
5. Locally produced spirits
6. Locally sourced fruit/berries/produce
7. Beer sommeliers/Cicerones
8. Regional signature cocktails
9. Beer-based cocktails
10. Locally produced beer
11. Food-beer pairings/beer dinners
12. Salt (e.g. flavored, smoked, regional)
13. House-made lemonade/soft drinks/tonics
14. Cask beer/ale
15. Wine on tap/draft wine
16. Organic cocktails
17. Cocktails on tap
18. Craft beer
19. Signature cocktails
20. Shrubs

Hot Trends by Category

And here are top alcohol trends by category…

Spirits

1. Micro-distilled/artisan liquor
2. Locally produced spirits
3. Bitters
4. “New Make” whiskey
5. Mezcal

Cocktails

1. Onsite barrel-aged drinks
2. Culinary cocktails (e.g. savory, fresh ingredients)
3. Regional signature cocktails
4. Beer-based cocktails
5. Organic cocktails

Beer

1. Locally produced beer
2. Cask beer/ale
3. Craft beer
4. House-brewed beer
5. Gluten-free beer

Wine

1. Wine on tap/draft wine
2. Locally produced wine
3. Non-traditional/less popular wine varietals
4. Organic wine
5. Argentinian wine

Ingredients/Garnish

1. Locally sourced fruit/berries/produce
2. Salt (e.g. flavored, smoked, regional)
3. House-made lemonade/soft drinks/tonics
4. Flower syrup/essence
5. Spices

Mixology Themes

1. Food-liquor/cocktail pairings
2. Beer sommeliers/Cicerones
3. Food-beer pairings/beer dinners
4. Molecular gastronomy/mixology
5. Food-wine pairings

Additional Trends

1. When the bartenders were asked to segment customers into categories it was surprising how equally split the groups were:

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• 36% of customers are traditional – always order simple drinks, like draft beer and house wine
• 32% of customers are adventurous – always try new and trendy drinks
• 31% are cautious explorers – generally order standbys, but sometimes try trendy items

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2. Because over 30% of customers were categorized as adventurous, it was great to see how the bartenders felt about specialty/culinary cocktails:

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• 67% said that it’s a good way to build business and attract new customers
• 26% said they are fun to make because they have to be more creative
• 1% said they are a challenge because they take longer
• 1% said customers rarely order specialty cocktails

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3. In addition, more than half (51%) said they are seeing more guests dining at the bar, rather than being seated at a table (compared to two years ago).

4. The last question bartenders were asked was “What’s the hottest technology trend in bars/restaurants for 2013.” The same question was asked to more than 1,800 professional chefs in the top food trends survey, and the outcome of each survey was remarkably different:

The chef’s response:
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• 27% said tablet computers (e.g. iPad) for menus and wine lists
• 25% said smartphone apps for consumers (e.g. ordering, menus)
• 19% said mobile/wireless/at-the-table payment options
• 13% said social media for marketing/loyalty programs
• 11% said smartphone apps for chefs/restaurateurs (e.g. recipes, measurement converters)
• 4% said QR codes on menus, marketing, etc
• 1% said other

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The bartender’s response:
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• 40% said social media for marketing/loyalty programs
• 29% said tablet computers (e.g. iPad) for menus and wine lists
• 14% said smartphone apps for consumers (e.g. ordering, menus)
• 6% said smartphone apps for chefs/restaurateurs (e.g. recipes, measurement converters)
• 5% said other
• 4% said mobile/wireless/at-the-table payment options
• 2% said QR codes on menus, marketing, etc

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What’s Not Hot

Of the 123 drink items ranked by bartenders, these received the highest scores for waning trends:

1. Hard lemonade
2. Non-alcoholic wine
3. “Skinny”/lower-calorie cocktails
4. Dessert/candy-flavored cocktails
5. White sangria
6. Frozen cocktails
7. Light/reduced calorie beer
8. Kosher wine
9. Boxed wine
10. Bacon

2013 Food Trends

Now that you’re caught up with the hottest drink trends for 2013, take a gander at what’s hot in the food world for the New Year.

What’s Hot in 2013 Video

For more information from NRA on hot trends for 2013, check out this video!