Cocktails Have Come Early

Despite cocktails typically being more of a summer luxury, it seems the new year has brought an influx of demand for cocktails in comparison to previous years. And even though we’ve all begun 2021 in another lockdown, it isn’t stopping us, (or cocktails for that matter) from persisting through. - Find out how we're working through lockdown here

From your Bloody Mary’s to your Piña Colada’s, we’ll show you everything you need to know to start this year off with a bang by presenting facts & stats and showcasing exclusive client stories along the way.

Daiquiris to the Door

The rise in trend of cocktails emerged from the first lockdown in 2020 where customers were looking for a way to create authentic experiences from the comfort of their own home. This concept also allowed people to stay connected by enjoying their favourite drinks together or even experiencing something new across a Zoom call (all whilst doing a quiz I’m sure).

As the demand of cocktails to relieve the stresses of the outside world grew, we’ve continued to see numerous clients across varying industries offering RTD cocktails to the door or providing some mixology lessons through their inventive DIY cocktail kits.

Since the first lockdown, cocktail kits (and cocktails in general) have grown monumentally. As shown from statistics, studies prove that 63% of Brits are either drinking the same or more than usual during the lockdown and 48% of Brits who drink out have adopted beverage deliveries. Not only that, but you can see from online search trends (shown below) the vast contrast of demand for cocktail kits between 2019 (shown in red) and 2020 (shown in blue):

With all these statistics in mind, the value of the UK cocktail market between 2018 and 2019 increased by 9.5% equating to £587m. From what the data suggests, we expect the marketplace to continue this growth pattern.

See From Our Very Best

One of the biggest industries to be hit since the beginning of 2020 has to be bars and restaurants. The Forge Kitchen, however, have launched their “Forge From Home” initiative to combat this by facilitating their delicious food and drink online acting as a major asset during this period.

To entice customers with their easy to prepare doorstep cocktails, they have invented a brand-new persona and narrative behind the Forging… Bertram Black - the mysterious blacksmith behind the Smith’s brand. Smith’s cocktails range from their ever-popular Espresso Martini to their addictive Blackberry & Chilli Margarita with Smith’s even looking to concoct more elaborative cocktails and seasonally inspired cocktails in the spring!

So it’s no surprise that The Forge Kitchen has been awarded the Travellers’ Choice Award in 2020 by Trip Advisor. Not forgetting to mention their cocktails contributed to 18% of takeaway sales and 34% of all drinks sales across all mediums at the end of 2020.

With the increasing popularity of cocktails and their reputation continuing to grow, we think The Forge Kitchen and Smith’s cocktails have certainly made the most out of a challenging situation.

But it’s not just the food & drinks market developing RTD cocktails and cocktail kits though. In fact, The Lost Estate, “one of London’s most in-demand new hospitality concepts”, have fused their exceptional theatre performances with a fine dining experience.

As theatres and performing arts remained closed indefinitely, The Lost Estate comprised a great idea of reinventing an authentic theatrical experience by bringing the performance to your home. The Lost Estate went about creating an immersive 1920’s night-in by including various prohibition cocktail recipes with all the ingredients and tools to enjoy, alongside a captivating 1920’s tale from the height of the Jazz Age and an authentic 1920’s playlist.

As you’d expect, this experience gained a lot of media interest from such news outlets as Vanity Fair, The Telegraph and Stylist Magazine as well as being nominated for the “Most Innovative At-Home Experience” at the Lockdown Hero Awards by HRC.

Our final client story comes from the Highest New Entry in 2020 on The World’s 50 Best Bars and critically acclaimed: Tayēr + Elementary!

Described as London’s best bar, Tayēr + Elementary have converted their “intricate, complex, and delicious cocktails” into RTD cocktails delivered straight to your door (as shown above). As each lockdown arrived, Tayēr + Elementary maintained their efforts to keep ahead of the curve with their series of inventive cocktails appropriately called ‘LKDWN’, ‘Tayēr RTD’ and (most recently) ‘Tier We Go Again’. With each series that arrives comes great new flavours such as, the seasonally appropriate, Mince Pie Negroni. Perfect as a festive treat.

We are proud to support and be a part of all our stories and can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

Has this got you thinking? Are you ready to take the plunge into the cocktail marketplace? With Rawlings, we can get your idea off the ground with our exceptional range of glass bottles and our bespoke label design. And even if cocktails aren’t your forte, food and drink deliveries aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Enquire today to discover how we can support you.

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