A survey from the spirits giant suggests 50% of Brits will drink more cocktails this year, with festive creations challenging the dominance of traditional tipples such as beer and wine. And it predicts vodka and gin will be the most popular spirits of choice.
With the increasing likelihood of holding virtual Christmas celebrations, 60% of respondents to Bacardi’s 2020 Survey said they plan to celebrate digitally this year. That could mean hosting a virtual Christmas quiz (36%) or cocktail party (13%), to joining family video calls for Christmas morning ‘unboxing’ (32%).
Nearly a third (30%) admitted they’re secretly thrilled to be missing out on the seasonal family arguments and visiting extended family this year, while two in five (39%) are celebrating the loss of the office Christmas party.
Internet searches for ‘cocktail recipes’ spiked in April and May as lockdown learners dusted off cocktail shakers and honed their mixology skills. Bacardi believes that trend is set to continue as half of those surveyed (50%) claim they’ll be incorporating cocktails into their Christmas celebrations more than in previous years, knocking traditional tipples such as mulled wine (36%), beer (45%) and wine (42%) off their perch.
Illustrating a trend towards premiumisation, 41% of survey respondents said they were turning to quality spirits. Based on its research, Bacardi predicts vodka will be the spirit at-home mixologists use most this year, with 20% planning to serve post-Christmas dinner espresso martini cocktails.
Britain’s love for gin, meanwhile, shows no signs of slowing in popularity either - the top Christmas gin cocktails are tipped to be the G&T and the Gin Fizz, whilst berries (20%) are the favoured home ingredient for festive cocktail garnishes.
