introduction 4

key trends 8
beer, cider, & seltzer 135
wine 151
cocktails & spirits 177
cocktail ingredients 235
top trends overview 256
top trends: demographics 263
venue deep dives 275

Insights in this report come from:

–Online survey of 3,762 consumers (fielded January pre-cv 2020)
– age 21+ | enjoy adult beverages once per month or more
– US Census demographic splits (gender, age, income, ethnicity, etc.)
 • Respondents for whom 75% or more of all the adult beverages consumed (including both on-premise
Beer / Wine / Spirits and at home) come from a single category
• Beer category includes: beer, hard cider, flavored malt beverages
• Wine category includes: red, white, rosé, sparkling, and sweet / dessert wines
• Spirits category includes: mixed drinks, cocktails, straight / neat liquor, and shots

Beer / Wine / Spirits • Connoisseurs (self-described) are category fans who pride themselves on being knowledgeable, with
expertise on what to drink and where to go for great drinks
Trends Tested
Datassential’s Menu Adoption Cycle (MAC) tracks any food, ingredient, or other trend through its 4-stage life cycle –
from Inception to Ubiquity. By design, the adult beverage trends tested in this study are heavily concentrated in early
stage trends, but also include some later stage items for comparison and context.

75 55 13 2
inception adoption proliferation ubiquity
fine dining, mixology, earliest stage trendy restaurants + specialty grocers chain restaurants + mainstream grocery find it just about anywhere
 BEER, CIDER, & SELTZER WINE
Alcohol-free beer Alcohol-free wine Sparkling whites (other than champagne)
Alcohol-infused tonic waters All-natural wine Synthetic wine
Beer cocktails Biodynamic wines Wine cocktails
Beers with dry hopping Canned sake Wine on tap
Craft ciders Dessert wines Wine or beer made with wild yeast
Hard / spiked seltzers Frizzante wines Wines aged in spirit barrels
Heirloom beer F'rosé (pronounced "fro-zay") Wines from unique areas of the US
Low-alcohol "session" beers & ciders Fruit wines Wines from unique International areas
New American beer styles Low-alcohol wine
New generation dark or "black" beers Low-carb / low-sugar wine
Niche global beer styles Mead
Reusable growlers Orange wine
Rosé beer Rosé
Rosé cider Sake
Sour beers Single-serve wines
(cans, pouches, etc.)
Unique-flavored hard ciders
Sparkling red wines
Wine or beer made with wild yeast
 COCKTAILS & SPIRITS
Alcohol-free liquors/spirits
Large format cocktails
Amaro
Bitter liquors
Boozy frozen desserts
Boozy milkshakes
Chartreuse
Cocktail caviar
Cocktails / punchbowls with dry ice
Cocktails for digestive health
Cocktails on tap
Cocktails served with fragrance
Cold brew coffee liqueurs
Collagen-infused cocktails
Color changing cocktails
Detoxyfing cocktails
Digestif
Edible alcoholic treats
Elevated breakfast/brunch cocktails
Falernum NitroBrew Cocktail
Fast liquor Nostalgic or childhood-inspired alc bevs
Flaming cocktails Over the top / Instagram-worthy alc bevs
Flavored gin Plant-based cocktail mixers
Flavored rum Plant-based alcohol-free classic cocktails
Frozen cocktails / cocktail slushies Shōchū
Genever Single-origin coffee liqueurs
Heirloom grains / ancient grains in liquors Single-serve pre-made cocktails
Hybrid rum (mix of both light and dark) Smart cocktail systems
Innovative drink glasses/vessels Soju
Japanese whiskey South American adult bevs and ingredients
Kombucha cocktails Spirits aged in wine (or sherry) barrels
Lillet St. Germain / elderflower liqueur
Low-alcohol cocktails Tea-infused cocktails
Low-carb / low-sugar cocktails Vegan / plant-based cocktails
Mezcal Vermouth as the featured item
Craft "mocktails" Vintage-Inspired Cocktails
Modern craft gin
Negroni
6
 COCKTAIL INGREDIENTS EXPERIENTIAL, TECH & WELLNESS
Alc bevs made with local ingredients Superfood ingredients AI-powered adult beverage apps Sparkling cold brew teas
Artisan bitters Tarantula venom Alcohol available with meal/food delivery Spiked coconut water
Bee pollen Turmeric Alcohol home delivery Sustainably produced alc bevs
Cloudberries Vegetable juice cocktail mixers Alcohol in vending machines Tea-based alc bevs
Cocktail cart for made-to-order drinks Yuzu Alcohol-infused waters THC-infused beverages
Drinks featuring a cold-pressed fruit juice Alcohol-reduction foods or products Zero-waste bar programs
Egg whites in cocktails Booze at entertainment venues
Fat-washing Booze at shopping or retail venues
Gunpowder CBD-infused beverages
Herbs and flowers Distillery, winery and brewery tours
Lingonberry Drinks for a cause
Monk fruit sweetened drinks Fast food restaurants serving alcohol
Oleo Saccharum Gluten-Free alcoholic beverages
Ruby cocoa / ruby chocolate Interactive packaging
Sea buckthorn berries Japanese-style cocktail bars
Seaweed in cocktails Make-your-own alcohol kits
Smoky, burnt or charred flavors Pop-up restaurants or bars
Spicy ingredients Portable cocktail kits
Squid ink Rooftop bars
7
MEGATREND #1:
TECH-FORWARD
TIPPLES
TECH-FORWARD
TIPPLES Operators and manufacturers are leveraging tech to shape consumers’
experience when drinking alcohol, too. Technology is being utilized to make
alcohol packaging more interesting and interactive, for instance: 19 Crimes
Wine uses augmented reality technology to tell the brand’s story. Other
companies are using artificial intelligence in mobile apps to help guide users
towards drinks they might like on a bar menu, while still others are taking the
bar out of the equation completely with the development of smart cocktail
systems such as Somabar that allow consumers to mix up their own cocktails
at home.

Trends include: awareness interest MAC stage

Alcohol available with meal/food delivery 38% 68% Inception

Alcohol home delivery 41% 63% Inception

Alcohol in vending or automated mini-markets 33% 62% Inception

Fast liquor 27% 58% Inception

Smart cocktail systems 22% 54% Inception

AI-powered adult bev or cocktail apps 14% 50% Inception

Interactive packaging on alc. bevs 26% 45% Inception

Synthetic wine 15% 31% Inception

ALCOHOL As restaurants from casual dining to QSRs
struggle for share, one solution has been to offer

WITH FOOD
alcohol with to-go orders. Chains like Buffalo Wild
Wings, BJ's Restaurants, and Pizza Hut have all
embraced this trend with success, seeing

DELIVERY
increases in check averages. Companies must
increase consumer awareness of alcohol delivery
and delivery personnel must be trained to check
and verify IDs.
38% awareness (+2%) | 68% interest (+7%)
mac stage: inception
ALL-NATURAL What began as a revolt against
the mass-produced wines post-
World War II has become a full-

WINE
blown trend towards rustic,
sulfate-free wines generally
made in small quantities using
57% awareness (-2%) | 74% interest (0%) traditional methods.
mac stage: adoption (inception in 2018)
 Cloudberries are a juicy Nordic
berry with a tart taste that is a cross

CLOUDBERRIES between a raspberry and a red

currant. It is often used in traditional
Nordic liqueurs like lakka that have
16% awareness (-2%) | 63% interest (+7%) strong tastes and a high sugar
mac stage: inception content. It is also used as a
flavoring when making aquavit.
MONK FRUIT Alcoholic beverages made with
monk fruit simple syrup or other

SWEETENED
monk fruit-derived sweetened
liqueurs. Monk fruit is valued as a
lower sugar alternative to
28% awareness | 56% interest traditional sweeteners.
mac stage: inception
LOW-ALCOHOL Cocktails that are very

COCKTAILS
low in alcohol (less
than 3% ABV).

55% awareness | 42% interest

mac stage: adoption
HARD/SPIKED Alcoholic seltzer water has grown rapidly
on retail shelves as consumers look for
less filling, easy drinking alternatives to

SELTZERS
beer. Look for growth in foodservice as
operators begin crafting their own
versions in-house and incorporating
78% awareness (+28%) | 59% interest (+17%) canned varieties in cocktails.
mac stage: proliferation (adoption in 2018)
 Rosé cider is the convergence of two

ROSÉ CIDER
trends; the growth of rosé wine and
the re-invention of the cider
category. Fleshed apples give rosé
39% awareness (+2%) | 60% interest (+7%) cider a bright taste and pink hue. This
mac stage: adoption viral trend appeal to younger
consumers.
 TOP 20 TRENDS BY BEER LOYALTY
Beer Loyalist Beer Fan Occasional Beer Drinker
1. New American beer styles Frozen cocktails Alc. bevs made w/ local ingredients
2. Frozen cocktails Alc. bevs made w/ local ingredients Frozen cocktails
3. Alc. available with food delivery New American beer styles Drinks for a cause
While all beer drinks are
4. Alc. bevs made w/ local ingredients Sustainably produced alc. bevs Wine cocktails interested in craft cider, a close
5. Heirloom beer Wine cocktails Boozy frozen desserts cousin of craft beer, the three
groups of beer drinkers have
6. All-natural wine Cocktail cart for MTO drinks Fruit wines
many differences.
7. Drinks for a cause All-natural wine Rosé
8. Alc. in vending machines Drinks for a cause Color changing cocktails Beer loyalists unsurprisingly
feature several beer-specific
9. Portable cocktail kits Wines from unique US areas Drinks feat. cold-pressed juice
trends: new American styles,
10. Dessert wines Wines from unique int'l areas All-natural wine heirloom beer, dry hopping,
11. Sustainably produced alc. Bevs Fruit wines Wines from unique US areas and niche global styles, along
12. Edible alcoholic treats Wines aged in spirit barrels Dessert wines with other beer-adjacent trends
like innovative glasses and
13. Beers with dry hopping Wine on tap Sparkling white wines
alcohol in vending machines.
14. Wines from unique int'l areas Drinks feat. cold-pressed juice Edible alcoholic treats
15. Craft ciders Flavored rum F'rosé Beer fans lean toward a handful of
trends that are traditionally
16. Rosé Sparkling white wines Flavored rum
associated with beer like single-
17. Flaming cocktails Craft ciders Craft ciders serve cocktails and wine on tap,
18. Wine on tap Edible alcoholic treats Boozy milkshakes along with new American styles.
19. Niche global beer styles Rosé Alc. available with food delivery
20. Innovative drink glasses Single-serve pre-made cocktails Sustainably produced alc. bevs

Top trends ranked by % of consumers who are interested; beer trends are bolded
“Loyalists” are those who almost always choose beer over other types of alcohol, “Fans” are equally likely to choose beer or other types of alcohol, and “Occasional” drinkers would prefer other types of alcohol if given the choice. 17
 Awareness Interest
2020 +/- 2018 2020 +/- 2018 Top 3 Associated Venues

1. Hard / spiked seltzers 78% 28% 59% 17% stadiums / arenas sports bars music bars

2. Frozen cocktails / cocktail slushies 80% 9% 81% 15% stadiums / arenas eater-tainment venues cruise ships

3. Drinks for a cause 32% 1% 75% 13% stadiums / arenas neighborhood bars pubs

4. Alcohol home delivery 41% 5% 63% 11% -

5. F'rosé (pronounced "fro-zay") 38% 7% 65% 10% wine bars music bars cruise ships

6. Sake 79% 8% 63% 10% upscale restaurants casual restaurants upscale bars

7. Low-alcohol "session" beers & ciders 41% 0% 45% 10% stadiums / arenas eater-tainment venues sports bars

8. Flaming cocktails 73% 6% 59% 9% martini bars nightclubs upscale bars

9. Falernum 17% 1% 61% 9% cruise ships martini bars hotels / casinos

10. Fast liquor 27% 1% 58% 9% pubs nightclubs sports bars

’Movers & Shakers’ = trends with highest growth in interest from 2018 to 2020 (regardless of overall awareness) 18
 SPORTS BAR

TOP TRENDS PROFILE OF FREQUENT CUSTOMERS (monthly+ visitation; demographic index values vs. genpop)

DEMOGRAPHICS
CONSUMERS ARE MOST OPEN TO
TRYING THESE AT THIS VENUE… GENDER

1 New American beer styles 257 HEALTH & WELLNESS $ WHEN

41% 23% 59% 18%
2 Beers with dry hopping 215 DINING OUT
59% HEALTHY 28%
3 Craft ciders 203 NOT AN ISSUE STABLE $ IS TIGHT
LIFESTYLE
4 Cocktails on tap 193 FOOD
49% 47% 4%
ATTITUDE
5 Heirloom beer 185
61% FOODIE FOOD EXCITES ME EAT TO LIVE
6 Beer cocktails
INCOME GENERATION MODERATE
178 LIFESTYLE
High Gen Z 89 TRYING NEW
7 Niche global beer styles 178 133 37% 49% 14%
($100k+) THINGS
Millennial 104 UNHEALTHY 11% ALMOST ALWAYS OCCASIONALLY RARELY
8 Hard / spiked seltzers 176 Medium
112
($50k-$99k) Gen X 104
9 Single-serve pre-made cocktails 172
Low
82 ADULT BEV. FREQUENCY
10 Large format cocktails 172 (<$50k) Boomer+ 100 % SELF-DESCRIBED… SWITCHING
11 New gen. dark or "black" beers 170
Sports Bar STICK WITH 1 TYPE
REGION Connoisseur Loyalist
12 Boozy milkshakes 163 GEOTYPE OF ALCOHOL 44%
13 Unique-flavored hard ciders 162 Urban 120 West 89 Beer 26% 29%
Weekly + 34%
SWITCH BACK
14 Sustainably produced alc. bevs 159 Midwest 104 Wine 24% 22% 29%
Suburban 99 AND FORTH
15 Innovative drink glasses/vessels South 104 1-3x / month 66%
156 Spirits 28% 24% DEPENDS ON
Rural 72 East 100 27%
(index based on avg % for this venue) SITUATION

19
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menu trends to the products shoppers want at the grocery store.

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