drinksint.

com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 03

ITH THE PANDEMIC NOW fading in the

W
rear-view mirror, trading in the world’s
best bars has settled back to an even
footing. But is there a legacy? What are
the new-normal consumption trends
and are new economic pressures again O4 HOW WE DID IT
changing the way bars do business? Well, not to kill the
vibe, but no, not a lot has changed. Not according to the O7 BARTENDERS’ CHOICE
Brands Report, our annual snapshot of the buying O8 GIN
behaviours of the best bars in the world.
Of the 22 categories we poll on, 17 have the same 11 RUM
category leader as last year. Tanqueray is still the king
of gin, Bacardi is the number one rum, Ketel One won
12 AMERICAN WHISKEY
vodka and Don Julio is the don of tequila – it feels a lot 15 SCOTCH
like January 2020. There’s been a change in American
whiskey, but largely the biggest bar brands are still the 16 IRISH WHISKEY
biggest bar brands, and it seems it’ll take more than a
pandemic to change that.
19 WORLD WHISKIES
Perhaps though, I can tempt you in with some esoteric, 2O VODKA
underlying narratives. Cachaça’s craft revolution appears
to be underway, with its league now mostly populated 23 COGNAC
by artisanal, not industrial, brands. Over in Pisco, there 24 BRANDY
is now a 50-50 split of Peruvian and Chilean producers,
with one brand from each country forming a duopoly. 27 PISCO
In mezcal, Del Maguey looks to have finally found a
competitor for house pour in Siete Misterios. And what
28 TEQUILA
about non-alc spirits, I hear you ask. Well, Lyre’s is now 29 CACHAÇA
challenging Seedlip for supremacy.
Something else you might notice about the Brands 3O MEZCAL
Report 2023 is that we have removed the usual 33 LIQUEURS
bestselling spirits and classic cocktail lists. Fear not,
these lists have graduated to their own supplement 34 COCKTAIL BITTERS
we’ll publish in May – it’s called the Cocktail
Report, because that’s what it’s about. In
36 SHERRY
their stead, the Brands Report sees a return 38 VERMOUTH
to the geekiest feature it has ever known
– the All-Time Leagues (that’s lists made 4O BEER
from lists, with the added ingredient of
time). And in a first for the Report, we
41 CHAMPAGNE
present a list that analyses performance 43 NON-ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS
by group. You wait – it’s going to be big.
44 MIXERS
Hamish Smith 46 ALL-TIME LEAGUES
Editor, Brands Report
51 BRANDS IN COCKTAILS
54 PERFORMANCE BY GROUP

BARS EDITOR ART DIRECTOR COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR ACCOUNTS

Hamish Smith
+44 (0)1293 590045
hamish.smith@drinksint.com
EDITOR
Shay Waterworth
+44 (0)1293 590046
shay.waterworth@drinksint.com
WEBSITE EDITOR
Oli Dodd
oli.dodd@agilemedia.co.uk
Christine Freeman
christine.freeman@agilemedia.co.uk +44 (0)1293 590043
ART EDITOR
James Down
james.down@agilemedia.co.uk
PRODUCTION EDITOR
Jaq Bayles
jaq.bayles@drinksint.com
Rob Cullen
rob.cullen@drinksint.com
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER
Carmen Poel Francesch
+44 (0)1293 590042
carmen.poel@drinksint.com
PUBLISHER
Justin Smith
+44 (0)1293 590041
justin.smith@drinksint.com
Annette O’Connell
+44 (0)1293 590051
annette.oconnell@agilemedia. DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
co.uk
Jubilee House, 56-58 Church Walk,
MANAGING DIRECTOR Burgess Hill, West Sussex
Russell Dodd RH15 9AN United Kingdom
+44 (0)1293 590052 TEL:+44 (0)1293 590040
russell.dodd@drinksint.com FAX:+44 (0) 1293 474010
WWW.drinksint.com
COVER IMAGE: ISTOCK.COM/ IT:MAURESE

How we
did it
HAMISH SMITH GOES THROUGH THE
METHODOLGY BEHIND THE REPORT
E’VE BEEN
W running The
Brands Report
since 2010 –
the year after Agile Media
launched The World’s 50
Best Bars – and, while it
has evolved since then,
taking in new categories
and drawing data from an
ever-shifting panel of bars,
it still seeks to answer the
same question. What
alcohol brands do the best
bars buy – and why?
And if you’re reading
this, you probably know
why that’s important:
in bars, as many other
industries, trends tend to
start at the top and trickle
their way down. The
mantra of many brands
is to seed at source, reap
down river.
So, the Brands Report
doesn’t aim to be a
sales ledger of a wide
pool of global bars
but a snapshot of the
business behaviour of
a very specific group
of bars, whose owners,
head bartenders and
bar managers complete
detailed questionnaires on
their spirits buying habits.
This invitation-only
100-strong sample is
made up of venues that
have appeared in recent
editions of The Word’s 50
Best Bars (1-100), Tales
of the Cocktail’s Spirited
TRENDS
TEND TO START AT
THE TOP AND
TRICKLE THEIR WAY
DOWN
NORTH AMERICA
■ Canada
■ Mexico
■ Panama
■ Puerto Rico
■ US
Awards, Top 500 Bars,
plus regional awards such
as North America and
Asia’s 50 Best Bars and the
Mixology Awards, which
caters to the German-
speaking world; and
countrywide awards:
the Class Bar Awards,
Australian Bartender
Awards and the Time
Out Awards from various
markets around the world.
Where we have a few
holes in our coverage,
we judiciously apply a
little filler. 5% of those
24%
6%
invited to take part were
‘editor’s picks’ – bars of
high regard in regions less
represented by awards. So
the panel rotates each year
as it tracks to the success
stories of the industry.
THE GEOGRAPHY
This year, the 100 bars
taking part in the survey
were drawn from 33
countries. As you’d expect,
markets with a high
concentration of high-end
bars are represented
accordingly. Europe, with
 EUROPE
South america
■ Czech Republic
■ Argentina ■ Estonia drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 05
■ Brazil ■ France
■ Colombia ■ Germany
■ Greece
■ Italy
■ Netherlands ASIA
■ Norway
africa & Middle east ■ Portugal ■ China
■ Spain ■ India
■ Israel ■ Sweden ■ Japan
■ South Africa ■ Switzerland ■ Malaysia
■ United Arab Emirates ■ UK ■ Philippines
■ Singapore
■ South Korea

Australasia
■ Australia
■ New Zealand

34%
22%

7%

7%

strong bar scenes across report. Award-winning on Handshake Speakeasy poll: Israel, South Africa
many developed drinks bars from the US such as and in Canada Bar and UAE – made up 7%,
markets, made up 34% Café la Trova, Employees Mordecai and Bar Raval. with Galaxy Bar, Cause
of the sample. Thirteen Only, Broken Shaker and Asia made up 22% of the Effect Cocktail Kitchen
countries in Europe Herbs & Rye took part, sample of the world’s best and Imperial among
contributed bars, led by while in Mexico we called bars once again. Bars from them. While Australasia –
Italy, the UK and France. seven Asian countries took essentially Australia
By way of example, 50 Best part, with Singapore, China and New Zealand – also
2022 bars Baba Au Rum, ASIA MADE and Japan providing the made up 7% of our
1930, Himkok, Red Frog, UP 22% OF most. This year, the likes sample, with Maybe
Satan’s Whiskers and The THE of Coa from Hong Kong, Sammy, Byrdi, Re and
Clumsies all took part. SAMPLE ONCE Sago House and Jigger & Clipper notable inclusions.
The North American AGAIN. BARS FROM Pony from Singapore and South America was
contingent swelled to 24% SEVEN ASIAN Bar Benfiddich from Tokyo down to 6%, but among
this year, led by the US, COUNTRIES TOOK took part. them were 50 Best bars
with Mexico and Canada PART Bars from Africa & Cochinchina and
contributing voices to the the Middle East– in this Tres Monos.

bartenders’ choice
AN OLD-SCHOOL GIN TOPS THIS LIST, WHICH SINGLES OUT THE
BRANDS MOST LOVED BY THOSE BEHIND THE STICK
E KICK OFF
W THE BRANDS
Report with
Bartenders’
Choice – in essence, our
answer to the question:
what are bartenders’
favourite brands? So here,
unlike the lists that follow,
we haven’t asked
bartenders about what’s
selling best, nor what’s
trending among
consumers, only the
brands they have a soft
spot for. The answer, half
the time at least, is
Tanqueray.
In seven of the 14 years
we’ve asked bartenders
about their favourite spirt,
they’ve said Tanqueray.
It says something of the
bar trade that, among the
frenzied growth of the
craft gin category, it’s an
old juniper-led London
Dry that they love most.
To paraphrase them,
Tanqueray bangs – in taste
and price. Nineteen per
cent of bars polled said
Tanqueray was among their
top-three favourite spirits.
Michter’s has been
runner-up twice in the past
three years and stands the
best chance of toppling
Tanq. The brand has long
engaged with the bar
community who, in turn,
seem to appreciate the
bourbon and rye maker’s
dedication to quality –
even if that means more
expensive whiskey.
Seventeen per cent of our
sample said Michter’s was
drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 07
Bartenders’
Choice Brand
1
TANQUERAY
2
MICHTER’S
3
OCHO
4
PLANTATION
5
CAMPARI
6
HENDRICK’S
7
BACARDI
8
BEEFEATER
9
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE
10
JOHNNIE WALKER
among their favourites. remains the late Tomas second last year and now
In third we have a Estes’ living legacy. And fourth. The brand has
tequila – Ocho. Still even if Don Julio, Patrón loyal fans, but also its
echoing its co-creator’s and Olmeca Altos outsell detractors, not least those
philosophies of single it in the world’s best bars, who are frustrated by the
estate terroir-driven when it comes to the one protracted name change.
tequila, Ocho may now be bartenders love, it’s Ocho. Bitter liqueur Campari
owned by Heaven Hill but Plantation, in fourth, comes in fifth and, though
is the rum brand of a big brand, is very much
bartenders’ affectation – a bartender brand too.
OUR 11% of our panel named The bottom five is very
ANSWER it among their top three close in votes. All are big
TO: WHAT – although it’s hard not brands and no strangers
ARE BARTENDERS’ to notice the emergence to this list. Perhaps most
FAVOURITE of an underlying trend. saliently, three are gins,
BRANDS? Plantation was top of underlining the fact that
this list from 2019-2021, gin is still in.
08 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL

gin
THE TOP SPIRIT FEATURES IN MANY CLASSIC COCKTAILS, SO IT’S NO
SURPRISE BARTENDERS CHOOSE THEIR POURS CAREFULLY

IN IS THE London Dry brand has thing’s clear – bartenders

g MOST popular
spirits category
in the world’s
been number one. It was
house pour in more than a
quarter of the polled bars THE
love Tanqueray. The rest
of the top four are familiar
names but their order
BestSelling
Brands
1
best bars. Its staying power and a top-three listing in JUNIPER- has changed. Beefeater TANQUERAY
is partly thanks to the Gin half. FORWARD returns to first runner-up, 2
& Tonic, but the spirit also It’s no surprise, the SPIRIT a position it last held in BEEFEATER
has a role in a quarter of juniper-forward spirit MAKES A 2020. The Pernod Ricard- 3
the 50 Bestselling Classic makes a mean Dry Martini MEAN owned brand was house HENDRICK’S
Cocktails. and, again, the Diageo- MARTINI pour in 17% of bars and 4
BOMBAY SAPPHIRE
Within the category, owned brand also tops a top-three gin in a third. 5
Tanqueray (including our Bartenders’ Choice, In November 2022 the ROKU
Tanqueray Ten) takes the making it four times in the brand relaunched Crown 6
top spot for a consecutive last six years that it has Jewel, a fragrant and MONKEY 47
year. That’s eight times in done so. Be it the original intense expression that 7
FORDS
the past decade that the London Dry or No. Ten, one became a favourite among 8
bartenders when released SIPSMITH
as a limited edition in 9
the ’90s. It’ll be worth BOTANIST
10
paying attention to see if CITADELLE
this addition to the range
will put up a challenge to
Tanqueray’s reign.
Hendrick’s and Top Trending
Bombay ensure a Brands
UK sweep on the top 1
four, but just outside, MONKEY 47
Japanese brand 2
Roku posts ROKU
its highest
3
HENDRICK’S
finish since 4
debuting BOTANIST
on the best- 5
sellers list SIPSMITH
6
three years GIN MARE
ago. 7
Monkey 47, BEEFEATER
meanwhile, 8
tops our BOMBAY SAPPHIRE
9
Trending list, FORDS
proving that 10
craft brands BOATYARD
can retain
their cred
after being
bought out
by a larger
group.

RUM
BIG BRAND BACARDI TOPS THE BESTSELLERS FOR THE FIFTH YEAR IN A
ROW – AND MANAGES SECOND ON THE TRENDING LIST TOO
ELL, THAT’S
w FIVE WINS on
the spin for
Bacardi. The
Bermuda-headquartered
rum is the perennial fixture
in bars – at all levels, in
pretty much all markets. In
a quarter of our sample of
the world’s best bars,
Bacardi was said to be the
bestselling rum. Beyond
the house pour, Bacardi’s
wide range of styles also
makes it a solid second or
third option for bartenders
– our poll made it among
the top-two bottles in
almost 40% of bars and
among the top three
drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 11
choices in almost half. It Diplomatico – now
was also second in our
trending list, which, for a
big brand, is impressive.
owned by Brown-Forman –
maintains its fourth spot in
the list, but is also the top
BestSelling
Brands
1
If Bacardi is rum’s leader THERE ARE trending rum – normally BACARDI
there are two brands TWO an omen for progression 2
battling it out for runner-up. BRANDS in the bestselling list PLANTATION
Maison Ferrand’s BATTLING IT the following year. The 3
Plantation, led by its 3 OUT FOR Venezuelan rum isn’t HAVANA CLUB
Stars, and Pernod Ricard’s RUNNER-UP many bars’ house but 4
DIPLOMATICO
Havana Club, armed with instead dukes it out with 5
3 Year Old and 7 Year Old, Diageo’s Guatemalan RON ZACAPA
have a similar number of Zacapa for attention. 6
house pours (about 10% These two sweethearts APPLETON ESTATE
each) but Plantation was of the rum world may be 7
FLOR DE CAÑA
found to have slightly more more supporting cast than 8
presence in bars’ rum protagonists in most bars MATUSALEM
arsenal – 27% and 25% (both were bestsellers 9
respectively made it among in less than 5% of those EL DORADO
10
their top-three serves. polled) but they are MOUNT GAY
present among bars’ top
three rums in 20% of our
sample.
Meanwhile, the Jamaican Top Trending
Appleton Estate is more Brands
likely to be the house – in 1
5% of cases – but less likely DIPLOMATICO
to be part of the roster. Flor 2
de Caña is something of an BACARDI
anomaly – only 12% said it
3
PLANTATION
was one of their top-three 4
go-tos – but the Nicaraguan MATUSALEM
brand was found to be the 5
house in a considerable 8% FOURSQUARE
6
of bars. FLOR DE CAÑA
Matusalem, the rum 7
sponsor for The World’s APPLETON ESTATE
50 Best Bars, seems to 8
have also made inroads SMITH & CROSS
9
in recent years. It has now WRAY & NEPHEW
climbed to seventh, with 10
5% of our sample making it ANGOSTURA
their house. El Dorado and
Mount Gay, which both
offer something different
in terms of provenance
and profile to the back bar,
make up our top 10.
12 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL

American Whiskey
THERE’S A RETURN TO THE TOP SPOT AFTER A THREE-YEAR HIATUS, BUT
THE BRANDS REMAIN LARGELY UNCHANGED FROM LAST YEAR

AST YEAR stock at least two brands parent-company, Sazerac,

L SAW the EU
and the UK
both remove
from the category.
Maker’s Mark returns to
the number one spot for
NINE
OF
THE
pledged $1.2bn to boost
the brand’s production
over a 10-year period
BestSelling
Brands
1
their retaliatory tariffs on the first time since 2019, 10 BRANDS which, to date, has led to MAKER’S MARK
American whiskey, beating Bulleit by the APPEARED a 50% increase in whiskey 2
meaning that once again narrowest of margins. Both ON THE LIST production. Time will tell BULLEIT
the category could be were house pour in 18% of LAST YEAR if this growth impacts the 3
financially competitive in the bars and second choice brand’s popularity in our BUFFALO TRACE
two of the international in around 11%. It was only polled bars. 4
MICHTER’S
cocktail industry’s most as a third-choice selection Michter’s was recently 5
important markets. that the Beam Suntory named the World’s Most WOODFORD RESERVE
The results on the Kentucky straight bourbon Admired American 6
bestselling list haven’t edged out Diageo’s number Whiskey by Drinks JACK DANIEL’S
been as dramatic as you one brand from last year. International and remains 7
WILD TURKEY
might expect – nine of the Buffalo Trace falls a a favourite among 8
10 brands appeared on the single position to third, bartenders, evidenced JIM BEAM
list last year – but every a house pour in 15%. by its standing as a 9
bar that was polled did In 2018, the brand’s top-three serve in 30% of RITTENHOUSE
10
bars, despite bottlings ELIJAH CRAIG
demanding the
highest price tag on
the list.
Given rye whiskey’s Top Trending
specialist use in a Brands
number of cocktails, 1
Rittenhouse is the MICHTER’S
second or third most 2
popular American WOODFORD RESERVE
whiskey in 10% of
3
BULLEIT
our polled bars, but 4
most popular in MAKER’S MARK
only one. 5
The Heaven BOOKER’S
6
Hill-produced ELIJAH CRAIG
Elijah 7
Craig was BUFFALO TRACE
noticeable by 8
its absence WILD TURKEY
9
last year, JACK DANIEL’S
having missed 10
out on the top UNCLE NEAREST
10 by just a
few votes.
It returns
this year to
round out
the list.

Scotch whisky
IT’S A FAMILIAR TALE IN THIS CATEGORY, BUT ALTHOUGH THE NAMES
MAY BE FAMILIAR, THEIR ORDER HAS A NEW SPIN
COTCH
S DOESN’T
APPEAR too
regularly in
classic cocktails. Only two
of the 50 Bestselling
Cocktails, the Sam Ross
modern classic Penicillin
and the Blood & Sand,
calls for it, but that’s not to
say it doesn’t have a place
in the world’s best bars –
97% carry three or more
brands from the category.
Johnnie Walker again
rules the roost, making it
drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 15
13 times out of 14 that the the 10 brands also appeared
Diageo blended whisky
has topped the bestselling
table. The world’s
last year – but below the
number one position,
there’s been a shake-up.
Best Selling
Brands
bestselling scotch whisky JOHNNIE The Macallan takes 1
JOHNNIE WALKER
had a bumper year even by WALKER second place, the 2
its own standards. Sales AGAIN highest position that the THE MACALLAN
grew by 34% in 2022 as the RULES THE Edrington-owned Speyside 3
brand surpassed 21 million ROOST brand has held in Brands MONKEY SHOULDER
nine-litre cases. It was the Report history. While 4
ARDBEG
bestselling scotch in 19% a house pour in 11% of 5
of our bars and a top-three brands, 2% fewer than LAPHROAIG
serve in a third. the third-placed Monkey 6
The rest of the bestselling Shoulder, the single malt GLENFIDDICH
table makes for some has proven to be a popular 7
THE BALVENIE
familiar reading – nine of brand call, a second or 8
third most popular scotch CHIVAS REGAL
in a quarter of bars. 9
The peat bombs DEWAR’S
Ardbeg and Laphroaig, 10
GLENMORANGIE
a crucial ingredient in
the Penicillin, appear
in fourth and fifth place
respectively, showing how Top Trending
popular the bold, smoky Brands
style is among scotch fans. 1
Single malts are the MACALLAN
current mode in scotch. 2
Rightly or wrongly, they BRUICHLADDICH
have garnered a reputation
3
MONKEY SHOULDER
as being higher-quality 4
spirits than their blended NAKED MALT
cousins and now in 5
scotch, it is the master SPRINGBANK
6
distiller who reigns. This THE BALVENIE
trend is evidenced in our 7
bestselling list, where ARDBEG
five of the top seven are 8
single malts. But the GLENFIDDICH
9
approachability and GLENMORANGIE
versatility of blended 10
scotches makes them LAPHROAIG
still a go-to house pour
for bartenders. The four
brands in the bestselling
list are a house pour in
40% of our bars against
29% of single malts.
16 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
Irish Whiskey
THE REVIVAL OF THIS CATEGORY HAS BEEN MUCH TALKED ABOUT, BUT
THE LEADER IS AHEAD BY QUITE SOME MARGIN
YEAR THAT
A SAW Jameson
break the 10
million case
barrier was never going to
be the moment that the
Irish Distillers-owned
giant lost its footing at the
top of the Brands Report.
Of the bars that stocked
an Irish whiskey, Jameson
was the go-to pour in more
than half and a top-three
choice in 86% – a 7%
increase on last year,
which proves the brand’s
staying power despite a
number of new brands Dublin-based Teeling,
entering the category.
This year saw the
addition of a single pot
93%
OF
THE
the brand that brought
whiskey distilling back to
the Irish capital, should
BestSelling
Brands
1
still whiskey to the brand’s BARS occupy second place. JAMESON
portfolio, which has grown STOCK AT Though some way off the 2
in recent years to include LEAST ONE pace of the leader, Teeling TEELING
two flavoured expressions, IRISH was the house pour in 3
Orange and Cold Brew WHISKEY roughly 12% of bars and a REDBREAST
(coffee), and a range of top-three choice in just shy 4
TULLAMORE DEW
cask finishes. of 30%. 5
It speaks volumes Irish Distillers-owned BUSHMILLS
about the success of the Redbreast completes the 6
Irish whiskey revival that podium. The single pot still GREEN SPOT
93% of the bars stock at brand retained its title as 7
ROE & CO
least one Irish whiskey, the World’s Most Admired 8
and fitting then that the Irish Whiskey and has CONNEMARA
shown to be a popular 9
choice among bartenders WRITERS’ TEARS
10
too, a house pour in 11% of THE DEAD RABBIT
bars and a top-three choice
in a quarter.
The Irish whiskey
category’s second and Top Trending
third top-selling brands, Brands
Tullamore Dew and 1
Bushmills, rank fourth JAMESON
and fifth respectively 2
among our polled bars TEELING
while Diageo’s Irish effort,
3
REDBREAST
Roe & Co has proven to 4
be a slower burn than CONNEMARA
may have been expected 5
when it launched in 2019, MIDLETON
6
though it has maintained TULLAMORE DEW
a consistent spot on the 7
bestsellers list. BUSHMILLS
The Dead Rabbit, a 8
collaboration between the GREEN SPOT
9
former World’s Best Bar ROE & COE
of the same name and the 10
Dublin Liberties Distillery TYRCONNELL
has found a devoted
audience at the top of
the bartending industry.
It has appeared in our
bestselling list three times
since its launch in 2018.
 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 19

World Whiskies
JAPANESE BRANDS TAKE THE BIG PLAUDITS, WITH NIKKA TOPPLING
SUNTORY A YEAR AFTER THE REVERSE HAPPENED

IKKA Nikka edged out its rival. island nation continues to

N RETURNS to
the top of the
pile a year after
The much-loved From the
Barrel continues to be a
bar favourite also, while
THE
TWO
be to the world whiskies
category. Akashi returns
to the list after two years
BestSelling
Brands
1
Suntory ended its Nikka Days, which blends TITANS OF of absence and, following NIKKA
countrymate’s six-year spirits from the Miyagikyo JAPANESE the brand’s securing of UK 2
streak. The two titans of and Yoichi distilleries, WHISKY distribution, it’ll be one to SUNTORY
Japanese whisky have long has proven to be a more HAVE LONG watch next year. 3
held a duopoly at the head GP-friendly addition to HELD A Elsewhere, Kavalan KAVALAN
of the Brands Report world the portfolio. Nikka also DUOPOLY returns to the podium after 4
CROWN ROYAL
whiskies rankings and that finished top of our Trending being named World Whisky 5
doesn’t look like it’s about list, a sign that it’s the hot, Producer of the Year at LOT 40
to change, with Nikka and as well as bestselling, the International Spirits 6
Suntory accounting for brand in this category. Challenge. The brand was WHISTLEPIG
nearly two-thirds of all the Yamazakura and Akashi a house pour in only about 7
YAMAZAKURA
category’s house pours. take the Japanese tally to 2% of our polled bars but 8
It was as a house pour four, going to show how took the bronze as a popular CANADIAN CLUB
that the Asahi-owned important the east Asian second and third choice. 9
Despite Canadian AKASHI
10
Club’s five-place drop AMRUT
in the leaderboard,
this year has proven
to be a strong showing
from the Great White
North, with four brands
Top Trending
making the cut if you Brands
include the dual- 1
NIKKA
nationality
2
Whistlepig SUNTORY
which this 3
year released a WHISTLEPIG
swathe of new 4
KAVALAN
expressions, 5
including a CROWN ROYAL
six-year-old
rye, a 100-proof
bourbon and
a zero-alcohol,
100% rye
non-whiskey.
Indian single
malt brand
Amrut completes
the table, making
it three years on
the bounce for
the Bangalore-
based brand.
20 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
vodka
THE TOP TWO BESTSELLERS HAVE SWITCHED PLACES THIS YEAR, BUT
THE DUO CONTINUE TO MONOPOLISE BOTH LISTS
OU’RE
Y DRINKING
VODKA in one
of the world’s
best bars – but which
brand are you drinking?
Well, more likely than any
other, it is Ketel One. And
more likely by quite some
way, suggests our poll.
This year the Diageo/
Nolet Family-owned
pot still vodka was the
bestseller in almost 30%
of our bars and among
the top-three sellers in
more than half of those in our bars overall – it
we polled. It comes off
the back of nine wins in
10 years. That Ketel One LAST
was a top-three vodka in
two-thirds – than Ketel
One, but it loses out on
BestSelling
Brands
1
is top of our trending list YEAR’S the house pour, our poll KETEL ONE
says it hasn’t lost any of its WINNER, suggests, with only 15% 2
cool, despite its period of GREY naming it their bestseller. GREY GOOSE
dominance. GOOSE, In third place, Absolut 3
Last year’s winner, RETURNS was the bestseller in 19% ABSOLUT
Grey Goose, returns to TO ITS of bars – more bars than 4
BELVEDERE
its usual runner-up spot USUAL Grey Goose actually – but 5
– it’s finished here seven RUNNER-UP if it wasn’t the house pour, TITO’S
out of the last eight times. SPOT it wasn’t as much in the 6
Interestingly, the Bacardi- conversation. Absolut was HAKU
owned brand was found among the top-three serves 7
STOLI
to have more presence in 31% of our sample. 8
It comes as no surprise BELUGA
that Diageo, Bacardi and 9
Pernod Ricard vie to be the CÎROC
10
house vodka in the world’s WYBOROWA
best bars.
A more pragmatic
approach appears to be in
play at LVMH’s Belvedere, Top Trending
whose numbers suggest Brands
it’s less the star, more part 1
of the supporting cast – it KETEL ONE
was the top vod in 8% of 2
bars but in the top three in GREY GOOSE
a considerable 40%. Tito’s,
3
HAKU
which is strong in the US, 4
was the bestseller in 7% TITO’S
and a top three in 17%. 5
The Texas-produced vodka BELUGA
6
equals its best performance BELVEDERE
in the Brands Report, while 7
Beam Suntory’s Haku (a ABSOLUT
top-three vodka in 11% of 8
bars) gains a place having BOATYARD
9
debuted last year – expect NIKKA COFFEY
this growth trend to 10
continue. Stoli was a house CÎROC
pour in 5%, but outside of
that didn’t feature much.
Brands in positions eight
to 10 were found to have
presence, if not volume, in
the world’s best bars.
 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 23

COGNAC
IT’S A FAMILIAR-LOOKING LINE-UP AT THE TOP OF THE COGNAC
CHARTS, ALTHOUGH THERE’S BEEN SOME SHIFT AT THE LOWER LEVEL

T’S NO While Hennessy has traditional top four, but

I SURPRISE
that the brand
responsible for
the gamut of styles from a
competitive entry level up
to luxury bottlings, Rémy
it looks to have dipped
in popularity a little over
recent years – from 2015-
BestSelling
Brands
1
about half of cognac Martin, is perhaps best HENNESSY 2019 it was this list’s HENNESSY
production is also the known for its higher-end HAS THE runner up, but now is more 2
bestseller behind the bar. styles, with grapes GAMUT OF regularly in third. That RÉMY MARTIN
And consistently so – used only from Grande STYLES said, it’s a common house 3
every year we’ve polled on Champagne and Petite FROM pour – 10% of bars attested FERRAND COGNAC
cognac, Hennessy comes Champagne crus. In terms ENTRY to it being their first choice 4
MARTELL
back the answer. This year of visibility, the Rémy LEVEL UP and more than half have it 5
LVMH’s cognac was the Cointreau house isn’t far off TO LUXURY on the regular roster. COURVOISIER
top choice in almost a third its rival – 60% of our sample BOTTLINGS Martell should be 6
of bars, while it’s among said it was among the top mixing it with the big CAMUS
the top two in more than three cognacs – but it lost boys with Pernod’s might 7
HINE
half. It’s a top-three cognac out on the house pour. Still behind it, and this year 8
in almost two-thirds of our very credible, 25% of our climbs back to fourth, HARDY
sample. Its position as the bars reach for Rémy Martin with a very similar, but 9
top trending brand before any other. inferior record to Ferrand. DELAMAIN
10
suggests its size and Ferrand Cognac has Meanwhile, Courvosier MERLET
ubiquitary does not cramp been a real success story, had a good share of
its cool credentials. infiltrating as it has the the house pours – it
was the bestseller in
9% – but was slightly Top Trending
less likely to be part of Brands
the supporting cast. 1
If the top five tend HENNESSY
to dominate in the 2
on-trade, Camus RÉMY MARTIN
(13% made it
3
FERRAND COGNAC
a top-three 4
cognac) and MARTELL
Hine (8%) 5
are the two COURVOISIER
6
brands that are HINE
consistently 7
visible, without BACHE GABRIELSEN
accounting for 8
much of the MERLET
9
volume. PAUL GIRAUD
Hardy, 10
Delamain and TESSERON
Merlet headed
up a group of
smaller brands
with occasional
presence in
top bars.
24 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
BRANDY
BRANDY HAS BEEN SEPARATED OUT FROM COGNAC SINCE 2020, AND
TORRES HAS PREVAILED IN EACH POLL SINCE THEN
INCE WE
S PULLED
cognac out of
the brandy
category to get a better
look inside, we found a
category alive with less-
heralded European
brands. That’s not to say
this is a category doing big
business in the world’s
best bars, but two-thirds of
venues we polled stock a
brandy that isn’t cognac,
almost half stocked two
and a third had three.
While Brandy De Jerez
contributes the most
brands to this list, it is
actually the Catalan Torres
that wins out – and that’s
no surprise. Torres has
topped this list since we
first polled on brandy in
2020. It was found to be
the bestselling brandy
in 20% and a top-three
brandy in 37% of cases. Its
solera-aged range offers
mature, rich spirits at very
affordable prices.
In second, we head
to Jerez de la Frontera
to Cardenal Mendoza,
the classic expression of
which is aged for 15 years
in oloroso and PX butts.
Thirteen per cent of those
bars that stock a brandy
had it as their house
BestSelling
Brands
1
TWO- brand, while 23% said it TORRES
THIRDS OF was one of their first three. 2
VENUES WE In third is a brand CARDENAL MENDOZA
POLLED that’s not strictly a brandy 3
STOCK A (on account of its wine METAXA
BRANDY content), Metaxa, but 4
OSBORNE
THAT ISN’T it’s nice to be inclusive. 5
COGNAC Besides, 14% of the world’s LEPANTO
best bars say it’s their 6
bestselling brandy, with VECCHIA ROMAGNA
17% saying it was in their 7
CARLOS I
most-used three. 8
From here, we head back SEVEN TAILS
to southern Spain and to 9
Osborne, whose various BRIOTTET
10
sub-brands constitute 14% ST AGNES
of our sample’s top-three
brandies. Lepanto, in fifth,
is brandy de Jerez made
from sherry, which is Top Trending
about the most Jerez thing BRANDS
ever – it was a top-three 1
choice in 16% of bars. TORRES
Meanwhile, Italian 2
brandy Vecchia Romagna METAXA
is made from Trebbiano
3
CARDENAL MENDOZA
(Ugni Blanc), the same 4
grape as cognac, and LEPANTO
among our sample’s 5
favourite three in 9% of YSABEL REGINA
6
bars. Carlos I, which is CARLOS I
part of the Osborne stable 7
but more of a standalone KWV
brand, was found to be in 8
6% and brandy newish-bie ST AGNES
9
Seven Tails, which is made OSBORNE
from three French brandy 10
styles, was in 5%, just SEVEN TAILS
ahead of Briottet, which
bottles from across France.
Australian St Agnes,
our only brandy from
outside of Europe, slides
into 10th – just.

PISCO
THE ANNUAL FACE-OFF BETWEEN PERU AND CHILE SEES A DRAW FOR
THE NUMBER OF PRODUCTS EACH COUNTRY BOASTS
N ALL
i PROBABILITY,
pisco will
likely never be
one of the top tipples in the
best bars in the world, but
it plays its part. This year,
83% of our sample said
they stock a pisco, with
more than half having two
and more than a third
stocking three. The Pisco
Sour – number 20 in our
classics list in 2022 – is one
reason for this demand,
but the light and floral
notes of this South
American grape spirit do
find their way into bars’
signature drinks.
The second is Barsol,
which was launched by
Diego Loret de Mola in
2001 when he acquired
Bodega San Isidro in the
Ica Valley in Peru, with a
view to taking pisco to the
world’s best bars. Topping
our table ever since we’ve
been polling on pisco –
seven years now – this
time out Barsol was the
bestseller in 29% of our
sample, while more than
half made it among their
top three. It’s the pisco
customers call for too – a
third of our bars made it
their top trending pisco.
Meanwhile, El
Gobernador, which
debuted on the list in 2018,
drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 27
is the second bestselling
THE
brand. Based in Chile
and owned by Torres –
which knows a thing or
BestSelling
Brands
1
PISCO two about grape spirits – BARSOL
SOUR IS this you feel is the brand 2
ONE with the best chance of EL GOBERNADOR
REASON dethroning Barsol one day. 3
FOR El Gobernador was named DEMONIO DE LOS ANDES
DEMAND the top seller by 12% of 4
CAPEL
bars, while it was on the 5
pisco podium in 20% of PISCO PORTÓN
our sample. 6
These two brands – each MACCHU
flying the flag for their 7
TABERNERO
respective pisco-producing 8
nations – look like they MISTRAL
could form a duopoly. 9
From here, the popularity WAQAR
10
of the other eight brands ABA
falls off considerably.
Leading that pack is
Demonio de Los Andes, a
Peruvian pisco from the
Ica region whose name Top Trending
translates as ‘devil of the Brands
Andes’. The brand, known 1
for its fruity notes, was a BARSOL
top seller in 8% of bars 2
and among the top three in PISCO PORTÓN
16%. Chilean Capel – one
3
DEMONIO DE LOS ANDES
of the category leaders by 4
total volume sales – was TABERNERO
found to be a bestseller 5
in 7% and a top-three WAQAR
6
choice in 17% of our bars. CAMPO DE ENCANTO
Peruvian brands Pisco 7
Portón and Macchu shared CAPEL
a very similar performance 8
among our sample. The LA DIABLADA
9
bottom four brands have MACCHU
insignificant sales in 10
the world’s best bars, EL GOBERNADOR
our results suggest. But
the final three positions
being occupied by Chilean
brands do make for a 50-50
Peru-Chile split.
28 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL

Tequila
IT’S A MORE COMPETITIVE FIELD THAN MANY, EVEN IF THE WINNER
REMAINS THE SAME AS IT HAS FOR THE PAST EIGHT YEARS

T’S EIGHT the bestseller in 7% of 8% of the bars we polled

I STRAIGHT
from Don Julio
as the Diageo
bars, but was among the
top three in 28%. The
thinking is, perhaps, that
IT’S
A
and was found to be part of
the cast in 23% of bars. The
brand is a real bartender
BestSelling
Brands
1
brand tops our tequila even if you don’t use it for USEFUL favourite, so we’ll see how DON JULIO
chart once again – though, your margs, it’s a useful BRAND TO Heaven Hill’s ownership 2
when you look under the brand to have about the HAVE impacts that. PATRÓN
table, it’s not the total place. Though it has to be ABOUT THE In fifth is the champion 3
domination of the category said that its performance PLACE from 2010-2013, Jose OLMECA ALTOS
you might think. Actually, in the Trending list Cuervo. The brand is 4
OCHO
unlike gin, rum and suggests it’s perhaps not best known for its mixto 5
vodka, whose leaders are the hot brand it once was. expressions, but its range JOSE CUERVO
the bestselling in 25-30% Pernod Ricard’s Olmeca also includes 100% agave 6
of our sample, it’s more of Altos takes more of the liquid, which is something EL JIMADOR
a competitive field in pouring deals – it’s the of a prerequisite among 7
FORTALEZA
tequila, with Don Julio just bestseller in 11% of our the world’s best bars. It 8
a length ahead of the pack. sample – but is less likely was the top tequila in 7% HERRADURA
It’s the top tequila in 16% to be part of the backing of the bars we polled and a 9
of the bars we polled and is group of tequilas. It was a top-three choice in 20%. TAPATIO
10
part of the top-three top-three serve for 21% of Brown-Forman’s value- CASAMIGOS
offering in 43%. our bars. In fourth is Ocho, for-money 100% agave
Patrón, in second, was which was the bestseller in tequila, El Jimador, and
higher-end Herradura take
small shares of the best Top Trending
bars’ business, Brands
while much-loved 1
bartender brands DON JULIO
Fortaleza and 2
Tapatio register a OCHO
few mentions.
3
FORTALEZA
Diageo’s 4
Casamigos is now CASAMIGOS
a million- 5
case brand CLASE AZUL
6
and growing CORRALEJO
rapidly – that 7
it registers JOSE CUERVO
here, among 8
people HERRADURA
9
who aren’t OLMECA ALTOS
generally 10
seduced by PATRÓN
film star-
backed
brands,
means that it’s
probably good
tequila.

Cachaça
KNOWN MOSTLY THANKS TO THE CAIPIRINHA, CACHAÇA IS A HUGE
CATEGORY BUT ONLY A HANDFUL OF BRANDS HAVE FORGED A NAME
ACHAÇA IS
C SOMETHING
of an iceberg –
what you see
internationally is just 1% of
this gargantuan beast of a
category, which is almost
entirely consumed
domestically. And when a
huge job still needs to be
done on educating
consumers in international
markets, most of the 5,000
or so brands stay home in
Brazil. Indeed, even in the
world’s best bars, cachaça
has yet to really find its
way. It splits down like
this: three-quarters stock
drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 29
one brand, a half stock volume brand Cachaça 51
two, a third have three.
So, with few spots on
the back bar to fight over,
takes runner-up spot again
this year. It might count
itself unlucky – it was
BestSelling
Brands
1
emerging craft producers MOST OF more often a house pour LEBLON
and volume players occupy THE 5,000 (18%) but less often part of 2
the same list, vying as they OR SO the supporting cast (31%). CACHAÇA 51
mostly are for a spot in the BRANDS The organic and 3
category’s regular ride: the STAY HOME artistically produced YAGUARA
Caipirinha. IN BRAZIL Yaguara cachaça is one 4
AVUÁ
Bacardi’s Leblon has of the many emerging 5
now made it two wins on brands attempting to ABELHA
the spin, vanquishing tell the story of the 6
memories of its runner-up category’s provenance and SAGATIBA
finishes. Fifteen per cent craftmanship. Yaguara 7
YPIÓCA
of our sample that sold maintained its third spot 8
cachaça made it the house this year, putting pressure GERMANA
while 35% had it among on the top two. Fourteen 9
their top three. Meanwhile, per cent of bars that stock MAGNIFICA
10
cachaça said it was their PITU
go-to, while 28% said it
was among their top three.
In fourth, and tellingly
the number one trending Top Trending
cachaça, was Avuá. Brands
This single source craft 1
cachaça, which comes AVUA
in unaged and aged 2
expressions, was in the CACHAÇA 51
conversation for house
3
LEBLON
pour (13%) but only a little 4
more likely to be in the ABELHA
top three (19%). Abelha is 5
a craft cachaça produced YAGUARA
6
by a social enterprise of YPIÓCA
sugarcane farmers – it was 7
one of the top five fighting CAPUCANA
it out for house pour (14%) 8
but wasn’t very often GERMANA
9
second or third choice. PITU
The bottom five 10
includes some big brands SAGATIBA
– Sagatiba, Ypióca,
Germana, Magnifica and
Pitu – but according to our
poll, they operate in more
of a supporting role in
this channel.
30 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
mezcal
THE LEADER NOW LOOKS TO BE UNDER CHALLENGE FROM A
NEWCOMER THAT DEBUTED IN THE LIST LAST YEAR
HEN MEZCAL
w STARTED to
make waves in
developed
markets around the world,
Del Maguey was the first
ashore. Back then, Del
Maguey was all rustic and
romantic – its story told
through the adventures of
Ron Cooper and friends
who brought these
otherworldly, single estate
agave spirits to the wider
world – but now, owned by
Pernod Ricard, has
anything changed? It’s
kept most of its magic,
according to our poll, with
25% making it their first In 2019, two-thirds of
choice and more than half
keeping the brand within
easy reach.
bars that stocked mezcal
stocked Del Maguey, it was
44% in 2020 and 38% in
BestSelling
Brands
1
It’s worth mentioning 2021 – it’s levelled off since DEL MAGUEY
that, as the category at 25%. So a smaller share, 2
matures, Del Maguey’s but of a bigger pie. SIETE MISTERIOS
hold on the house pour The growth story of 3
(mostly through its mixing late has come from Siete MONTELOBOS
sub-brand Vida), weakens. Misterios. Now in the same 4
ILEGAL
stable as Michter’s, the 5
artisan mezcal, founded MEZCAL UNIÓN
THE by Julio and Eduardo 6
GROWTH Mestre, has surged up BRUXO
STORY OF our bestselling list after 7
ALIPUS
LATE HAS COME debuting in fourth last 8
FROM SIETE year. It’s now the number AMORES
MISTERIOS one mezcal in 17% of 9
our bars and a top-three LOS DANZANTES
10
choice in 44%. For the KOCH
first time since we started
polling on mezcal, it seems
conceivable that it could
challenge Del Maguey. That Top Trending
it’s now the trending mezcal Brands
is another indicator it might. 1
Montelobos, which SIETE MISTERIOS
was acquired by Gruppo 2
Campari in 2019, is the DEL MAGUEY
third brand of what
3
MONTELOBOS
appears to now be a big 4
three in the category. The BRUXO
Iván Saldaña-founded 5
brand was the bestselling MEZCAL VAGO
6
mezcal in 12% of bars CASAMIGOS
polled and part of the trio 7
of bestselling in a quarter. CLASE AZUL
Meanwhile, Ilegal mezcal, 8
was the house in 7% of bars LOS DANZANTES
9
that stock the agave spirit, SAN COSME
while Diageo’s Mezcal Unión 10
was the house in 6%. The ALIPUS
rest of the list appears to be
competing for space on the
back bar with Bruxo, Alipus,
Amores, Los Daznates and
Koch making up 8-12% of
the top three serves.
 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 33

Liqueurs
THE IMPORTANCE OF LIQUEURS TO COCKTAILS CANNOT BE OVERSTATED,
BUT IT’S THE CLASSIC BRANDS THAT REMAIN AT THE FOREFRONT

AMPARI’S does its regular use in punch per ml than any

C LIQUEURS
LIST
supremacy is
house cocktails. So, the
narrative is that people
are drinking the red stuff
other is our third-placed
Chartreuse – another
cocktail bar classic. This
BestSelling
Brands
1
inextricably linked to the like thirsty vampires and CRAFT year the supposedly CAMPARI
rise of the Negroni. The – judging by our Trending COFFEE monk-made elixir was 2
Italian bitter liqueur list – will continue to BRAND a bestselling liqueur in COINTREAU
became part of the do so. But here are the MR BLACK 10% of our sample and a 3
consumer’s nightlife numbers: 21% of our DEBUTS top-three brand in 16%. CHARTREUSE
vocabulary in the last sample of the world’s best THIS YEAR Disaronno, in fourth 4
DISARONNO
decade or so, according to bars made Campari their place, is seeing the 5
our cocktail ranking, and top seller, and 40% said it benefits of a trade-focused LUXARDO
around that time Campari was one of their top three. strategy and is a product 6
– from nowhere – started In second it’s another with few brand-driven ANCHO REYES
to top our liqueurs list. bar-world classic, competitors. When it 7
BRIOTTET
That’s eight wins on the Cointreau, which is named comes to amaretto, it has 8
trot now. in much of the industry’s to be Disaronno – 13% had MR BLACK
This symbiosis can’t be written antiquity. The it among their top three 9
downplayed, but other French triple sec was found liqueurs, taking the Italian MERLET
10
Campari classics, such to be the top liqueur in 10% brand from 10th to fourth FERNET BRANCA
as the Boulevardier, of bars and one of the top this year.
Americano and Jungle three most used in 20%. Luxardo (read Luxardo
Bird, also contribute, as Packing more herbal Maraschino in this
channel) in fifth is no
stranger to this list and Top Trending
was a top three liqueur in Brands
13% of bars, while Mexican 1
chilli liqueur Ancho Reyes CAMPARI
ranks its highest yet – 8% 2
said it was among their ANCHO REYES
three bestselling liqueurs.
3
MR BLACK
Briottet, best known for 4
its Crème de Cassis though GIFFARD
a brand of more than 60 5
fruit liqueurs, makes only CHARTREUSE
6
its second appearance LUXARDO
in the Brands Report – 7
perhaps benefiting from MIDORI
its investment in trade 8
education in key markets LICOR 43
9
in 2021 and 2022. Craft ITALICUS
coffee brand Mr Black 10
debuts this year, Merlet BRIOTTET
sinks a few places and
Fernet Branca’s lowly 10th
suggests most consumers
don’t share bartenders’
love for it.
34 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL

Cocktail Bitters
THIS IS A CATEGORY THAT HAS SEEN LITTLE CHANGE SINCE WE BEGAN POLLING
IT IN 2018, AND THE LEADER CONTINUES TO LOOK INDOMITABLE

VERY BAR that is difficult to overstate. second bestselling brand,

e THAT
STOCKED a
cocktail bitters
Three of the top 10
bestselling cocktails call
for it and the Trinidadian
the most popular brand in
only 3% of bars but second
or third choice in 60%.
Best Selling
Brands
1
brand stocked Angostura brand is distributed to THAT’S THE Given its use in classics ANGOSTURA
and it was the most more than 140 countries LARGEST like the Sazerac or Vieux 2
popular brand in 83% of worldwide. CATEGORY Carré, it’s a handy bottle to PEYCHAUD’S
our polled bars – that’s the The category at large has DOMINANCE keep around. 3
largest category swelled with new brands FROM ANY In fact, the top four of THE BITTER TRUTH
dominance from any single in the last decade, but this SINGLE Angostura, Peychaud’s, 4
FEE BROTHERS
brand that appears in this list goes to show that when BRAND The Bitter Truth, and 5
supplement. bartenders find a brand Fee Brothers have been BITTERMENS
Ango is ever-present in they like, change is rare. unchanging since we
cocktail culture in a way Peychaud’s is again the started collecting data
for the category in
2018, with Bob’s and Top Trending
Bittermens persistently Brands
duking it out for the 1
fifth spot. ANGOSTURA
It’s not all that 2
surprising. Other THE BITTER TRUTH
than Angostura and
3
BITTERMENS
Peychaud’s, which 4
are essentially single PEYCHAUD’S
variety ingredients, 5
modern bitters brands FEE BROTHERS
tend to run the gamut
on flavour profiles
and the choice of
brand is a matter
of a bartender’s
taste.
In two years,
Angostura will
celebrate its
200th birthday,
and whether a
contemporary
brand can
ever threaten
its category
dominance
remains to be
seen, but with
two centuries of
ground to make
up, it’s a pretty
big task.
36 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
SHERRY
THERE ARE MANY STYLES OF SHERRY, BUT ONE CLASSIC BRAND HAS
MADE ITSELF INDISPENSABLE TO TOP ’TENDERS
ERHAPS
p SHERRY isn’t
the number
one fortified in
bars – that rarefied title
goes to vermouth – but
this Spanish wine does
fulfil a similar, if less
prolific, role in the world’s
best bars. The Spanish
wine is an ever-increasing
sight in bars’ new menus,
indeed, 84% of our sample
stock a bottle, 72% have
two sherries and two
thirds have three. No
doubt some have four or
five, perhaps even more.
You see, this is a category
of many styles, each with a
very different use behind you stock Tío Pepe. This
the bar.
Take the austere fino
or manzanilla, which
THIS
IS A
– the most famous of all
sherries – lends itself to
aperitivo hour as much as
BestSelling
Brands
can be a switch up from CATEGORY an ingredient in a cocktail. 1
TIO PEPE
a dry vermouth, lending OF MANY It was the top bottle in 2
that distinct sherry note STYLES, 38% of those that stock LUSTAU
to Martini-style drinks. EACH WITH sherry, almost all of which 3
For something with A VERY had a bottle somewhere. GONZALEZ BYASS (NOT
INC. TIO PEPE)
more body but still dry, DIFFERENT A classic brand, Tío Pepe 4
sherry offers bartenders USE BEHIND is also the one customers SANDEMAN
amontillados, olorosos and THE BAR currently call for – it was 5
palo cortardos. Or, as an once again found to be the VALDESPINO
interesting alternative to a trending sherry. 6
LA GITANA
cocktail’s sweet element, Meanwhile Lustau, 7
the category has naturally which covers the gamut of OSBORNE
sweet wines in moscatel styles mentioned above, 8
and Pedro Ximénez. is a quaily-end one-stop- WILLIAMS & HUMBERT
Though if you do stock shop for a bartender’s 9
BARBADILLO
a sherry, chances are sherry needs. A third of 10
those bars that sold sherry HARVEYS
made Lustau their best
seller.
Gonzalez Byass’ line
of self-titled sherries Top Trending
also covers off the major Brands
styles. Though its range 1
(minus Tío Pepe, which TIO PEPE
we consider a standalone 2
brand and separate out) LUSTAU
seems to play second
3
GONZALEZ BYASS (NOT
fiddle to that of Lustau. Of INC. TIO PEPE)
those that stock sherry, 7% 4
made Gonzalez Byass their VALDESPINO
number one, with a quarter 5
SANDEMAN
of our sample stocking one 6
of its products. LA GITANA
Sandeman, another with 7
the spectrum of styles, was OSBORNE
the bestselling sherry in 8
WILLIAMS & HUMBERT
8% of bars and part of the 9
supporting cast in 15%, ÁLVARO DOMECQ
while Valdespino was 10
stocked by 14%, La Gitana FERNANDO DE CASTILLA
in 12% and Osborne in 11%.
The final three brands were
very occasional sights in
our bars’ sherry offering.
38 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
Vermouth
THIS SECTOR IS DOMINATED BY THREE BRANDS, WITH THE MAIN
SELECTION OVERALL COMING FROM ITALY AND FRANCE
HE
T BARTENDER’S
WINE,
vermouth, was
found in 99% of the bars
we polled this year, with
96% of them stocking two
brands and 86% keeping
three – hopefully all in the
fridge.
According to our data,
there are three brands
that dominate the world’s
best bars: Carpano Antica
Formula, Cocchi and
Martini.
Over the seven years
we’ve been polling bars actually found to be the
on this essential fortified,
each has been found to be
the bestseller at least on
bestseller in one more bar
– 18% – but wasn’t found
in quite as many bars
BestSelling
Brands
1
one occasion. This year it THERE ARE overall. It was one of the COCCHI
was Vermouth di Torino THREE bestselling three in less 2
brand Cocchi, with 17% BRANDS than half of bars. CARPANO ANTICA
of bars making it their THAT Interestingly, it is the FORMULA
number one. The brand DOMINATE third-placed Martini which 3
MARTINI
has presence beyond THE claims the most house 4
being the house vermouth, WORLD’S pours among our sample DOLIN
with more than half BEST BARS (19%), but if it’s not the 5
saying it was one of their house, it’s not as likely to MANCINO
bestselling three. be a back up than some 6
CINZANO
Fratelli Branca of the others, our survey 7
Distillerie’s Carpano suggests. Just over a third NOILLY PRAT
Antica Formula was stocked the classical 8
vermouth. LA QUINTINYE
VERMOUTH ROYAL
So if the Italian brands
9
dominate the upper end BALDORIA
of our list, our first French 10
entry appears at number YZAGUIRRE
four. Dolin, produced
by an independent from
Chambéry – the only
vermouth appellation in Top Trending
France – comes in Dry, Brands
Blanc and Rouge form. 1
Thirteen per cent of our MANCINO
polled bars said it was 2
their go-to vermouth, and COCCHI
3
a not-so-shabby 36% said CARPANO ANTICA
it was in their top three. FORMULA
Mancino, very much a 4
favourite among bartenders, DOLIN
founded as it was by 5
MARTINI
ex-bartender Giancarlo 6
Mancino, also had good VERMOUTH DEL
presence (30% said it was PROFESSORE
among their top three) in 7
CINZANO
the bars we polled, but was 8
slightly less likely than the BALDORIA
brands above it to be the 9
house pour (9%). It’s very NOILLY PRAT
much the hot vermouth 10
LA QUINTINYE
around, with more bars VERMOUTH ROYAL
naming it the trending
vermouth than any other.
40 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
BEER
THERE’S A BROAD COUNTRY SPREAD WHEN IT COMES TO THE BEERS
STOCKED IN THE WORLD’S BEST BARS
HE WORLD’S
T BEST bars – as
we define
them, anyway
– don’t tend to set
themselves apart by their
wide and varied selection
of beers. In most cases
they’re looking for their
sales to be skewed towards
cocktails, with beer, wine
and cider playing a
supporting role. Around
two-thirds of our sample
stocked a bottled beer,
about a half had two, while
a third offered three.
While craft brands no
doubt play their part, their per cent of our globally
localism means they don’t
individually gather enough
votes to show up on this
strewn sample of bars (that
serve beer) made it their
number one, with 29%
BestSelling
Brands
1
global poll. Indeed, those AROUND making it one of their top HEINEKEN
brands that do, have global TWO- three. 2
distribution and worldwide THIRDS OF Italian lager Peroni has PERONI NASTRO
reputations. None more OUR topped this table three AZZURRO
so than Heineken, Peroni SAMPLE times over the years and 3
ASAHI SUPER DRY
Nastro Azzurro and Asahi STOCKED A is perennially one of the 4
Super Dry – each of which BOTTLED top beers in our bars. This PILSNER URQUELL
have topped this list since BEER year it was the top seller in 5
we’ve been polling on 11% of those that stocked ESTRELLA
beer over the past 12 years. beer, and one of the first 6
STELLA ARTOIS
This time out – and for the three options in 17%. Its 7
seventh time – Dutch lager Japanese stablemate Asahi CORONA
Heineken was found to be posted an almost identical 8
the top seller. Seventeen response, with our poll GUINNESS
suggesting it is also one 9
RED STRIPE
of the beers you’ll be most 10
likely served in the world’s BREWDOG
best bars.
Czech Pilsner – seen as
one of the quintessential
lager styles – is also a Top Trending
popular choice for bars, Brands
with Asahi Group’s Pilsner 1
Urquell a top choice in 8% PERONI NASTRO
that stocked bottled beer AZZURRO
and among the top three 2
ASAHI SUPER DRY
in 17%. 3
Spanish Estrella and HEINEKEN
Belgian Stella Artois were 4
part of the three-strong GUINNESS
roster in 16% of bars with 5
ESTRELLA
beer, with Corona in 14% 6
and Guinness, our only DUVEL
stout, in 13%. Jamaican 7
Red Stripe and British PILSNER URQUELL
Brewdog, the only brand 8
KIRIN
in the list which might 9
identify as craft (despite MODELO ESPECIAL
its internationalism), were 10
both on the beer list in CORONA
10% of those bars that
sold beer. So that’s the 10,
tellingly, each hailing from
a different country.

champagne
A SELECT BAND CONTINUES TO DOMINATE THIS CATEGORY, WHERE
BRAND RECOGNITION IS THE ALL-IMPORTANT FACTOR
F THE
o HUNDREDS of
champagne
houses, only 15
have ever appeared in the
Brands Report. That’s
because, when it comes to
this category, brand
recognition counts, and
few resonate as much as
Moët & Chandon, which
has topped this list on
seven of the past 11
occasions. That’s down to
brand call, but it’s also
because Moët & Chandon’s
entry-level product is three
things: consistent,
inexpensive and always
available. When you’re
making cocktails, the
vagaries of vintages aren’t
so enticing, nor is a big
ticket when the spec reads
only: champagne.
This year, Moët was
the marque of choice in
27% of bars that stocked BRANDS
champagne (81%), which RESONATE
was three times more AS MUCH
likely than the brand with AS MOËT &
the second most house CHANDON
pours (Laurent-Perrier).
In 38% of bars that stock
champagne, Moët was
among the top three.
In second this year is
another LVMH brand –
Veuve Clicquot, named
after the Grande Dame
of Champagne, widow
Clicquot. Veuve was not
found to be a common
house serve this year,
but was about 50%
more likely than any
drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 41
other brand to be the
FEW
back-up champagne. Dom
Pérignon, meanwhile,
climbs to third, its highest
BestSelling
Brands
1
ranking ever. Another MOËT & CHANDON
LVMH number, this iconic 2
champagne is the high- VEUVE CLICQUOT
roller’s choice – it was 3
found to be among the top DOM PÉRIGNON
three champers in 29% of 4
PERRIER-JOUËT
cases. It was also the top 5
trending, which suggests BILLECART-SALMON
this is a champagne on 6
the up. LAURENT-PERRIER
Pernod Ricard’s Perrier- 7
RUINART
Jouët used to fight it out 8
with Moët at the top of BOLLINGER
this list – winning it in 9
2014, 2015 and 2018 – but GH MUMM
10
seems to have lost some TAITTINGER
of its competitive edge. It
was the house in only 7%
of those bars that stocked
the French bubbles but Top Trending
was present in 22%. Brands
Meanwhile, medium-sized 1
Billecart-Salmon continues DOM PÉRIGNON
to punch above its weight 2
in the high-end on-trade, BILLECART-SALMON
equalling Perrier-Jouët’s
3
VEUVE CLICQUOT
record on house pours. The 4
family-owned brand was PERRIER-JOUËT
present in 19% of bars who 5
stocked champagne. MOËT & CHANDON
6
Laurent-Perrier was less GH MUMM
likely to be present in bars, 7
but where it was present, LAURENT-PERRIER
it had a high proportion of 8
house pours (9% of bars RUINART
9
with champagne), while KRUG
the rest of the list was made 10
up of marques that play a BOLLINGER
supporting role. Ruinart
was a top-three choice in
11% of those that stock the
French fizz, with Bollinger,
Mumm and Taittinger
representing about 10%.

NON-alcoholic
spirits
DRIVEN MAINLY BY THE WELLBEING TREND, NON-ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS
HAVE FOUND FAVOUR IN BARS
ON-
n ALCOHOLIC
SPIRITS, or
hydrosols in
most cases, have become a
pretty prevalent – though
not essential – part of the
bar arsenal, with almost
two-thirds of our sample of
the world’s best bars
declaring they use them.
You see, even if bartenders
feel they can marry
botanicals with water,
having a branded one-step
solution that adds value,
really is, well, of value.
First out of the blocks
in 2014, Seedlip solved a
problem that bars didn’t
know they had, pioneering
and opening up the
category. In the early days,
the now Diageo-owned
brand looked to have the
category sewn up – less so
now. Looking at the results
of our survey, a duopoly
has emerged. Seedlip was
the top serve in 41% of bars
and a top-three non-alc in
66%, while another also
British-founded brand,
Lyre’s, matches that, almost
bringing it on par. The
brand was the bestseller
in 42% of bars, but had
top-three presence in 61%.
There are two
approaches at play here.
Seedlip’s range takes
in three expressions –
Garden 108, Grove 42 and
Spice 94 – which are very
drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 43
much their own creations.
TWO
The brand does not try
to be a non-alc gin, it is
just Seedlip. Meanwhile,
BestSelling
Brands
1
BRANDS Lyre’s apes the profile SEEDLIP
ARE TAKING of alcoholic spirits and 2
MOST OF the range is named LYRE’S
THE NON- accordingly: think Agave 3
ALC SPOTS Blanco Spirit, Dry London EVERLEAF
Spirit and Dark Cane 4
RITUAL ZERO PROOF
Spirit. It’ll be interesting to 5
see which path works best. THREE SPIRIT
Lyre’s is also the 2023 Top
Trending non-abv spirit.
According to our poll,
it is these two brands that Top Trending
are taking most of the Brands
non-alc spots on cocktail 1
lists, with the rest playing LYRE’S
catch-up. Everleaf, which 2
SEEDLIP
does well in its home 3
market of the UK and EVERLEAF
takes the “be yourself, not 4
something else” approach THREE SPIRIT
with its range (Mountain, 5
HERBIE VIRGIN
Forest and Marine being
the SKUs), was found to be
part of our sample’s three-
strong repertoire in 14% of
bars. US-based Ritual Zero
Proof, a top-three choice
in 9% of bars, takes the
more pragmatic approach
of providing non-alc
alternatives for tequila,
rum, gin and whiskey.
Three Spirit just edged
out Aecorn on tie-breaker,
with both registering a
relatively low take up – 6%
of our sample said they
stocked the brands.
44 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
mixers
THIS IS A CATEGORY THAT HAS SPAWNED MANY BRANDS IN RECENT
YEARS, BUT REMAINS DOMINATED BY FEVER-TREE
HE GROWTH
t OF MIXERS –
driven as it has
been by
premiumisation – has
brought a broad church of
styles and flavours, as
brands seek to engineer
the next big spirit-mixer
trend, the sequel to
the G&T.
Fever-Tree – itself
now well-diversified –
remains the reference for
quality-end mixers. It is
the house mixer in a third
of our sample, boasting
one of the largest shares in
the Brands Report. Three-
quarters of those that stock
three mixers have Fever-
Tree among the roster,
presumably in answer to
the Fever-Tree bar call, our list. No doubt it’d be
which clearly does still
happen. Just look at our
Trending list – Fever-Tree
higher in mainstream bars,
but here, in the cocktail
bar, Coke (helped though
Bestselling
Brands
1
still tops it. COLA probably not driven by its FEVER-TREE
Schweppes, through REMAINS Signature range) is the first 2
various premium lines and UNFINISHED called-upon mixer in 8% SCHWEPPES
global distribution, has BUSINESS of bars and among the top 3
always been second since FOR MOST three in more than a third. COCA-COLA
we’ve been polling. Half MIXER As Fever-Tree becomes 4
LONDON ESSENCE CO
as many bars as Fever-Tree BRANDS ever more mainstream in 5
made it their top mixer – mature markets, it is left THREE CENTS
16% – but it was available a little exposed, with top 6
in more than a third of bars increasingly looking FENTIMANS
our sample. towards brands with 7
Q TONIC
Cola remains unfinished smaller footprints. In fourth 8
business for most mixer (and second in our Trending THOMAS HENRY
brands, try as they might list), Britvic-owned 9
to nibble away at the London Essence is a good EAST IMPERIAL
10
leader, Coca-Cola. One day, example of a brand trying BRITVIC
perhaps, but not today. to out-premium premium,
Coca-Cola, off the back of with 10% of our sample
just selling cola, is third in making it their house and
a quarter making it among Top Trending
their top three. Brands
Greek brand Three 1
Cents, recently bought FEVER-TREE
out by the Coca-Cola 2
Company, was founded LONDON ESSENCE CO
by bartenders and has a
3
THREE CENTS
knack for coming up with 4
flavour profiles loved by SCHWEPPES
the trade. It was a top-three 5
brand in more than 20% of THOMAS HENRY
6
bars. Meanwhile, English Q TONIC
heritage brand Fentimans, 7
with its Victoriana vibes, BRITVIC
was a top-three mixer 8
in 18% of our sample. Q BUNDABERG
9
Tonic had a relatively high COCA-COLA
proportion of house pours 10
(5%), while Germany’s EAST IMPERIAL
answer to Fever-Tree,
Thomas Henry, was a
top-three choice in 11% of
bars. East Imperial (7%)
and Britvic (5%) made up
our top 10.
46 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL

All-time Leagues
THE TOP FIVE BRANDS
FROM EACH SPIRITS
Bartenders’
Choice
Gin
1 TANQUERAY
Rum
1 BACARDI
American
whiskey
2 BEEFEATER 2 HAVANA CLUB
CATEGORY AND WHY 1 TANQUERAY
3 BOMBAY SAPPHIRE 3 RON ZACAPA
1 MAKER’S MARK
2 PLANTATION 2 BULLEIT
THEY HIT THE SPOT 3 DEL MAGUEY
4 HENDRICK’S 4 APPLETON ESTATE
3 WOODFORD RESERVE
5 MONKEY 47 5 PLANTATION
4 BEEFEATER 4 JACK DANIEL’S
5 BACARDI 5 BUFFALO TRACE
UR CATEGORY TABLES Named the bestselling Over the years we’ve

O offer the most up-to-

date insight into what
has been selling best in
This best of the best
category gives a gauge
of not what bartenders
gin in eight of the past
10 years, Tanqueray
is our all-time
been polling, Bacardi
has proved to be the
dominant rum in the
Over the past decade,
the story in American
whiskey has been
bars, but they say little of longevity, buy, but what they best performer. world’s best bars. In Bulleit. It hasn’t
those brands that year after year cherish most. So, if Why does it sell so nine of the 14 years finished outside the
perform best in bars. you’re Tanqueray, well? Well, it’s the of the Brands Report, top-two whiskies in
So our all-time leagues are slow- you’re feeling the love – combination of great it was declared the the past eight years,
moving beasts – with positions by the bucket load. The juice, great price, bestselling. With the registering six top
determined by performance over Diageo gin has made and Diageo peddling gamut of styles, great selling titles in the
the past 14 years of Brands Report the Bartenders’ Choice it. But, though we brand recognition and process. But life
data. Here, consistency counts for list 13 out of 14 years have Tanqueray all the big-group sales didn’t start in 2015 –
more than the odd good year. The and finished atop it comfortably in the incentives, Bacardi is and Beam Suntory’s
lists are calculated by assigning seven times. Given this lead, Beefeater an immovable fixture Maker’s Mark has
10 points to a first-place finish, is cross-category, it’s isn’t too far behind. of the bar world. But if been a constant
working down to one point for 10th very impressive. Indeed, a decade ago, it has dominated our presence behind
place – not an exact science, but There’s a decent it was always a close last five rum tables, the bar over a much
a straightforward way to grade drop down to second, run thing between it hasn’t always longer period. The
cumulative performance. which is Plantation, Diageo’s flagship had it its own way, wax-capped brand
Brands that feature in our but this is also a brand gin, Pernod’s and with Havana Club has never finished
all-time leagues tend to exhibit a that’s dominated the Bacardi’s Bombay registering three wins below fourth in the
package of assets – solid liquid, upper echelons of the Sapphire in the and nine second- years we’ve been
global distribution, value for Bartenders’ Choice list world’s best bars. place finishes. This polling and has four
money and long-term investment in recent years. The Both have topped dust-up goes way first place finishes
in the bar channel. They are not Maison Ferrand rum’s this table three times back, but perhaps on its CV – the latest
luxury brands and, in most cases, success in our survey – Beefeater in 2012, more interesting is this year. Woodford
not craft brands either, but they are has come since 2015, 2013 and 2019 and that the best bars Reserve has too
most certainly bar brands. with a string of three Bombay in 2011, 2012 prefer a lighter, been a favourite, but
wins from 2019-2021. and 2021. Hendrick’s, Cuban style of rum. perhaps loses out a
In third, Del Maguey whose taste profile Meanwhile, Diageo’s little more than it used
mezcal deserves credit. provides a point of sweeter Guatemalan to on the house pour,
Its honeymoon period difference, has been a rum Zacapa and the while Jack Daniel’s
with bartenders, top-10 bestselling gin robust Jamaican rum lofty position in our
according to our list, every year we’ve been Appleton Estate have all-time list is thanks
was 2015-2018, before polling, and Monkey been stalwarts of to its domination of
it had the marketing 47 – which debuted this list going back the house pour in the
clout it does now in 2015 – is starting to more than a decade. early 2010s. Buffalo
under Pernod Ricard. feel like a stalwart of Plantation is already Trace, which has been
Bacardi rum and the bar. in a tussle with the strong in the channel
Beefeater gin complete top two, Bacardi and in recent years, will
our top five with a Havana Club, which likely leapfrog JD
BRANDS THAT consistent showing in is something that’ll next year.
FEATURE IN OUR this list over the 2010- be reflected in our
ALL-TIME 2023 polling period. all-time list next year.
LEAGUES TEND TO
EXHIBIT A PACKAGE OF
ASSETS
48 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL

Tequila Vodka Scotch whisky Liqueurs Cognac

1 DON JULIO 1 GREY GOOSE 1 JOHNNIE WALKER 1 COINTREAU 1 HENNESSY
2 JOSÉ CUERVO 2 ABSOLUT 2 THE MACALLAN 2 CAMPARI 2 REMY MARTIN
3 PATRON 3 KETEL ONE 3 MONKEY SHOULDER 3 CHARTREUSE 3 MARTELL
4 OLMECA ALTOS 4 BELVEDERE 4 CHIVAS REGAL 4 ST. GERMAIN 4 COURVOISIER
5 OCHO 5 STOLI 5 DEWAR’S 5 BAILEYS 5 FERRAND COGNAC
You can almost see the With 10 wins from With only one blemish It’s hard to imagine a LVMH’s Hennessy
year that the world’s the last 11, you’d on its record – and time when Campari is king cognac in
best bars made the expect Ketel One to that being a second wasn’t within easy our list, which won’t
switch from mixto to be our vodka GOAT, place – Johnnie reach on the back bar, surprise you in the
100% agave tequila: but no, the fallow Walker has been the but the bitter liqueur least. This behemoth
it was 2013. Diageo years that preceded scotch brand of the brand didn’t make – estimated to be
had made its big its triumphant stretch world’s best bars for it into our list from about half of the
play, dropping Jose drop it back into third. as long as we’ve been 2010-2013, debuting entire cognac category
Cuervo distribution It’s actually Bacardi’s polling. Indeed, while in 2013. There are – has topped our list
and going on to buy Grey Goose, with a our bestselling list has a few factors that for 14 years straight.
out and prioritise Don median position of seen a steady move explain this, but long Whatever the year, the
Julio. Meanwhile, Jose second across all 14 from blends to malts, story short: Negroni. bestselling cognac in
Cuervo had topped vodka lists, that takes it was always a trend The Campari-based the world’s best bars
our chart from 2010- top spot among the that existed outside classic is the top-serve is always Hennessy.
2013 (and probably all-timers. And just of Johnnie Walker’s classic cocktail in the The runner-up, with
prior, had we been behind it is Pernod’s dominance. Now, it’s world’s best bars. As a little but not much,
polling), before Don Absolut, which has the high-roller’s single a result, Campari has less consistency is
Julio took the title also never missed malt The Macallan topped our liqueurs Rémy Cointreau’s
in 2014. The Diageo a list, and mostly and the made-for- list on the last seven Rémy Martin – it was
brand went on to be finished in the top mixing Monkey occasions, but it is the second bestselling
our bestselling tequila three. Ketel One may Shoulder that make the consistency of brand among our
in nine of the next 10 chase them down, up our all-time top Cointreau in our poll sample for the past
years. That’s certainly but not for a few three. Chivas Regal over the last decade four years. Pernod
enough to put it top years. Belvedere, has never missed a and a half which Ricard’s Martell has
of our all-timers list, which is always in the list, though it has to keeps it at number the third best record
with Jose Cuervo’s conversation, is fourth be said its rankings one – the Rémy over the years, while
early dominance, and most years and is have been descending Cointreau-owned Beam Suntory’s
middling performance fourth in the historic over the years, while orange liqueur has Courvoisier has the
since, positioning it list, while Stoli has Dewar’s is one that never been outside of fourth best record
second. And Patrón been a mainstay of the competes for cocktail the top four positions. in the all-time list,
I hear you ask? Well, category but normally listings and house Meanwhile, it’s the matching its status
it’s always in the finishes midway down pours but mostly loses monk-made liqueur as the fourth biggest
conversation, and our lists. out to Johnnie Walker. Chartreuse in third, cognac brand.
quite often runner-up which is the evergreen Though here in the
to Don Julio. The method for providing bar world, another
Bacardi-owned brand a herbal hit to brand has emerged
will likely cement cocktails. St-Germain, in recent years:
itself as the elite bar’s which may not be Ferrand Cognac.
second favourite at its hottest in the The stablemate of
tequila next year. bar realm right now, Plantation has made
In fourth in our list remains the best way inroads to become a
is Pernod’s Olmeca to get elderflower into regular in elite bars
Altos, which now a cocktail without in recent years, even
competes with Ocho, using elderflower, competing with the
now owned by Heaven while Baileys fifth Big Four for house
Hill. place in our all-time pour.
league says more
about its lingering
popularity in the early
years of the report, as
craft products were
only starting to make
ISTOCK.COM /BOGDANHODA

inroads.

Brands in
cocktails
THE BESTSELLING COCKTAILS FROM
EACH SPIRITS CATEGORIES AND THE
BRANDS BARTENDERS PREFER TO USE
OU’D THINK IT should
y follow that the
bestselling classic
cocktails feature the
bestselling brands, and yes, to a
large degree that happens, but not
always – there are other factors at
play. First, our bestselling categories
are about spirits use, from cocktails
to spirit-mixers to on-the-rocks
serves and shots. And, while pouring
deals will have a big bearing, certain
cocktails do call for a particular
profile of spirit, while others, it might
be argued, are less demanding. Here
we chose the bestselling classic
cocktail (drawn from last year’s list)
from each of the top 10 categories to
find out.
NEGRONI
Sharing a glass with Campari and
sweet vermouth means you have to
stand out, so you’d expect something
drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
juniper-led with a bit of backbone as
the choice of gin. Enter Tanqueray,
with more than a quarter of bars
choosing the Diageo brand. Beefeater
was second – the choice in just under
20% of cases. Bombay Sapphire –
and its sister sub-brands – was just
behind with just over 15% of the vote.
And if you’re wondering – like we
were – it was the same pecking order
for the Dry Martini.
OLD FASHIONED
So, with Maker’s Mark taking the
title of bestselling American whiskey
CERTAIN
COCKTAILS DO
CALL FOR A
PARTICULAR PROFILE OF
SPIRIT, WHILE OTHERS ARE
LESS DEMANDING
51
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this year, you might expect it to be
the star of the world’s best bars’ Old
Fashioneds. Not so, Diageo’s Bulleit
takes this one (18%), with Beam
Suntory’s Maker’s (16% ) in second
and Gruppo Campari’s Wild Turkey
(14%) in third. Interestingly, it was a
three-way tie for fourth with Buffalo
Trace, Michter’s and Woodford on
par, but all were a good step back
from the podium.
MARGARITA
Though Don Julio took our
bestselling title in tequila, it’s a
relatively even field, with no one
tequila dominating. Indeed, the
Diageo brand is not the most popular
tequila for the Margarita, according
to our poll. Fifteen per cent of our
sample make theirs with Pernod
Ricard’s Olmeca Altos, while 13%
reach for Don Julio. Ocho –
which was the choice last
52 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL

time we asked about Margaritas

in 2021 – was the favourite in 10%
of bars.

DAIQUIRI
As a cocktail with Cuban heritage,
you’d expect the rum chosen to
feature in the Daiquiri to share
lineage. And true to type, Bacardi
was found to be most popular (31%),
with Havana Club in second (24%).
Indeed, Havana Club may have lost
out to Plantation in the bestselling
chart, but when it comes to the
Daiquiri, the rum is preferred to be
Cuban style. That said, some say
hell to history and think Plantation
3 Stars makes a banging Daiquiri –
10% of our sample, in fact.

ESPRESSO MARTINI
This Dick Bradsell classic was named
the top-selling vodka cocktail in last
year’s poll, but which vodka works
Negroni
1 TANQUERAY
best? And against all that coffee, does 2 BEEFEATER
it really matter? Well, the big groups’ 3 BOMBAY SAPPHIRE
flagship vodkas win out here. Ketel
One was the choice in 30% of bars, Old Fashioned
Absolut in 22% and Grey Goose in 1 BULLEIT
14%. Does it matter which vodka? 2 MAKER’S MARK
Possibly, but not that much. 3 WILD TURKEY
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PENICILLIN Margarita
This little honeyed whisky warmer 1 OLMECA
is most often made with Diageo’s 2 DON JULIO
dominant blend Johnnie Walker (20%), 3 OCHO
while mixed malt William Grant &
Sons’ mixed malt Monkey Shoulder
Daiquiri
1 BACARDI
was the choice in 17% of cases. The CAIPIRINHA
2 HAVANA CLUB
recipe calls for a peated whisky float, Only three-quarters of our bars 3 PLANTATION
which explains why Ardbeg appears in make this classic, and when they do,
11% of our sample’s Penicillins. there’s no clear favourite cachaça.
Cachaça 51 – the biggest by volume
Espresso Martini
1 KETEL ONE
PISCO SOUR in its category – edges the pack with 2 ABSOLUT
Peru lays the better claim to the 18% of the vote, with Bacardi’s more 3 GREY GOOSE
Pisco Sour, which is made in 80% bar-focused Leblon sitting in second
of the bars we polled, so it makes place with 17%. Meanwhile, Abelha Penicillin
sense that a Peruvian pisco is the just edges out Yaguara. 1 JOHNNIE WALKER
choice. Twenty-six per cent of our 2 MONKEY SHOULDER
sample of the world’s best bars opt IRISH COFFEE 3 ARDBEG
for Barsol, while the Miguel Torres- The Irish Coffee is made in almost
owned Chilean brand El Gobernador 90% of our polled bars – not Pisco sour
took a 12% share. Demonio de Los something you could have said in the 1 BARSOL
Andes, another Peruvian brand, was early days of the Brands Report – so is 2 EL GOBERNADO
3 DEMONIO DE LOS ANDES
the pisco for 11% of bars, edging just increasingly big business in bars. And
ahead of Pisco Portón. what brand works best in this drink?
Well, 52% of our polled bars say it’s
Caipirinha
1 CACHAÇA 51
Pernod Ricard’s Jameson, which, 2 LEBLON
THE IRISH COFFEE IS given its supremacy in the Irish 3 ABELHA
MADE IN ALMOST whiskey category, won’t be a surprise
90% OF OUR BARS – to anyone. William Grant’s Tullamore Irish Coffee
NOT SOMETHING YOU Dew was the choice in 13% of cases 1 JAMESON
COULD HAVE SAID IN THE and – disrupting the traditional big 2 TULLAMORE DEW
EARLY DAYS OF THE REPORT three blends (by ousting Bushmills) – 3 TEELING
is Teeling, with 11%.
54 drinksint.com January 2023 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
Performance
by group
THE MAJOR DRINKS CONTRIBUTORS BROKEN DOWN INTO A TOP 10
O WHEN ALL is said and
s done, which group has
performed best in the
world’s best bars? This is
not a question we’ve ever tried to
answer in any detail – beyond the
rather basic observation of which
group has been named bestseller in
the most categories. By that measure,
this year, and in previous years
we’ve looked, that’s been Diageo.
But while that’s a decent headline,
it’s not the full story – there are 10
brands in each category table, not
just one. So, in calculating the best-
performing group, we’ve assigned
10 points for a first-place position
working down to one point for
finishing 10th.
That gives us a good idea of the
groups that have performed best in
each category but it doesn’t speak
to the importance of the category
itself. So, using our category data,
we weighted each according to their
respective scale. This weighting
gives more value to the bigger
categories – essentially the data
equivalent of the argument that it’s
better to be big in gin than pisco.
You’ll see from the table that all
WE’VE ASSIGNED 10
POINTS FOR A
FIRST-PLACE
POSITION DOWN TO ONE
POINT FOR FINISHING 10TH
this analysis took us to the point
we started at – that Diageo is the
best-performing group in the
Brands Report – but with a process
underpinning that statement, we feel
that bit more confident in saying so.
GROUP PERFORMANCE
So, the best performing group is
Diageo – but why? Well, the group
has the top brand in the first, second
and fifth biggest categories in the
world’s best bars (Tanqueray in gin,
Don Julio in tequila and Ketel One
in vodka), plus the winner of scotch
(Johnnie Walker) and the runner up in
the third biggest category, American
whiskey (Bulleit). It’s a strong top line,
but Diageo’s 16 brands in the Brands
Report does lack coverage in a few,
albeit lower-volume, areas. Its mezcal
is midtable, Roe & Co has yet to make
serious tracks in Irish whiskey and
it’s not a force in categories such as
vermouth or liqueurs.
Pernod has fewer brands across
the Brands Report (15), and has wins
in medium to small-sized categories:
Del Maguey in mezcal and Jameson
in Irish whiskey. But slightly under
the radar, it has a lot of top-three
brands in the major categories,
including top threes in gin, rum
and vodka. You find Pernod in most
categories we poll on but there is
one rather large hole – American
whiskey. Pernod will be hoping its
investments in Jefferson’s bourbon
start to bear fruit in this channel.
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Bacardi is the group in third. With
GROUP a win from its eponymous rum brand,
it also took a top spot in the smaller
RANK category of cachaça with Leblon,
amid eight brands overall. Chief
among its top threes is a runner-up in
1 tequila (Patrón) and second in vodka
Diageo (Grey Goose). It also took a fourth spot
in gin (Bombay Sapphire)
2 Fourth in our list is Beam Suntory,
Pernod Ricard which contributes the winner of
American Whiskey – Maker’s Mark –
3 and Suntory, which came second in
Bacardi World Whiskies. The group totalled
10 brands across the Report, but
4 these were otherwise middle-to-low
Beam Suntory ranking. Gruppo Campari is in
fifth, boasting eight brands across
5 the Report – but just one winner,
Gruppo Campari Campari in the liqueurs category.
In sixth is LVMH, thanks to its
6 domination of champagne – which is
LVMH no small category in the world’s best
bars – and its top spot in cognac,
7 but it also picks up points in vodka
Brown-Forman and scotch. Brown-Forman, in
seventh, competes across the major
8 categories with brands in tequila,
William Grant & gin, American whiskey and rum, but
Sons has no category winners.
William Grant & Sons’ eggs are
9 very much in spirits from the British
Rémy Cointreau Isles – it takes eighth spot. In ninth,
Rémy Cointreau’s five brands have a
10 good spread, but aren’t leaders of their
Asahi categories, while Asahi completes the
top 10. Its Japanese whisky Nikka won
the relatively small World Whiskies list
and had a strong showing in beer.