This summer time 2018 comes with new cocktail & mixology trends, trending around the world. Wedding Seasons and summer holidays are upon you and your guests and you know what that means. Besides keeping your guests cool in the heat via natural and practical shading, you’re always looking for ways to keep your guests refreshed wherever they are.
You want to be serving your guests beverages that will take them to another place; a place to which their mind, body and soul are transported to that cool, shady veranda a stones throw from the ocean’s waves. Or if they’re already there, you want to make sure they are relaxed and refreshed. Whether it’s a cool iced pear Mojito or a creative mix of fine bourbon and the finest berries with a touch of mint, served strawless to cut down on plastic waste, or local alcohol to reduce the carbon footprint, here are some of the most refreshing cocktail trends we’ll see globally this Summer of 2018.
First, let’s start with some of the coolest cocktails to serve at the bar, poolside, tableside, via cocktail service carts, in the comfort of their rooms, or on the patio…
Tableside Serving For Cocktail & Mixology Trends Is Cool Right Now!
More than ever, hospitality brands aim to deliver their guests with unique experiences. Hospitality as a whole has evolved past its essentially service-centric culture to an experience-centric service. As customer needs and expectations have changed, the industry has adapted accordingly. If your F&B operation is seeking to spice things up and enhance your staff to guests interactions, you might want to consider offering your guests with a live cocktail-mixing experience with an elegant Service Carts for a one-of-a-king table side service experience. It’s definitely one of the coolest Cocktail & Mixology Trends right now; mixing the old-school service with cocktails essentials, modern flair and recipes.
Sustainability Is Big In Cocktail & Mixology Trends
Photo by Lisa Fotios from Pexels
Saving the World – One Straw at a Time. Moving towards a more sustainable approach is one of the most important Cocktail & Mixology trends in 2018. Everyone from Hotel General Managers, Bar Managers and Banquet managers are trying to drastically reduce their food waste by introducing sustainable practices and measures such as completely eliminating plastic straws for their day-to-day operations.
In fact, each day millions of plastic straws are used and discarded, and ending up in our oceans. The plastic epidemic is real and hospitality & food service professionals are starting to be part of the conversation to find smart solutions for a more sustainable future. With so many options available, from paper to metal straws, we can make plastic a thing of the past.
Robot Bartending As The Latest Smart Companion
Amazon offers everything you need (Including the alcohol) for a fully stocked bar. But, now Bibo Barmaid can be had, your very own robotic bartender. While we are years away from a C3PO that will replace a bartender, if ever, for now let’s say a Robot bartender is a novelty with an added sustainable twist. The robot can offer your guests six of the most popular cocktails that are provided in pouches. They range from the classics such as the Mai Tai and Margarita to the specialty cocktails such as the Cucumber Melon and Tangerine Paloma. Whatever mix you choose, you’ll be instructed to add 1.7 ounces of a recommended liquor, and let Bibo do the rest, shaking it up to perfection and injecting just the right amount of chilled water, while dispensing it into the glass of your choice.
Veggie-Based Cocktail & Mixology Trends
One of the biggest trends in the beverage arena is experimenting with swaping out fruit juice for vegetables in cocktails. Vegetables are healthy and many cool off your body, perfect for the hot Summer months. Juicing has been a trend for much of the past decade, so why not include this strategy in your Cocktail & Mixology Trends this summer? It’s the perfect time to introduce new fresh options and surprise your guests with novelty.
Bartenders like to experiment, and lately, globally, they are keeping busy experimenting with concoctions such as healthy veggie juice, and home-made syrups to include in traditionally fruit-centric classical drinks. However, some vegetables have distinct flavors ranging from spicy to sweet that go well together with certain spirits – especially the verdant kind. Lots of bars in restaurants and hotels are stocking celery, beet, cucumber and carrot juice along with the traditional orange, tomato and grapefruit juices.
If your Bar Managers are keeping up with the latest cocktail trends, they don’t be surprised when your customers ask for this new fresh and healthy Cocktail Trend from your menu.
Here are a few that are making the rounds and are ripe for trying out:
Turmeric as one of the most popular ingredient in latest cocktail recipes
Curcuminioids is the active ingredient in Turmeric. It is a powerful antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory effects as well. In the latest cocktail trends, Bartenders are getting rave reviews by combining it with celery and cucumber, definitely giving guests a cool feeling.
Call Me in the Morning
3 pieces cucumber
2 pieces chopped, peeled turmeric root
cilantro
1.5 oz. tequila blanco
1.5 oz. turmeric cordial (recipe below)
club soda
Muddle turmeric root, cucumber, and cilantro. Add tequila and cordial, then shake and pour into a highball glass. Top with club soda.
Turmeric cordial – Makes a large batch
.75 c. hot water
50 g. chopped, non-peeled turmeric
1 c. white sugar
1.25 c. fresh lime juice.
Steep hot water, sugar, and turmeric 24 hours. Strain, then add lime juice.
Watermelon Juice – For that Mildly Sweet and Super Refreshing Cocktail
Just like no hot day at the beach is complete without some freshly sliced watermelon, bartenders are serving up cocktails with watermelon juice at bars, tableside and poolside via mobile mixology carts, a trend in itself.
Get your Juices Flowing with Watermelon – Mildly sweet and super refreshing
2 ounces gin
¼ cup of cubed watermelon, juiced
¾ ounce fresh-squeezed lemon juice
½ ounce orgeat (almond) syrup
¼ ounce honey
Club soda
2 basil leaves, for garnish
In a cocktail shaker, combine the first 5 ingredients with ice. Shake well and strain into a Collins glass over 5 ice cubes. Top with soda and garnish with basil leaves. Serves 1.
Celery Margarita
1 oz. celery juice
1.5 oz. tequila blanco
.25 oz. agave
.75 oz. lime
Combine the ingredients in a tin full of ice, shake and voila. Put some fresh ice in a rocks glass, strain the mix over it and garnish it with a lime wheel.