4 recent insights from bartenders

What drinks do bartenders say are trending up and down in the bar scene? And how are bartenders driving sales during certain dayparts? Answers to these questions and more are among the many discoveries in Technomic’s Behind the Bar Insights, a quarterly study powered by the Adult Beverage Planning Program. Here are four bartender insights from the most recent report.

More than 50% of bartenders surveyed indicate that flavored whiskey and sour beers are hot. Menus reflect that trend as well, as flavor mentions of sour related to beer are up 173.3% in the last year, according to Technomic’s MenuMonitor, powered by Ignite. Plus, some of the fastest-growing whiskey brands are flavored varieties; one cinnamon-flavored whiskey brand’s mentions increased 5.2% in adult beverages during the last year.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, over 40% of bartenders indicate that spritz cocktails are no longer popular. But menus haven’t yet caught on—spritz cocktails are up 57.1% in the last year, and Maggiano’s Little Italy recently launched an Aperol Spritzer.

The top promotion used among bartender panelists for breakfast and brunch is special themed drinks. Some 18% of panelists say they use themed drinks during breakfast, while 26% say the same for brunch. For example, Snooze, an A.M. Eatery serves a number of fall-themed morning cocktails, such as the Fallin’, which features tart cherry shrub and apple juice.

Although themed drinks are the most prominent promotion used in the morning, they aren’t even among the top three tapped to drive sales in the afternoon and evening dayparts. The top promotion used at dinner is food and beverage pairings, with 44% of bartender panelists saying they feature these types of promotions during dinner hours to drive sales. In that vein, Ruth’s Chris’ TasteMaker Dinner series features five-course meals paired with wines or whiskeys.