Pint loses out to cocktail craze

Younger consumers are replacing the after-work pint with a cocktail, according to fresh research by London on-trade price comparison website designmynight.com.

Supported in part by the resurgence of upmarket cocktail bars across the UK capital, 69% of those surveyed said that a cocktail was their first drink of choice. The Mojito, Margarita and Caipirinha emerged as the most popular cocktails.

Significantly, during a time of cutbacks and economic stagnation, 74% of participants identified the cocktail as “an affordable treat”, with 63% preferring to visit a cocktail bar mid-week than their local pub.

A number of businesses have already reacted to this shift, with the Grand Union chain branding itself as offering “the comfort of a local pub, the elegance of a cocktail bar.”

Adam Marshall, managing director at Grand Union, told the drinks business: "People’s preferences have changed. These days it’s not beer, it’s all about wines and shorts.

"Maybe people are just trying to move away from the old pub sterotype of an old man sat with a pint, but they are also much more conscious about what they’re drinking – particularly the calorie aspect."

Cocktail bar chain Be At One has also expanded rapidly in the past two years, recently announcing a plan to double its venues by the London 2012 Olympics.

“The drinking culture in London is fast maturing,” noted Rebekkah Dooley, marketing manager of cocktail bar Callooh Callay in Shoreditch.

Pointing to the appeal of affordable luxury when finances are tight, she observed: “It’s the £8 cocktail with an elaborate garnish that makes you feel like a princess as you close your eyes for your first sip, and the beautiful bar that greets when you when you re-open them. It’s all about escapism, relief and fun.”

Gabriel Savage, 15.02.2011