The UK’s 10 most popular homemade cocktail bases in 2018

The industry itself is constantly monitored in terms of sales and predicted trends, but what do these predictions mean when it comes to the consumer’s glass at home?

A new study by drinks search engine Make me a Cocktail — which allows people to search for cocktail recipes based on the ingredients they have at home — has tried to answer the question, ranking 14 separate cocktail ingredients by their popularity.

The data was collected by analysing the website’s most searched-for drinks while also taking into account search results. The cocktails have been uploaded by Make me a Cocktail’s 3,000-strong user-base, offering an insight into the drinks UK consumers are making most.

From tequila to triple sec, here are the spirits and liqueurs dominating the UK cocktail scene, ranked.

10. Amaretto

Share: 4.5%

9. Cointreau

(Photo: Cointreau)

Share: 4.7%

While Triple sec has a search share of just 3.7%, brandy-based equivalent brand Coitnreau holds 4.7% of the results alone.

8. White rum

Share: 4.95%

7. Tequila

Share: 4.99%

Whether dark or white, Tequila of both varieties was one of the more popular spirits with cocktail-lovers.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the analysis found that orange juice was also the most popular, and most searched-for mixer, which not only means that the website’s users are desperately trying to repurpose their morning OJ, but that the Tequila Sunrise still holds a firm place in the hearts and minds of discerning drinkers.

6. Malibu rum

Share: 6.24%

Much like Cointreau’s reputation, Pernod Ricard-owned Malibu is also a household brand in the UK, so it’s little surprise that it is one of the more name-checked drinks labels in the market.

5. Bols blue curacao

Share: 6.43%

The bright blue tipple is in the top five of most sought-after ingedients, but is usually paired with vodka or rum when it comes to mixed drinks. As a result, it lags behind more popular spirits like gin and vodka with 6.43%.

4. Baileys Irish cream

(photo: Ferhatt Matt/iStock)

Share: 6.75%

Baileys was found to be the most popular single liqueur brand when it came to cocktail components, with a search and recipe share of just under 7%.

3. Peach schnapps

(Photo: Dave Rutt/Flick

Share: 7.33%

An entry-level cocktail ingredient, peach schnapps is particularly popular among students, due to its versatility. However, like curacao, it is more commonly found in drinks where white spirits such as vodka are the base ingredient.

2. Gin

Share: 9.84%

Despite its resurgence in recent years, gin is still only the second most-popular spirit in the cocktail world.

1. Vodka

Share: 24.41%

Vodka has been the dominant product in the spirit sector for decades, and no matter how many market reports tell us about the rise of craft gin, bartenders across the world will still tell you that vodka is the most requested cocktail base at their venues.

Despite being the most sought-after spirit in terms of recipes, it is one of the least desired at home. A report at the end of last year found that Brits were more likely to re-purpose an unopened bottle of vodka as a Christmas gift over any other type of alcohol.

Vodka accounts for around 29% of the spirits category globally, but sales of the versatile white spirit have been hit in recent years, falling -4.3% between 2016 and 2017, according to the IWSR. This is primarily due to a slowdown in key markets including Russia and Poland which are its largest markets. Volumes in Russia for example fell 9.3%, the IWSR reported.

On the other hand, the UK is seeing stronger growth, and particularly when it comes to premium vodka labels such as Belvedere. Last year data from Nielsen found vodka sales had increased across the UK off-trade by 1.1%, £12.3m in the 52 weeks to 12 August 2017, with flavoured vodkas taking the lead, accounting for 36% of growth, even though it makes up just 4% of the market.

While the white spirit may be struggling to gain further ground in the drinks market, the data published by Make me a Cocktail shows that it is still the go-to for cocktail-consuming Brits.