Top 3 drinks trends for Christmas 2023

According to a new report from Master of Malt, these are the festive drinks you’ll be sipping this yuletide.

It’s never too early to start planning your Christmas drinks repertoire, and a new report by spirits experts Master of Malt hints at which alcoholic beverages will be flying off the shelf this year. But how will our festive drinking differ from 2022?

Last year, Lidl reported that the Negroni Sbagliato trend, which went viral online towards the end of 2022, helped to boost sales of sparkling wine, with almost 7 million glasses of Prosecco sold at the discount retailer. Prosecco was by no means the only fizz to see an uplift, with Cava sales soaring last year at Majestic, with sales up 29% year-on-year. English sparkling wine also saw a boost of 19% at the same retailer.

Meanwhile, the UK went mad for snow globe liqueurs, with a spate of copycat products sparking legal action from originator Marks & Spencer. Aldi was forced to withdraw its own gin liqueur product, with the High Court ruling it had infringed M&S’s copyright.

Experts warned against pouring leftover Baileys down the sink, as it could have costly repercussions.

Read on for the choicest drops for Christmas 2023.

1.We’ll be swapping brandy for whisky aged in brandy casks

Master of Malt has seen a heightened interest in whiskies aged in Cognac and Armagnac casks, compared with sales of traditional brandy. Glen Moray Twisted Vine sold out immediately on the spirits site, while Craigellachie 13 Year Old Bas-Armagnac Cask Finish is “consistently in-demand”, suggesting that a new style of Christmas spirit might be on the cards this year.

2.Get ready for the Tequila Old Fashioned

As well as festive favourites such as Snowballs and Gimlets, Master of Malt predicts that switching up the base spirit in classic cocktails at home will be a big trend for Christmas 2023. Inspired by mixologists crafting creative pours in bars, consumers will substitute the traditional whisky base in an Old Fashioned, for example, with Tequila. Or swap the vodka in a straight Martini or Espresso Martini for a Mezcal.

3. Spirits infused with festive flavours will be front and centre

Sales of spirits infused with seasonal ingredients such as gingerbread, cinnamon, ‘Christmas cake’ and quince, soared last Christmas and the trend looks set to continue.

At Master of Malt, sales of its Snow Globe Orange & Gingerbread Gin Liqueur shot up by 934% in the last quarter of 2022, while &Whisky Christmas Cake & Cinnamon 8 Year Old leapt by a staggering 1155%.