What will be hot this year?
As the New Year
begins, lists start to pop up all over the web, filling us in on the hot trends
of the year past and those to emerge in the year to come.
Many of these tend to
focus on fashion and food, with the two becoming ever more interchangeable as
foodie dining becomes more and more "in fashion" itself. With that
growth in novelty eating, the popularity of unique cocktails and liquors is
growing as well.
As we enter 2012, this
interest in more peculiar and novel liquors will continue to grow, bringing
along with it plenty of new cocktail trends. Of the possibilities, we've put
together a list of those which we feel are sure to catch on in 2012.
Herbal infusions
While we’re
on the subject of the health implications of drinking (and just to return to
the first point, I’m sure we’re all in agreement that responsible, moderate
drinking can be part of a healthy lifestyle), I think we’ll see more herbally
infused beverages and cocktails in 2011. Not only are these complex flavors
appealing and still in their novelty stage but they can be used to create
drinks that are less sweet than fruit-based cocktails and may pack in potent
curative powers.
Better bitters
The Angostura
panic of 2009-10 launched a slew of new bitters. Couple this with the
resurgence of herbal infusions and you have the perfect storm for better
bitters. The selection of new and inventive bitters, most creatively playing
sweet against savory, is not only arming mixologists the world over, but it’s
allowing home bartenders to make cocktails that once were the provenance of the
pros. As shown in our Booze and Weight Loss article, bitters are a great way to
add a bit of flavor to a cocktail without overloading on calories. For both
this and their more interesting use in unique drink recipes, bitters-based
cocktails will gain popularity through 2012.
Aged Tequilas
2011 was
the year of aged whiskeys and rums, and we see aged tequila following suit.
With the popularity of barrel aging increasing across the board, these aged,
more flavorful tequilas are sure to make their mark on the market during 2012.
Adult cocktails
While we’re at it, I think we’ll see more pre-mixed
cocktails that riff on nostalgia-based drinks. I’m thinking Yoo-hoo with
alcohol, punches made for adults (look for goji and acai super fruit flavors,
so we can feel good about drinking them), and “healthy” cocktails sweetened
with alternative sweeteners such as agave syrup, cane sugar and stevia.
Herb and spiced
Martini
A simple, classic martini for any
occasion. If you order a martini, without any other instructions, this is what
you should get. You can turn this into a dirty martini by adding a splash of
olive brine.
If you are looking for a vodka
martini, we have that too, but shhhh, don't tell the old school martini
drinkers. They refuse to call a drink made with anything but gin a martini!
It has been invented around 2007,
when some mixologist was trying to twist the classic to sophisticated drink. Combination
local product and botanical would be the best choice to mix by hand of
Mixology.
