See the alcoholic beverages trending on menus throughout the United States. From beer to wine and cocktails, we’ll explore what’s hot.

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T. HASEGAWA

T. HASEGAWA

WHAT’S TRENDING ON U.S. MENUS       |       ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

WHAT’S TRENDING ON U.S. MENUS

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

SPRITZES AND SPARKLING WINE BUBBLE UP ON MENUS

Effervescent drinks continue to gain traction on menus from spritz cocktails to Lambrusco.

CITRUS FLAVORS SQUEEZE ONTO MENUS

Diners are looking for crisp and tart citrus flavor profiles including yuzu, blood orange and grapefruit across alcoholic beverage types.

FAST CASUALS BECOME A HAPPY HOUR DESTINATION

As restaurant segments continue to blur, LSRs are increasingly offering more alcoholic beverage options with cocktails in particular growing on menus.

WINE

+11%

COCKTAILS

+11%

BEER

+2%

Sparkeling Wine Flavors
Citrus Cocktail Flavors
Fast Casual Beer Flavors

WHAT’S TRENDING

Yuzu adds a twist to cocktails and beers. The Japanese citrus flavor is growing quickly on menus across alcohol types.

YUZU AS A FLAVOR OF INGREDIENT IN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES FROM Q3 2016-Q3 2019

+52%

SPOTLIGHT: BEER

JUICY FLAVORS DELIGHT BEER DRINKERS

Younger consumers are largely driving the demand for fruit-flavored brews with 29% of beer drinkers aged 22-34 having consumed a flavored beer in the past three months

Increase as a flavor ingredient in beer from Q3 2016-Q3 2019

BALLAST POINT BREWING CO.
WATERMELON DORADO

Yard House (chain). Featured on the craft beer section of its menu is this intensely fruity IPA.

Widmer Brother Omission

WIDMER BROTHERS
OMISSION

TGI Friday’s (chain). The pilsner is brewed by Portland-based Widmer Brothers Brewery.

Ballast Point Brewing

REVOLVER
BLOOD & HONEY

Carino’s Italian Grill (chain). The American Pale Wheat beer is brewed with blood orange peels, honey and spices.

Revolver Brewing

SPOTLIGHT: WINE

WINE MENU ITEM GROWTH BY TYPE

As white zinfandel deceases on menus, rosé and blush wines experience fast growth along with other lighter and less sweet wine varieties.

Increase in menu incidence from Q3 2016-Q3 2019

SPARKLING COCKTAILS
BEYOND MIMOSAS GAIN IN POPULARITY

Looking to the future of the trend, expect to see bubbles beyond champagne and sparkling wines used in spritz cocktails. Inspired partly by the success of hard seltzer retail brands including White Claw and Truly, more operators are using seltzer along or in place of sparkling wines. In addition, spritzes are often lower in ABV making them attractive to more health-conscious drinkers.

Sparkeling Cocktail Flavors

SPOTLIGHT: COCKTAILS

SPIRITS GROWTH BY TYPE

White spirits and whiskey experienced high growth as ingredients in cocktails from Q3 2016-Q3 2019 .

Cocktail Varieties

RUM CATERS TO DINERS’ IN TROPICAL DRINKS

Rum grew as an ingredient in cocktails by 7% from Q3 2016-Q3 2019. The spirit can be used in a variety of formats but the rise of tiki drinks is especially driving its growth.

Rum Cocktail Ingredients

APEROL APPEALS TO DRINKERS

Aperol as an ingredient in cocktails grew 67% on menus from Q3 2016-19. Its bitter taste is appealing to diners looking for sophisticated and less sweet flavor profiles.

Aperol Cocktail Ingredient

Consumers are looking for unique taste profiles and ingredients in cocktails from fruit puree to maple and elderflower.

ELDERFLOWER LIQUEUR

+59%

Ingredient: menu incidence
Q3 2016-Q3 2019

PUREE

+52%

Preparation Method: menu incidence
Q3 2016-Q3 2019

Q3 2016-Q3 2019

MAPLE

+300%

Ingredient Flavor: menu incidence
Q3 2016-Q3 2019

*Source: Mintel