U – Unusual ingredients
This doesn’t always pay off – for London’s Nightjar, a whale skin-infused whisky got the bar into a spot of hot water with the authorities. Nevertheless, the quest to find new and unusual ingredients is evident with every product launch – especially when it comes to gin botanicals.
V – Virgin
As trends continue towards lower-alcohol products, virgin cocktails will remain in the mix.
W – Weight watchers
Though many see cocktails as a bit of an indulgence, some people want to have their cake and eat it, with skinny cocktails. London–based operator Drake & Morgan has cottoned on to this trend with a whole range of Skinny Cocktails. The tipple with the fewest calories is the Poptail – Pampero blanco, Aperol, watermelon and rhubarb bitters, served up soda pop style (76 calories).
X – Xylose
This is a simple sugar that comes from wood and it can contribute to the sweet tastes in whisky – it’ll probably alter the taste of those barrel-aged cocktails, too.
Y – Yuzu
This east Asian fruit has been the citrus du jour for a while now.
Z – Zany ideas
Monin’s Coston says: “I personally find it fascinating to watch top mixologists demonstrating crazy new ideas for using our products. “A great example is one of our previous Monin Cup finalists, Andy Mill, from Match Bar in London. He used his girlfriend’s hair straighteners instead of a red hot poker to warm his flip.” We bet there’s plenty more where that came from.
