The bartender’s wine, vermouth, was found in 99% of the bars we polled this year, with 96% of them stocking two brands and 86% keeping three – hopefully all in the fridge. According to our data, there are three brands that dominate the world’s best bars: Carpano Antica Formula, Cocchi and Martini. Over the seven years we’ve been polling bars on this essential fortified, each…
The world’s best bars – as we define them, anyway – don’t tend to set themselves apart by their wide and varied selection of beers. In most cases they’re looking for their sales to be skewed towards cocktails, with beer, wine and cider playing a supporting role. Around two-thirds of our sample stocked a bottled beer, about a half had two, while a third offered…
Of the hundreds of champagne houses, only 15 have ever appeared in the Brands Report. That’s because, when it comes to this category, brand recognition counts, and few resonate as much as Moët & Chandon, which has topped this list on seven of the past 11 occasions. That’s down to brand call, but it’s also because Moët & Chandon’s entry-level product is three things: consistent,…
Non-alcoholic spirits, or hydrosols in most cases, have become a pretty prevalent – though not essential – part of the bar arsenal, with almost two-thirds of our sample of the world’s best bars declaring they use them. You see, even if bartenders feel they can marry botanicals with water, having a branded one-step solution that adds value, really is, well, of value. First out of…
We kick off the Brands Report with Bartenders’ Choice – in essence, our answer to the question: what are bartenders’ favourite brands? So here, unlike the lists that follow, we haven’t asked bartenders about what’s selling best, nor what’s trending among consumers, only the brands they have a so spot for. The answer, half the time at least, is Tanqueray. In seven of the…
The growth of mixers – driven as it has been by premiumisation – has brought a broad church of styles and flavours, as brands seek to engineer the next big spirit-mixer trend, the sequel to the G&T. Fever-Tree – itself now well-diversified – remains the reference for quality-end mixers. It is the house mixer in a third of our sample, boasting one of the…
Predicated on a global survey of a 100-strong sample of elite worldwide venues – those which have been nominated or won international awards – the Report launches digitally today. Respondents – bar owners, bar managers and head bartenders – were asked to describe their buying habits when it came to more than 20 categories of spirits, mixers, wine and beer, with data collated to…
The co-owner of Sips in Barcelona is heading up the takeover, which will see a €1m investment. Founded in the 1930s, Boadas is famous for its Martinis, made using the ‘throwing’ technique. Founder Miguel Boadas learned his trade at Floridita in Havana, before opening his eponymous bar on Las Ramblas. Caporale, a student of the bar’s history, aims to preserve Boadas’ traditions and even reflect…
In late February, less than a week into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Drinks International spoke to bartenders in Kyiv. We heard of hospitality workers joining the war effort, signing up to the territorial army and making Molotov Cocktails to defend against what seemed an imminent assault on the capital. There were stories of sheltering in speakeasies from attacks from the air and turning restaurants…
When Mango House was at the 11th hour of launching its bar Kokoye, oranges hadn’t been available in the Seychelles for three months. The base spirits for four of the cocktails on the opening menu were also unexpectedly out of stock. At times, strawberries and blackberries were 86 and at one time, even coconuts were in short supply. The trees may be everywhere, but during…
