What's Next May 2015 - Make Room for Flavor

Apr. 29, 2015

New flavors are leading growth across multiple categories, with this year’s trends — grapefruit, mango, and bitter amaros - leading the pack.  Brush up on the flavors and trends that your customers will be searching for this spring and summer.

Grapefruit Goes Big Time

Grapefruit is on the path to be the citrus darling of 2015. Already Forbes, >Bon Apetit and other media sources have identified grapefruit as one of the year’s trendiest flavors.

"I predict that grapefruit flavor will take off this year, specifically the Texas red grapefruit" said Meg Major, Chief Content Editor at Progressive Grocer in a Forbes.com interview. "If you’ve ever had one it has a sensational taste that’s very sweet and unlike other grapefruit."

Grapefruit’s diverse flavor profile—sweet, tart, bitter and acidic—allows it to stand up to a variety of flavors to expect to see plenty of grapefruit inspired cocktails pop-up on menus in 2015. One of the more popular combinations, Grapefruit and Mezcal, is sure to be a favorite this summer as the smoky spirit is also currently trending among mixologists.

Grapefruit is also becoming a popular flavor in the beer category, especially with the radlers and shandys that have been rising in sales. Sessionable, low-alcohol grapefruit radlers/shandys are sure to be hot this summer for both on and off-premise accounts.

Mango Mania

Tropical flavors have always found a home in the beverage industry, and the latest warm weather fruit trend — mango — is no exception.

The juicy stone fruit has been climbing the charts as of late, and currently it has been recognized as one of the top five flavors emerging in beverages. Sweet, creamy and juicy, it is no wonder that mango has seen tremendous growth among beverage brands and drinks menu. In fact 69% of Millennial Vodka Consumers have said that they would even want a mango flavored vodka.* Mango’s use in trendy Tiki-inspired drinks has also led to the flavor’s prominence on cocktail lists throughout the U.S.

Bitter Amaro-Based Cocktails on the Rise

While enjoyed in Western Europe for hundreds of years, only recently has American interest and excitement in bitter cocktails become renewed. Leading the surge is the revived appreciation amongst bartenders for bitter sweet Italian amaros.

Amaros are bitter, generally Italian-made, liqueurs that are flavored with a complex blend of herbs and spices.  Similar to wine, amaros are produced in every single commune of Italy from the Alto Adige in the north, to Sicily and Calabria in the south. Amaros are unique in that the spirit in the bottle encompasses a true sense of terroir, as each brand is produced using ingredients that are traditional to that specific region.

"Encouraged by consumers' changing tastes and renewed enthusiasm for craft cocktails, the number of amari for sale in the U.S. over the last decade has grown almost eight times," said Alex Bachman in an article he wrote for Eater.com.

Bartenders are mixing up the bitter elixir with a wide variety of base spirits which is leading to cocktail menus featuring clever plays on classics like Americano, Boulevardiers and Negronis.

Tart and Sour Pucker Up Beer and Cocktails

Tart drinks are currently in the spotlight at on and off-premise accounts throughout the U.S. From funky kombucha brands and cheek-pinching Belgian ales, to vinegar shrub spiked cocktails, the power of the pucker is in full force.

Sour beers especially have never been more popular. Tart and funky, these wild beers are the first to sell out at beer festivals, bars and retail accounts a like. Cocktails too are getting a tart layer added to their complexity as bartenders are starting to make their own vinegar-based shrubs in-house. These acidic shrubs are then used to balance out sweeter cocktails that might feature fresh seasonal fruit or other ingredients that need to be restrained.

Spicy Flavors Remain Hot

It probably goes without saying, but spicy flavors continue to burn up the beverage industry. Cinnamon whiskey sales are still smoldering thanks to a strong market to millennial consumers looking for intense flavors. Whiskey grew 6.2 percent in the U.S. last year and flavored whiskies account for 45 percent of that growth, according to Rabobank analysts. The firm says the U.S. spirits market is poised for continued growth, and American whiskey flavor variations have had great success attracting new consumers.  Craft beer has entered into the mix as well with habanero, chipotle and Sairacha flavors appearing on shelves and tap handles.

Contact a Wirtz Beverage Sales Consultant today and let us help you incorporate some of these flavors into your business.

*1-US Flavor House Study, Total U.S. Flavored Vodka Consumers age 21-34, Top Preference, Feb, 2014