Drinks Buyer 2025

20 @specialityfood English whisky has developed significance. People seem to want to pursue and develop the market to the point that we now have a distinct category of English whisky, and the EnglishWhisky Guild has been created to pursue its protected definition BRITISH DISTILLERS ALLIANCE RETRO MAWSON’S SARSAPARILLA Made to a time-honoured recipe with natural ingredients, this RTD format opens out with notes of ginger, liquorice and sarsaparilla. lakelandartisan.co.uk BRECKLAND ORCHARD POSH POP -– CREAM SODA Naturally flavoured cream soda with lashings of soft vanilla and a hint of fruity rhubarb. brecklandorchard.co.uk KARMA DRINKS ORGANIC KARMA COLA Organic and made with only natural ingredients, this cola has a sweet, clean, authentic taste. Part of each sale goes to grower families in Sierra Leone. karmadrinks.co.uk A CRAVING FOR CLASSICS APERITIVO TIME The age-old tradition of aperitivo (or the ‘drinks hour’) has had a strong presence in the last 12 months. Marrying perfectly with the growing trend towards grazing platters, small plates and tapas, bittersweet aperitifs served simply over ice before eating, or swirled with other spirits, soda and sparkles to go alongside food, are all the rage. Stocking up on a few classics and sampling them in store is a great way to whet your customers’ appetites this summer. Besides the ubiquitous Aperol, you might like to try these thirst-quenching twists: ● Hugo: Lime, mint, elderflower liqueur, prosecco ● Amalfi: Aperol, prosecco, lime, pineapple ● Negroni Spritz: Campari, sweet vermouth, gin, sparkling white wine Nostalgia is here to stay. Across the food and drink landscape consumers are reaching for flavours and formats that remind themof their childhood. Long summers in the park. School days. High days. Holidays. Packaging and branding hinting to yesteryear is proving a hit What’s clear is no drinks cabinet is complete without a few blasts from the past, and shoppers are really favouring products that make them feel warm and fuzzy inside. They’re also seeking out the very best quality in traditional spirits – largely craft-made whiskies, brandy and, surprisingly, Armagnac, which has seen a real resurgence recently. Amodern British classic that shouldn’t be ignored is English sparkling wine. Continental winemakers are snapping up land in England’s wine growing regions as the quality of bubblymade on British turf continues to impress on the international stage. The mild climate of Southern, Western and Eastern parts of England, married with soil substrata similar to that in Northern France and Germany andmany decades of expertise, are a ‘triple threat’, with English sparkling wine makers enjoying the fruits of their labour as the awards flow in. Kent, Surrey, Sussex and the Crouch Valley in Essex are all areas to watch. NEED TO KNOW