Cocktail and food pairing: let the trends meet the drinks

There is an untapped £100m spirits opportunity for casual-dining operators, which food-led pubs can take advantage of by pairing cocktails with dishes on their menus, according to spirits giant Diageo.

Sales of spirits have grown by 17% year-on-year, with cocktails sales increasing by 6.5% since last year, according to CGA Strategy.

Casual-dining venues could take advantage of the growth and differentiate themselves from the competition by making a bigger play of cocktails, according to drinks producer Diageo.

Read on to discover some cocktail recipes that can be paired with current food trends.

Food trend: Italian

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Cocktail: The Italian G&T

Ingredients:

  • 50ml of Gordon's Gin
  • 150ml of tonic
  • Lime wedge
  • Sprig of rosemary

Method:

  • Fill a glass with ice
  • Pour in the gin and top with the tonic
  • Stir to mix
  • Garnish with the lime wedge and sprig of rosemary

Alcohol units: 1.9

Food trend: Mexican

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Cocktail: Paloma

Ingredients:

  • 50ml of Don Julio Blanco Tequila
  • 150ml of grapefruit soda
  • Sea salt
  • Pink grapefruit wedges

Method:

  • Rub the rim of the glass with a wedge of grapefruit and coat with sea salt
  • Fill the glass with ice
  • Add the Tequila
  • Top with grapefruit soda
  • Garnish with another wedge of pink grapefruit

Alcohol units: 1.9

Food trend: Asian

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Cocktail: The Pan-Asian G&T

Ingredients:

  • 50ml of Jinzu gin
  • 150ml of tonic
  • Stick of lemongrass

Method:

  • Fill a tall glass with ice
  • Pour in the gin
  • Top with tonic
  • Stir to mix
  • Garnish with the lemongrass

Alcohol units: 2.1

Food trend: American

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Cocktail: Bulleit peanut butter cup hard shake

Ingredients:

  • 50ml of Bulleit Bourbon
  • 1 spoon of peanut butter
  • 25ml of caramel syrup
  • 100ml of single cream
  • Crushed peanuts

Method:

  • Add the bourbon, peanut butter, caramel syrup and cream to a blender with a small scoop of ice
  • Blend to a smooth consistency
  • Pour into a milkshake glass
  • Garnish with crushed peanuts

Alcohol units: 2.2

Food trend: Breakfast

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Cocktail: A bloody easy Mary

Ingredients:

  • 50ml of Smirnoff No 21 Vodka
  • 150ml of tomato juice
  • 2 dashes of Tabasco sauce
  • 2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
  • Cherry tomatoes on the vine

Method:

  • Fill the glass with ice
  • Pour the vodka and tomato juice into the glass
  • Add the Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce
  • Garnish with the cherry tomatoes on the vine

Alcohol units: 1.9

Learn more about the potential of the cocktails and food pairing by following this link.