Spirits NZ has celebrated World Cocktail Day with data suggesting New Zealanders continue to drink better.
On May 13, 1806, The New York tabloid – The Balance and Columbian Repository - is reputed to have published the first definition of a cocktail. It has since become World Cocktail Day.
Now, 219 years later, the love affair with “a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters” has continued to flourish.
And although the average Kiwi is drinking better and better, the rise and rise of the humble cocktail continues.
“There is little doubt that New Zealanders are drinking less, the official health and stats data shows it and our sales data confirms it,” said Spirits NZ CEO, Robert Brewer.
The change in drinking habits has been happening for years. A quick flick at the Stats NZ data shows that, per capita, New Zealanders are drinking 25 percent less than they did in the 1970s and 1980s.
According to the most recent official NZ Health survey, five out of six of New Zealanders (84 percent) are drinking beer, wine and spirits responsibly. This has been outlined as an increase of 4.7 percentage points over the past four years (78.7 percent 2019/20).
“In spite of a drop in consumption spirits have been somewhat insulated and the cocktail is a big part of the reason,” said Brewer.
“It’s all about a confluence of two consumer trends - a move to a more premium product and a COVID-19 fuelled love affair with the cocktail. Consumers might drink less but they’ll spend a little more and go up the premium tree, which is great news for premium spirits producers,” he said.
Brewer said the other great thing about a cocktail is that it does not need a lot of spirit to create a fantastic taste with most cocktails in bars coming in at under two standard drinks.
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