Leading hospitality and event caterer, Seasoned, has noticed a significant rise in enquiries for gin-based cocktails across multiple client venues and events.
Seasoned’s recent summer hospitality hotspots include The Lookout, a versatile outdoor venue set within the beautiful grounds of Hyde park is ideal for summer parties and has seen a 20% rise in requests for gin cocktails at client tastings from last year.
This summer, at the world-renowned Leander Club during Henley Royal Regatta, Seasoned has partnered with Whitley Neill handcrafted gin featuring raspberry as well as rhubarb and ginger flavours.
The cocktail market has seen a revival in recent years with well over 100 British gin brands now available and UK volumes seeing a rise of 27% since 2016. Traditionally the old man’s drink in the smoke room has been revitalised with a vast array of flavours, ranging from spit-roasted pineapple and wild rose to rhubarb and even marshmallow, providing something for everyone.
The market is ever evolving and the drinks industry is responding to wider consumer demands from people that are increasingly more health conscious and self-aware. Seasoned is now offering brands such as Whitley Neill who has recently ventured into a zero calorie offering too for the calorie conscious drinker, as well as non-alcoholic cocktails, such as Seedlip who are driving growth into the mocktail market.
Glyn Wiltshire, Operations Director at Seasoned, commented “As World Gin Day celebrates its 10th year this month I can safely say the gin explosion has impacted the hospitality and catering industry, with some venues moving away from the more traditional Pimm’s as their chosen summer cocktail to flavoured gin. Long gone are the days where gin was being served solely as dry martinis or gin & tonic, with a huge variety of flavours now available from both the larger brands and smaller boutique distilleries.
Gin is probably the most versatile spirit to mix with, making it highly valuable in modern bars too which has transformed it in to the on-trend cocktail. The demand is also a reflection of our own clientele, a new generation of young consumers who demand on-trend cocktails at events and parties, clearly moving away from traditional to more contemporary drinks.
Gin is not only the trendy option but venue-friendly too. In order to protect our Grade I listed heritage venues we have a safe food policy and gin is a great choice as it doesn’t contain the ‘berry staining’ properties that drinks such as Pimm’s can have. We now have a Seasoned ‘Gin Briefcase’ offering a selection of popular cocktails, including Sipsmith’s lemon drizzle gin with a lemon curd macaroon and Hendricks Gin with apple, rosemary and caviar to name a few. It’s a nice way to provide clients with a contrasting selection, offering something inside for every taste bud.”