As beer drinkers start gravitating more and more toward craft beers, another trend is emerging in the beer and spirits industry. Those evolving palates aren’t specific to beer drinkers. In fact, craft cocktails are expected to gain popularity this year according to experts cited in the Detroit News. But it’s not just a trend that impacts regular bar patrons. Even homebodies are getting in on the craft cocktail trend, thanks in part to the growing popularity of sites like Pinterest. So how many are interested in craft cocktails? We asked 1,000 respondents their thoughts on the trend and the spirits industry in general.
Cocktail Drinkers
In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, 8% of respondents said that they’ve enjoyed cocktails or mixed drinks within the past day. 15% have done so within the past week. 13% have had them at some point over the past month. 8% have had them in the past three months. 9% have had them in the past year. 12% said they last enjoyed cocktails or mixed drinks over a year ago. And 36% never do.Of those who enjoy cocktails at least on occasion, 54% said they normally have those drinks at home. 38% have them at restaurants. 30% have them at bars. 28% have them at parties or special events. And 4% enjoy them in other places, like at casinos or friends’ homes. In general, just 22% of cocktail drinkers said that they enjoy cocktails more often now than they did five years ago. 38% enjoy them less often now. And 40% said their habits haven’t really changed in that time. Those respondents who have enjoyed cocktails at least within the past month were more likely to enjoy those drinks at their homes, and also more likely to say that they enjoy cocktails more now than they did in the past.
Craft Cocktails
There are, of course, many different considerations for cocktail drinkers when it comes to choosing those drinks or recipes. Taste is considered most important for cocktail drinkers, with 21% listing it as an important factor. 19% said that cost is important to them. 18% care about quality. 15% are particular about the type of alcohol in their cocktails. 13% care about the creativity behind the drink or recipe. 9% care about the aesthetics. And 5% care about the nutritional value of their cocktails.
Finding Recipes
Overall, just 8% of cocktail drinkers said that they often look at or save cocktail recipes online. 29% said that they look at those recipes sometimes. 31% rarely do. And 32% never do. Google, Pinterest, Facebook ant Allrecipes were the most popular websites listed for people who like looking at cocktail recipes online.More specifically, 45% of overall respondents said that they currently have a Pinterest account. 35% of those respondents said that they regularly look for or save drink recipes on Pinterest. That was one of the least popular categories among Pinterest users. Food recipes, DIY content and home items were the most popular categories that respondents said they regularly look for on Pinterest. However, Pinterest users were more likely to say that they enjoy cocktails at least on occasion.
Key Takeaways
While cocktail drinkers as a whole might not be increasing their consumption of those beverages, it does seem like there could be a subset of those consumers who are interested in craft cocktails they can make at home on a regular basis. For companies that make craft cocktails and ingredients, online tools like Pinterest can certainly be effective for reaching those consumers. However, since few Pinterest users currently look for that type of content, it seems that there’s even more potential for increased reach in that area, especially since Pinterest users are fairly likely to enjoy cocktail beverages. In addition, other online platforms like Facebook and Allrecipes can also be useful.You can view the complete survey results in the widget below and be sure to click “Open Full Report” to take advantage of all the chart and filter options.Photo Credit: Cure cocktail bar by Chelsea Marie Hicks under CC BY 2.0What do you want to know? If you need some consumer insights on a particular topic, let us know in the comments below and we’ll consider it for an upcoming survey post.
Results were collected on July 9 via AYTM’s online survey panel.