A welcome breeze of normality ushers in 2023 – we’re back to unfettered happy hours, leisurely late-night opening, and the cocktail culture going from strength to strength. While classic ingredients such as ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters are as essential to the barman’s repertoire as ever, cocktail trends are evolving with creative twists, riffs and flashes of genius that may or may not make the mainstream… beetroot Margarita anyone?

No mistake

Arguably the drink of this summer, the Negroni Sbagliato became an instant TikTok sensation in October 2022 when House of Dragon star, Emma D’Arcy, mentioned it as a favourite drink in a short HBO promotional clip. Sbagliato being the Italian for mistaken, the playful cocktail replaces the classic Negroni’s gin with prosecco, adding a lightness to the bitter and sophisticated vermouth and campari combo. And whilst the traditional Negroni recipe doesn’t always call for bitters, it’s perfectly complemented by ANGOSTURA®!

Appetising aperitivi

The Mediterranean aperitivo tradition is having a moment, highlighting fresh and light cocktails ideal for afternoon sipping and pre-dinner appetisers, and evoking sun-drenched terraces and Italian piazzas. We’re talking creative spritzes that go way beyond the Aperol Spritz that sparked the trend - and the Negroni, both classic and sbagliato features large on this list.

A taste for nostalgia

The classics hold strong. According to consumer trend reports, all age-groups are experiencing a nostalgia for the stalwarts of the past that inspire a retro buzz: dry Martinis, whether shaken or stirred; straightforward Highballs; and of course the easy-to-love Old Fashioned with a dash of ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters. Simple enough to make at home, or elevated by a bartender with the occasional twist, these classics centre around top-quality spirits (minus umbrellas and tiki-inspired frills). Classic sours also make the retro hitlist: Margaritas, Sidecars and Whiskey Sours.

Local ingredients

The drive towards sustainability and local flavours continues to show up in our bars as well as our fine-dining establishments. Cooking up home-made cordials and foraging for wild ingredients results in showstopping combinations, as at a notable recent collab between two World’s 50 Best Bars Where a week spent together foraging and exploring the local landscapes culminated in a cocktail-pairing lunch with outside-the-box cocktails featuring ingredients such as kelp, beetroot, plum, chamomile and fynbos. While this was a one-off event, look out for local-is-lekker twists that turn a global classic into something with a truly South African flavour.

Low or no alcohol 

The mindful consumption mindset, beside driving the sustainability focus, is demanding bars up their game on low or no alcohol cocktail offerings. The mocktail is no longer something to mock. Popular culture movements such as Dry January, OcSober, or just wanting to drive home sober after a night out while still having fun, means that alcohol-free cocktails are now de rigueur on the menu, and becoming as complex and thoughtful as their more spirited siblings. ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters contains 44.7% alcohol by volume, however each dash contains a small amount of alcohol that when added to a drink, it is nearly negligible. This is why the Rock Shandy is classed as a non-alcoholic drink. No longer just glorified fruit juice concoctions, expect to find sophisticated recipes that include a new breed of non- or low-alcoholic spirits balanced with ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters, among other spicy highlights.

Cheers to a new year of sensational sipping!

For more information on the Angostura range and delicious food and cocktail recipes please visit www.angosturabitters.com.

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