Miss Popularity - Currents

Cheers, March, 2002

What's the latest in on-premise trends? It's a question we at Cheers ask, and are asked, all the time. Now, for some answers, Adams Business Research, the number-crunching wing of the Cheers family, offers some insight.

Ontrac, a program that gathers info about on-premise trends through the observations of bartenders and bar managers, has interviewed more than 3,800 hard-working bar folk in 31 major markets across the country to gather their data. The results?

Margaritas remain the most popular mixed drink (21% of respondents), with Vodka and Tonic (7.5%), Martinis (6.1%) and Rum and Cokes (5.9%) the next most popular in all outlets combined. When broken into formal restaurants, informal/family restaurants, hotels/clubs and bars/taverns, Margaritas maintain their lead in all but the latter. Martinis are the second most popular in formal operations, Long Island Iced Teas in informal units and V&Ts in hotels and clubs. In bars and taverns, the number one is Rum and Coke, followed by V&T. The vaunted Cosmopolitan? The highest it ranks is fourth in formal restaurants.

Bailey's and Grand Marnier are the most popular after dinner drinks in the survey, and in the emerging spirit category, Grey Goose, Absolut Mandrin, Ketel One and six other vodkas take nine of the top eleven spots. In formal restaurants, the vodka power is felt even more: all ten top emerging spirits are vodka, mostly imported.

The study also offers insight into how customers trade up to higher-priced wines, and what percentages of beverages are sold at the bar as opposed to the restaurant table.

For more information about Ontrac or any of the Adams Business Research programs and products, call Andrew Esham, V.P., Strategic Markets, Adams Business Research at 206-709-4112.