Beer, wine and spirits: what you need to stock this summer

What to serve this year – check out the latest drinks trends

Beer

Annabel Smith is an award-winning independent Beer Sommelier and training specialist with over 30 years’ experience in on-trade. She’s the founder of Beerbelle.

Draught lager

Mainstream big-name lagers still pull through the biggest volume, but the world lager category is in huge growth. These brands give customers a chance to ‘trade-up’ to premium brands such as Madrí or Birra Moretti, and they retail at a higher price point.

Draught ale

Keg craft beer – especially pale ale such as Level Head IPA – is a must-have. It’s an ideal gateway drink to get consumers to experiment with cask ale. During summer opt for a blonde or golden cask ale, and make sure it’s a recognised local, regional, or national brand.

Packaged beer

Bottles and cans allow you to experiment with different styles of beer without risking wastage. Aim for an interesting selection and include a wheat beer, a sour, a fruit beer and most definitely some low- and no-alcohol options.

Annabel’s advice on margins

One of the biggest enemies of draught beer quality is throughputs: how quickly the beer is selling. Too many brands on the bar competing with each other leads to slower throughputs and as a result the quality is compromised. This leads to wastage, which has a negative impact on margin. Review your range regularly and delist slow sellers. Aim to sell a cask within three days, and a keg within five days. Go for quality over quantity.

Spirits

Pritesh Mody is a regular on Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch and owner of World of Zing, where his innovative pre-mixed cocktails have shaken up the cocktail world.

Spiced rum

It’s all about good quality rum and pairing with some of the newer dry-style ginger beers which are flavour-forward. Don’t forget to use spiced rum in your mojito cocktails too.

Amaro

Aperol has soared in popularity and customers are looking to try different aperitivo spritzes.

There are plenty of other blends that give the same fruity profile as Aperol and Campari, which are just as delicious served with tonic as the prosecco and soda spritzes.

Spritzes have a lower ABV than gin and vodka drinks which means they are a perfect summer option and great for customers looking for something lighter.

Tequila

We’re talking 100% agave tequila. It’s become so popular that the Mexican producers can’t make it fast enough. This summer, use it to create long fresh serves.

Pritesh’s 2023 favourites

This summer, the spritz is our main focus for new product launches with a variety of different flavours. We’ve had lots of requests from our on-trade customers for new tequila and rum pre-made cocktails so there will be new mixes available too.

Passion fruit is very popular at present. It’s a key ingredient of the Porn Star Martini which should still be a mainstay of your cocktail menu. We know customers are asking for the fruit in a wider variety of drinks so we’ve been exploring adding it to spritzes and in margaritas to give a delicious twist.

Wine

Douglas Blythe is a drinks columnist and consultant, who was delighted to be realised as a cocktail called The ‘Jekyll & Blyde’ served at Fortnum & Mason’s 181, Hong Kong.

New grapes

Expect increasing excitement in wines made with indigenous grape varieties, including Chablis-like Assyrtiko from Greece and Pinot Noir-esque Nerello Mascalese from the slopes of Etna in Sicily.

Frosé

A wine slushy with lemon juice, sugar and strawberries, posh ‘frosé’ will be celebrated as the mercury rises. The best way to create them is using slushy machines. Use one to churn pale Provence rosé into an enticingly light icy serve, sipped through a biodegradable straw with tapas.

English wine

We’ve shown the world we can sparkle when it comes to our homegrown fizz – next, more wine lists will feature still examples, including highly rated reds reaped from decent vintages such as 2018 and 2020. Gently chill to suit warmer days.

Douglas’ tips

Keep your bottles in the dark! Especially relevant for wines and champagnes bottled in clear glass. UV rays can alter the contents within moments, particularly from the summer sun, converting fresh flavours into off-boiled vegetable aromas. The effect is known in the trade as ‘light strike’.

You can coax more richness from fine sparkling wines by serving them in tulip-shaped white wine glasses rather than restrictive narrow flutes – try it!