Overproof Shares Alcohol Bar Menu Trends for Tales of the Cocktail

Nick Nistico (0:09)

Hello everyone and thank you for taking the time to look into the Overproof Breaking Down the Bar report. I’m really excited for this presentation today and looking forward to showing you some insights and data associated with top influencer accounts across the country in ways never done before in our industry. This report analyzes data from 135 top influencing venues in the U.S. nominated for the 2023 Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards, tracking 1,248 cocktails, 324 suppliers, and 898 brands. This cocktail coverage is 40% higher than the national average, proving that these top accounts monetize more of their menus by securing menu placements for top brands.

Nick Nistico (1:33)

When analyzing menu presence, Campari America holds a sizable lead over Bacardi among top suppliers, while Haus Alpenz surprisingly creeps into a top-three position—a true testament to bartender advocacy for niche brands. Angostura Bitters dominates as the top modifier, followed by Campari, Koki, and Chartreuse (which retains a top-five spot despite market allocations). Gray Goose leads in base spirits, closely followed by London Dry gins like Tanqueray and Fords Gin, while Del Maguey remains the preferred Mezcal base spirit. Category-wise, Amaro maintains a massive lead over base spirits due to dedicated Amaro menu curation.

Nick Nistico (3:34)

Looking at venue penetration (yes/no presence across a portfolio), Campari again takes a leading spot due to essential menu staples like Appleton, Wild Turkey, Campari, and Aperol. Chartreuse holds the number two modifier spot inside venues. In base spirits, Mezcal leads over vodka, with St. George Spirits tying Hendricks for the number three position. On overall menu presence (combining spirits lists and cocktail menus), Beam Suntory, Pernod Ricard, and Campari dominate, while bourbon retains a strong 5% menu lead over tequila despite tequila’s national retail volume surge.

Nick Nistico (5:45)

Breaking down performance across award categories, Pernod Ricard leads in Best Restaurant Bar and Best Cocktail Bar, Beam Suntory leads in Best Bar Team and Best New Cocktail Bar, and Diageo maintains its lead in Best Hotel Bar. Among top brands, St. George Spirits shines in Best Cocktail Bar, The Macallan dominates luxury hotel accounts in Best Hotel Bar, and Old Forester alongside Del Maguey serve as the leading “workhorse” base spirits for price-to-quality in Best New Cocktail Bar.

Nick Nistico (7:25)

The undisputed king of cocktails remains the Martini, whose strong resurgence continues to drive top brand shifts for base spirits like Gray Goose and Hendricks. Category highlights across top venues include:

• Amaro: Campari leads, with modern, experimental mixology cocktails outstripping traditional Negroni variations.
• Bourbon: Maker’s Mark holds the number one spot both in influencer accounts and nationwide.
• Rum & Gin: Plantation Rum solidifies its status in craft mixology bars, while Hendricks leads gin in modern cocktail applications.
• Tequila & Vodka: Altos Olmeca Tequila returns to the top spot, while Gray Goose makes a massive comeback to lead both base spirits and the vodka category.
• Rye & Mezcal: Rittenhouse Rye remains the tried-and-true workhorse rye for bar managers, and Del Maguey continues to dominate the Mezcal space.

Nick Nistico (16:18)

This report offers a small glimpse into Overproof’s database of over 200,000 U.S. venues and 2 million tracked menus. If you would like to apply these on-premise menu insights to your route-to-market strategy, please reach out to an Overproof representative. On behalf of Park Street and Overproof, thank you for your time, and enjoy the full Breaking Down the Bar report!