drinksint.

com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 03

F 2021 WASN’T THE YEAR we hoped for, it was an

i
improvement on 2020 for most markets. With the
rollout of the vaccine globally, we saw the
lockdown of bars as a last, rather than first, resort,
and other restrictions – curfews, alcohol
restrictions and distancing – became less and less 04 HOW WE DID IT
defining interventions as the year grew old. Not uninterrupted
trading by any means, but bars were trading in most markets in
07 BARTENDERS’ CHOICE
2021, most of the time. 09 RUM
The question this report seeks to answer, is how bars’ – and by
corollary consumers’ – buying decisions evolved over the last year, 1O GIN
and to what extent the pandemic impacted buying behaviour? 13 AMERICAN WHISKEY
Over the year, we have seen different theories proffered. Would
the public re-enter bars looking to be comforted by the big brands 16 SCOTCH
they know and love, or did an experimental mood emerge from the
lonely nights in lockdown, with more nimble, less conventional
18 IRISH WHISKEY
brands clawing share? Well, if our report is anything to go by, there 21 WORLD WHISKIES
has been no revolution; the brands that pass through these pages
are, by and large, the same as before the pandemic. There’s been an
22 VODKA
evolution, but it’s hard to put this down to much more than natural 24 COGNAC
year-on-year deviation.
In this channel, it’s about big brands (mostly super-premium in 27 BRANDY
positioning) with quality liquid – two qualities that describe nearly 28 PISCO
all of those featured in our leagues. Diageo, Bacardi and Pernod
Ricard still dominate the house pours in our sample of the world’s 3O TEQUILA
best bars (more on our methodology on p4), and pretty much in
that order. Of the top six categories in the high-end bars (see the
31 CACHAÇA
category list on p58), Diageo takes first in gin, American whiskey, 33 MEZCAL
tequila and scotch, while Bacardi wins rum and vodka. Meanwhile,
in the smaller categories in the bar channel, Pernod Ricard takes
35 COCKTAIL BITTERS
its share of the winner’s medals, along with some of the small and 36 LIQUEURS
medium-sized players.
If our category lists are about the bestselling and trending 38 VERMOUTH
brands, we kick off this report with our Bartenders’ Choice 4O SHERRY
list (p7), where our survey respondents vote on their
favourite brands, regardless of categories or what sells 42 BEER
best in their bar. We then delve into the brands that 44 CHAMPAGNE
are most suitable for some of the world’s bestselling
classic cocktails (p49), the list of which (p51) is the 45 NON-ALCOHOLIC SPIRITS
most-read article we write. Spoiler: there is a new
number one cocktail this year. It’s a case in point – in
46 MIXERS
all the leagues of the Brands Report over the years, there 49 BRANDS IN COCKTAILS
has been a consistency and a sense of slow-moving
progress – not even a global pandemic could
51 THE BESTSELLING CLASSIC
change that. COCKTAILS
Hamish Smith
Editor, Brands Report
58 SPIRITS

BARS EDITOR ART DIRECTOR COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR ACCOUNTS

Hamish Smith
+44 (0)1293 590045
hamish.smith@drinksint.com
NEWS & WEB EDITOR
Shay Waterworth
+44 (0)1293 590046
shay.waterworth@drinksint.com
REPORTER
Oli Dodd
oli.dodd@agilemedia.co.uk
Christine Freeman
christine.freeman@agilemedia.co.uk +44 (0)1293 590043
ART EDITOR
James Down
james.down@agilemedia.co.uk
PRODUCTION EDITOR
Jaq Bayles
+44 (0)1293 590048
jaq.bayles@drinksint.com
Rob Cullen
rob.cullen@drinksint.com
SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER
Carmen Poel Francesch
+44 (0)1293 590042
carmen.poel@drinksint.com
PUBLISHER
Justin Smith
+44 (0)1293 590041
justin.smith@drinksint.com
Annette O’Connell
+44 (0)1293 590051
annette.oconnell@agilemedia.
co.uk
MANAGING DIRECTOR
Russell Dodd
+44 (0)1293 590052
russell.dodd@drinksint.com
COVER IMAGE: ISTOCK.COM/SUBMAN
DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
Jubilee House, 56-58 Church Walk,
Burgess Hill, West Sussex
RH15 9AN United Kingdom
TEL:+44 (0)1293 590040
FAX:+44 (0) 1293 474010
WWW.drinksint.com
 NORTH AMERICA
■ CANADA
■ PANAMA
■ PUERTO RICO

How we
■ US

did it
HAMISH SMITH DELIVERS THE BACKGROUND TO
THE VOTING IN THE ANNUAL BRANDS REPORT 12%

HE BRANDS past 12 months, 5% of

t REPORT, now
in its 13th year,
delves into the
buying behaviour at the
elite end of the bar
business through a poll of
the world’s best bars (more
on how we define this
later). The object is not to
gain a wide insight into
thousands of bars but
those that operate at the
most influential end of the
pyramid, so we limit
participation to a group of
100 bars, which complete
detailed questionnaires on
their spirits buying habits.
This invitation-only
sample is made up of
venues that have appeared
in recent editions of The
Word’s 50 Best Bars (1-100),
Tales of the Cocktail’s
Spirited Awards, Top 500
Bars, plus regional awards
such as Asia’s 50 Best Bars
and Germany’s Mixology
Awards; and countrywide
awards: the Class Bar
Awards, Australian
Bartender Awards and the
Time Out Awards from
various markets around
the world. As fewer awards
have taken place in the
those invited to take part
were ‘Editor’s picks’ – bars
of high regard in areas
which have seen less
travel due to pandemic
restrictions.
As our pool of bars
rotates each year, it tracks
to the success stories of
the industry. Of course, a
balance has to be found
between narrowing in
on the parts of the world
where the most elite
bars exist and achieving
a global geographical
spread. This year, the 100
bars taking part in the
survey were drawn from 36
countries. As you’d expect,
markets with a high
concentration of top-end
bars are represented
accordingly. Europe, with
strong bar scenes across
many developed drinks
markets, made up 40%
of the sample. Sixteen
countries in Europe
contributed bars, led by
France, Italy, the UK and
Spain. By way of example,
50 Best 2021 bars Baba Au
Rum, 1930, Drink Kong,
El Copitas, Two Schmucks
and Tjoget all took part.
AS
OUR
POOL OF
BARS
ROTATES
EACH YEAR,
IT TRACKS
TO THE
SUCCESS
STORIES OF
THE
INDUSTRY
Representing its huge
strides in recent years,
Asia made up 21% of the
sample of the world’s best
bars. Bars from seven
Asian countries took part,
with Singapore, China,
Japan and Thailand
providing the most. Coa
from Hong Kong, SG Club
from Tokyo and Jigger &
Pony in Singapore were
among those taking part.
In previous years, South
America was perhaps
under-represented in
our sample, which we
addressed this year – for
15%
2022, 15% of the pool was
from South America, led
by Argentina, Brazil and
Colombia, including two
of those that have featured
on 50 Best lists – Tres
Monos and Alquimico.
North America,
meanwhile, is led by
the US, with bars such
as Attaboy, Smuggler’s
Cove and Crown Shy
taking part. Australasia –
essentially Australia and
New Zealand – made up
7% of our sample, with
Maybe Sammy and Clipper
two notable inclusions.
 EUROPE
South america
■ AUSTRIA
■ ARGENTINA
■ BRAZIL
■ CYPRUS
■ DENMARK
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 05
■ COLOMBIA ■ ESTONIA
■ PERU ■ FRANCE
■ GERMANY
■ GREECE ASIA
■ ITALY
africa & Middle east ■ NORWAY ■ CHINA
■ PORTUGAL ■ INDONESIA
■ SOUTH AFRICA ■ RUSSIA ■ JAPAN
■ LEBANON ■ SPAIN ■ MALAYSIA
■ UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ■ SWEDEN ■ SINGAPORE
■ SWITZERLAND ■ SOUTH KOREA
■ THE NETHERLANDS ■ THAILAND
■ UK

Australasia
■ AUSTRALIA
■ NEW ZEALAND

4o%
21%

5%

7%

Finally, Africa & the bestselling brand, even
Middle East contributed in the best bars in the
5% of bars, with UAE, world, earns its place
Lebanon and South Africa on more than taste, so
all featuring. we also wanted to know
the brands that are not
BUYING HABITS necessarily doing huge
We asked bar owners, volumes but are on trend.
head bartenders and bar This is where the Trending
managers to open up lists come in. Within these
their spreadsheets and tables are the brands
divulge their bars’ buying customers are increasingly
habits. Each respondent asking for, perhaps
was asked to rank their because of word of mouth
three bestselling products or even on bartenders’
in each spirit category recommendations. Often
(plus selected wine, beer, the brands that figure
modifiers and mixers). A highly in the Trending list
move on to the Bestselling
list the following year, as
curiosity and excitement
THE transition to weight of
CLASSICS sales.
SECTION IS The Bartenders’ Choice
THE LIST list is where we see what
WITH THE bartenders themselves
WIDEST prize most, irrespective
APPEAL – of what sells best or what
PERHAPS is trending. So, brands
LED BY here have the kudos of
CONSUMERS bartender love, if not
necessarily sales. But,
if Drinks International’s
website viewing numbers
are anything to go by,
the Bestselling Classics
section is the list with the
widest appeal – perhaps
led by consumers. Here
we see classics ranked
from one to 50 – it’s a slow-
moving list but trends are
discernible, particularly
over a period of years. We
finish with the Spirits list,
where we track the most
used categories. While
these lists are snapshots
– by no means unit-by-
unit accurate – over the
years they have yielded
consistent results, which
reassures us of the insight
they provide.

bartenders’ choice
THIS IS THE CATEGORY EVERY BRAND ASPIRES TO LAND A SPOT IN, AND
OVER THE YEARS HAS PROVED BARTENDERS DEFINITELY HAVE FAVOURITES
ROBABLY OF
p ALL THE
LEAGUES in
the Annual
Brands Report, a place in
the Bartenders’ Choice list
is the most sought-after
among brands. After all,
this is a list of the loved –
the brands that bartenders
not only drink, but
cherish. Interestingly, you
don’t see too many Flash
Harry brands, more world-
class liquids that don’t cost
the earth. This league has
no category boundaries –
it is across all spirits – but
even with such a wide
scope, fewer than 50
brands have appeared in
this list over the 13 years
we’ve been polling. Where
bartenders are concerned,
there definitely are
favourites.
So, to the top. Once
again it is Tanqueray
which plants its flag at the
summit of the spirit world.
Be it the classic Tanqueray,
the augmented Tanqueray
No. Ten or the offshoot
limited editions, this is
a love affair that goes
way back. It hasn’t been
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 07
Bartenders’ Choice since
THIS
2018, but this is the sixth
time the Diageo gin has
taken the title. It has also
Bartenders’
Choice Brand
1
LEAGUE HAS made our Top 10 list 12 out TANQUERAY
NO of 13 times. 2
CATEGORY If Tanqueray competes PLANTATION
BOUNDARIES with any brand in this 3
– IT IS ranking, it is Plantation. DIPLOMATICO
ACROSS ALL The Maison Ferrand 4
MICHTER’S
SPIRITS rum finds the balance 5
between quality house THE MACALLAN
pour led by its 3 Stars line 6
and higher-end blends SUNTORY
that take in the gamut of 7
DEL MAGUEY
styles from rum producers 8
around the world. It JOHNNIE WALKER
topped our list three years 9
straight but for 2021 places MONKEY 47
10
second. OCHO
In third is Diplomatico,
which surprisingly makes
its debut in this list of
bartenders’ favourites. and ryes bartenders love,
Surprising in that it hasn’t Michter’s is always in the
been here before. The conversation.
Venezuelan rum brand has The Macallan also makes
long-targeted bartenders its debut this year, and
with its rich, sweet-style though more of a luxury
rums, making frequent single malt, it is appreciated
appearances on menus of by bartenders as much
top bars. as collectors. Which is
In fourth is the family- something that could be
owned Michter’s, which said for Suntory too – it
follows up last year’s takes sixth place in our list.
second spot with another Del Maguey, in seventh,
strong showing. This is a craft brand that
is very much about the has come to define the
liquid, with the Kentucky- international mezcal
based American whiskey category, while Johnnie
brand garnering a Walker has long been a
following for its No.1 power in the bar world
Straight Whiskey flagship, globally. Monkey 47, which
which heads up a stable makes its fifth appearance
of fine higher-ticket lines. in a row, still has cult
It might not always be status, while Ocho in 10th
the bestseller, but when was a bartender brand
it comes to the bourbon from birth.

Rum
THERE’S LITTLE CHANGE IN BARTENDERS’ ALLEGIANCES WHEN IT
COMES TO THIS CATEGORY
HE USUAL
t CROWD have
populated this
year’s
bestselling rum list. In
fact, nine of the 10 brands
remain a constant, with
the first seven in the
ranking identical to the
previous year.
At the very top is
Bacardi, whose dominance
reigns supreme with
almost a quarter of our
polled bars declaring
it their house pour. Its
popularity is largely
driven by the ongoing
success of its Carta Blanca
expression and premium
aged rums, which benefit
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 09
from Bacardí’s significant story from the bestselling
distribution power and
the ongoing success
of its Bacardí Legacy
list this year is the
introduction of Flor de
Caña. The sustainably-
BestSelling
Brands
1
programme. ARGUABLY focused Nicaraguan brand BACARDI
Bacardi’s traditional THE launched its inaugural 2
rival, Havana Club, cocktail competition in HAVANA CLUB
narrowly fended off
BIGGEST 2021 and continues to work 3
Plantation to retain its STORY with the high-end on-trade PLANTATION
number two ranking, with FROM to deliver more sustainable 4
DIPLOMATICO
just one bar’s house pour THIS YEAR solutions to bartending. 5
separating the two brands. IS FLOR Flor de Caña received APPLETON ESTATE
Plantation, which is due DE CAÑA nearly 10% of the overall 6
RON ZACAPA
to undergo a rebrand by votes and finds a place
owner Maison Ferrand, in the top trending 7
EL DORADO
was the number one rum ranking, along with 8
in 13% of the best bars in the highly respected FLOR DE CAÑA
the business and remains Bajan rum Foursquare, 9
one of the industry’s most whose cult following MATUSALEM
10
popular brands. appears to be gaining MOUNT GAY
Arguably the biggest momentum. Under the
stewardship of Richard
Seale, Foursquare’s rums
have taken some of the Top Trending
biggest tasting awards in Brands
the business, including 1
Supreme Spirit in the PLANTATION
International Spirits 2
Challenge. This reputation DIPLOMATICO
is now dispersing wider
3
BACARDI
than just to rum geeks 4
and industry folk to reach APPLETON ESTATE
more consumers in the 5
world’s elite bars and RON ZACAPA
6
could be a brand we see FLOR DE CAÑA
break into the bestselling 7
list in the near future. MATUSALEM
It’s also interesting to 8
see Wray & Nephew sneak EL DORADO
9
on to the top trending FOURSQUARE
list as the Jamaican cult 10
classic has always been WRAY & NEPHEW
synonymous with tiki
bars, yet evidence would
suggest the overproof rum
is gaining attention on
high-end backbars around
the world.
10 drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
GIN
TANQUERAY IS BACK AT THE TOP IN THE MOST POPULAR SPIRIT
CATEGORY IN THE WORLD’S BEST BARS
OPPING GIN
t FOR seven of
the last nine
years,
Tanqueray is once again
king gin. The Diageo brand,
famed for its juniper-
forward Tanqueray London
Dry and Tanqueray No. Ten
gins, was the house choice
in 25% of the world’s best
bars. Amid a swarm of
launches in recent years,
such consistency has to be
admired. Tanqueray was
found to be among the
top-two gins in bars in 41%
of cases and in almost a
half it was in the medal
positions.
Gin is the number
one spirit in the world’s
best bars so this
equates to big volumes
of the aforementioned
expressions, but the brand in some markets) remains
is kept fresh with spin-off
SKUs. Last year we saw
Blackcurrant Royale and
the jewel in the crown. It
was the house in 14% of
bars polled, but strong
BestSelling
Brands
1
the gin-not-gin Tanqueray HENDRICK’S in the flanks, with 37% TANQUERAY
Alcohol Free. IS NOW VERY naming it among their three 2
Bombay’s time at the COMPETITIVE bestselling gins. BOMBAY
top last year was rather WITH THE Beefeater too is led by 3
short lived, but it took BIG THREE its classic London Dry, its BEEFEATER
the runner-up place this super-premium 24 and 4
HENDRICK’S
year, which is a marked a host of trend-chasing 5
improvement on its third- flavours (Pink… you can MONKEY 47
fourth places finishes from guess the rest), but here in 6
2013-2020. The Bacardi- discerning bartender land CITADELLE
owned brand, famed for it’s the classic juniper recipe 7
GIN MARE
its vapour infusion, has an that finds its way into house 8
ever-widening family which pours. More than Bombay, ROKU
now includes Bombay actually, though finishes 9
Sapphire Premier Cru and third as it was found to be GORDON’S
10
special editions Bombay a top-three gin in under a FORDS
English Estate and Bombay third of bars polled.
Sunset. By the time you read Hendrick’s is now very
this, there may be a new competitive with the big
Bombay, but the original three. The William Grant Top Trending
Sapphire (and Bombay Dry & Sons brand is more of Brands
gin-on-the-side for most 1
bars though, with 27% MONKEY 47
saying it was their second 2
or third choice. It’s a TANQUERAY
drop down from there,
3
BOTANIST
with Pernod’s Monkey 4
47 jumping a place. The ROKU
only way is up with this 5
botanically greedy German HENDRICK’S
6
gin – it’s been the top GIN MARE
trending brand every year 7
since anyone can remember. FOUR PILLARS
It was a top-three gin in 18% 8
of bars polled. BEEFEATER
9
Meanwhile Citadelle, FORDS
Gin Mare, Roku, Gordon’s 10
and Fords were each found NEVER NEVER
to be a top-three gin in
8-13% of bars polled. With
so much gin slung in bars,
even the crumbs left by the
big brands can make for
hearty sales.

American whiskey
IT’S TIGHT AT THE TOP, WITH JUST THREE VOTES SEPARATING THE TRIO
OF MOST POPULAR POURS
IAGEO’S
d BULLEIT JUST
about retained
its position as
the bestselling American
whiskey in the World’s
Best Bars. Having been
named the top seller in
20% of polled venues, the
Kentucky straight bourbon
is hugely popular with
bartenders across the
globe, but just one vote
separated it from Sazerac’s
Buffalo Trace.
In fact, only three votes
separated the top three
whiskies in the list ,with
Beam Suntory’s Maker’s
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 13
Mark completing the
podium. The top three
whiskies combined
accounted for almost half
THE TOP
THREE
COMBINED
BestSelling
Brands
1
of the house pours in the ACCOUNTED FOR BULLEIT
industry’s most revered ALMOST HALF OF 2
bars. THE HOUSE POURS BUFFALO TRACE
Michter’s remains sturdy 3
in fifth with a solid set of MAKER’S MARK
votes in 2021, a result of its Jack Daniel’s, one of the 4
WOODFORD RESERVE
cult following among the biggest names in whiskey, 5
global bar industry. The sat just one place below MICHTER’S
Kentucky brand is a big Michter’s in terms of 6
supporter of the trade and, ranking in the bestselling JACK DANIEL’S
given the popularity of its list, but significantly below
7
WILD TURKEY
10-year-old-plus expressions in terms of votes, with 8
it’s no wonder Michter’s sits around 5% less. FOUR ROSES
atop the trending list for Another heavyweight 9
successive years. on the list is Jim Beam, JIM BEAM
10
which has made the RITTENHOUSE
bestselling ranking this
year at number nine and,
of the bars serving three or
more American whiskies,
the million-case brand Top Trending
received 16% of the votes. Brands
Hanging on to its spot at 1
the bottom of the list is MICHTER’S
Heaven Hill’s Rittenhouse 2
and, while the rye whiskey WOODFORD RESERVE
wasn’t the house pour
3
BUFFALO TRACE
in a single venue, it took 4
an impressive 10% of the BULLEIT
second-choice whiskies 5
in our poll – twice that of MAKER’S MARK
6
Bulleit. WILD TURKEY
Elijah Craig, the 7
super-premium bourbon ELIJAH CRAIG
produced by Heaven Hill, 8
is the biggest absentee JACK DANIEL’S
9
from the bestselling list HEAVEN HILL
this year, having missed 10
out on the top 10 by JIM BEAM
only a few votes, but its
solid position in the top
trending section suggests a
comeback in 2023 is on the
cards.
16 drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
scotch whisky
WHILE THE TOP 10 BESTELLERS ARE THE SAME AS LAST YEAR, THERE
HAS BEEN SOME SHUFFLING IN THE ORDER
T SEEMS
i LOYALTY
remains strong
within the
scotch whisky sector given
the same 10 brands make
up the bestselling list in
2022 as the previous year,
albeit in a different order.
The unsurprising
constant is Diageo’s
Johnnie Walker, which is
flying high – or walking
fast – among the industry’s
elite. Once again it is the
most popular brand within
the World’s Best Bars and
was voted the number one
scotch in almost a quarter
of the polled venues. In
fact, the blended scotch is
so dominant that it was a
top-three choice of almost
half the participating bars
and, with the opening of its
THE
CONSTANT
IS DIAGEO’S
BestSelling
Brands
1
flagship visitor experience JOHNNIE WALKER, JOHNNIE WALKER
in Edinburgh earlier this WHICH IS FLYING 2
year, the brand is only HIGH MONKEY SHOULDER
going in one direction. 3
While the top 10 THE BALVENIE
bestselling scotch brands on-trade since day one, and 4
THE MACALLAN
are majority single malts, its approachability makes it 5
William Grant & Sons’ easy for bartenders to work LAPHROAIG
Monkey Shoulder secured with. 6
the runner-up spot with Completing the podium TALISKER
ease to make it a solid is The Balvenie, which
7
GLENFIDDICH
one-two for blends – albeit also takes the crown for 8
in this case a blended malt. the bestselling single CHIVAS REGAL
Despite only being a little malt, narrowly ahead of 9
over 15 years old, the brand The Macallan. The two ARDBEG
10
has been pushed hard by Speyside malts are the DEWAR’S
William Grant & Sons in the preferred option among
the industry’s top bars,
with both whiskies being a
top-three choice for around
20% of our polled bars. Top Trending
In terms of the top Brands
trending scotch whisky 1
brands, Bruichladdich has JOHNNIE WALKER
crept on to the list while 2
Johnnie Walker looks set THE MACALLAN
to continue its dominance
3
MONKEY SHOULDER
in 2022 as it rides high on 4
both our rankings. COMPASS BOX
The most likely brand 5
to upset the rather settled ARDBEG
6
bestselling list next TALISKER
year is blended scotch 7
Compass Box, which sits THE BALVENIE
fourth in the trending list. 8
Meanwhile, Highland BRUICHLADDICH
9
single malt Glenmorangie, GLENMORANGIE
which narrowly missed out 10
on the bestselling list, is NAKED MALT
a possibility for next year
given its introduction to
the trending ranks and a
ramp up from LVMH in its
on-trade activations.
18 drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
irish whiskey
PREMIUM IRISH WHISKEY CONTINUES TO GROW IN POPULARITY AS
BARTENDERS RECOGNISE ITS WORTH TO CONSUMERS
F YOU HAD to
i bet your house
on one brand
topping a list, it
would probably be
Jameson in the Irish
whiskey category. The
continued dominance of
the Midleton Distillery’s
flagship brand sees it
named a top-three pour in
79% of the World’s Best
Bars. Having shifted nearly
8 million 9-litre cases in
2020, it outsells the second
biggest volume brand,
Tullamore Dew, more than
six times over, and with
the extensive marketing
and distribution power of
Pernod Ricard it’s no
wonder the popular
whiskey appears in all the
major bars around the
world.
JAMESON
OUTSELLS
TULLAMORE
BestSelling
Brands
1
Bushmills has claimed DEW MORE THAN JAMESON
the runner-up spot in SIX TIMES OVER 2
2022, with around 10% of BUSHMILLS
the polled bars declaring 3
the Northern Irish TULLAMORE DEW
whiskey its house pour. bestselling list provides 4
REDBREAST
Midleton’s second-biggest an interesting insight into 5
brand, Redbreast, tightly the growing premium TEELING
contested Tullamore Dew Irish whiskey category. 6
for the third place and it Teeling, which despite GREEN SPOT
was the William Grant falling down the ranks to
7
ROE & CO
& Sons brand which fifth, remains the second 8
narrowly took bronze, most popular house pour CONNEMARA
with almost 20% claiming among our list of bars and 9
it was their second most Diageo’s Roe & Co has THE DEAD RABBIT
10
popular Irish whiskey. climbed a spot to seventh GLENDALOUGH
The rest of the – a sign of big things to
come for the Dublin-based
brand. Former World’s
Best Bar, The Dead Rabbit,
launched its namesake Top Trending
whiskey in 2018 under Brands
contract with the Dublin 1
Liberties distillery and its JAMESON
appearance in this year’s 2
bestselling list suggests REDBREAST
the beginning of a cult
3
TEELING
following among the 4
industry’s elite venues. GREEN SPOT
Looking to the future, 5
Jameson’s position atop TULLAMORE DEW
6
the trending list suggests BUSHMILLS
the Midleton brand will be 7
strong as ever in 2023 with GLENDALOUGH
Redbreast establishing 8
itself as a clear second METHOD & MADNESS
9
option. A return to form THE DEAD RABBIT
for Teeling next year is 10
also a probability rather ROE & CO
than a possibility given its
third-place finish in the
trending list and a host of
interesting products lined
up to hit the market.

World whiskies
JAPAN TAKES THE TOP PLAUDITS AGAIN, BUT CANADA, INDIA,
AUSTRALIA AND TAIWAN ALSO MAKE STRONG SHOWINGS
UNTORY HAS
s ENDED Nikka’s
six-year reign
as the most
popular world whisky in
the Brands Report. The two
Japanese whisky producers
have consistently filled the
top two spots but at last
Suntory has leapfrogged its
rival. Suntory, best known
for its Yamazaki single malt,
which was crowned The
World’s Most Admired
Whisky brand 2021, proved
most popular across the
board with its Hakushu,
Chita, Hibiki and Toki
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 21
expressions completing a
formidable portfolio.
Suntory was the house pour
in 29% of venues and
ASIA’S
INFLUENCE
ON THE
BestSelling
Brands
1
among the top-three world WORLD WHISKY SUNTORY
whiskies in 57%, while CATEGORY IS 2
Nikka was slightly more FORMIDABLE NIKKA
likely to be the go-to – with 3
34% -–but less likely to be a CANADIAN CLUB
supporting whisky. It was a world whisky category is 4
KAVALAN
top-three in 54% of cases. formidable and Taiwanese 5
Largely driven by its hugely brand Kavalan, while ICHIRO’S
celebrated Nikka by the dropping one place in our 6
Barrel, the Nikka family bestselling list to fourth, is CROWN ROYAL
also includes Yoichi, no exception. Known best
7
WHISTLEPIG
Miyagikyo, Taketsuru and for its sherry cask finishes, 8
Coffey Grain/Malt whiskies. Kavalan was third choice YAMAZAKURA
Asia’s influence on the in more bars than any 9
other brand around the AMRUT
10
world. STARWARD
Elsewhere, a healthy
spread of international
whisky from Canada,
India, Australia and
Taiwan all featured in Top Trending
the bestselling list, while Brands
Canadian-American hybrid 1
whisky Whistlepig is the NIKKA
only new brand in 2022, 2
entering at number seven. SUNTORY
The highest climber
3
KAVALAN
from last year is 4
Japanese brand CHICHIBU
Ichiro’s, whose 5
industry following AMRUT
continues to grow for
founder Ichiro Akuto,
the same man behind
Chichibu, which
features on the list of
top trending brands.
Ichiro’s rise
has knocked Lot 40
from the bestselling
list, which is a
surprise omission
for the Canadian rye
whiskey.
22 drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
vodka
GREY GOOSE HAS STOLEN THE BESTSELLING CROWN HELD BY KETEL
ONE FOR THE PAST NINE YEARS
UST AS KETEL
j ONE was on
the precipice of
completing the
perfect 10, in swoops Grey
Goose to snatch the vodka
crown. So what happened?
Well, sure the sample of
bars polled evolves from
year to year, taking in new
perspectives, but it always
has – and Ketel One has
been number one for nine
rankings straight. The
thing that appears to have
changed is that Ketel One’s
grip on supremacy has
slowly been loosening – in
the 2020 list 32% said it
was their first choice, in
2021 it was 30% and for
2022 we are
down to 22% – leaving the vodkas in 34% of bars. Its
door ajar.
That’s critical because,
unlike the Bacardi-owned,
house-pour performance
pushed it ahead of Moët
Hennessy’s Belvedere,
BestSelling
Brands
1
Cognac-produced Grey WHILE THE which, while part of the GREY GOOSE
Goose, the Diageo/Nolet TOP TWO vodka cast in 35% of bars, 2
Distillery-owned Dutch CHANGED as last year, was rarely the KETEL ONE
vodka isn’t as strong ORDER THIS primary pour – in only 3%. 3
outside of the house pour. YEAR, So, while the top two ABSOLUT (INC. ELYX)
It was a top-three vodka in POSITIONS changed order this year, 4
BELVEDERE
bars we polled in 45% of THREE TO positions three to six 5
cases, whereas Grey Goose SIX STAYED stayed the same. It’s a fair STOLICHNAYA
was a top-three serve in THE SAME old drop from Belvedere 6
61%. It looks like Grey to Stoli in fifth. The TITO'S
Goose’s reps have had a Latvia-produced brand,
7
HAKU
good year, but looking at which leads with Elit at 8
the trending list, Ketel One the pointy end of the bar BELUGA
hasn’t lost its cool. channel, has finished 9
Meanwhile, Pernod fifth in six of the last eight SMIRNOFF
10
Ricard’s Absolut (often lists. Our data suggests C�ROC
its Elyx in this channel) an opposing strategy to
made gains – if not in Belvedere, with more onus
position. This year it was on house pours – 9% of
the go-to in 14% of bars respondents had Stoli on
polled (12% last year) the speed rack. Though Top Trending
and on the podium of unlike the Polish-produced Brands
brand, an all-or-nothing 1
approach seems to be at KETEL ONE
play – it was among the 2
back-up vodkas in 4% of GREY GOOSE
cases.
3
ABSOLUT (INC. ELYX)
Tito’s, the Texan vodka, 4
took sixth again, with 6% BELUGA
making it their house, 5
while Beam Suntory’s TITO'S
6
Haku made its debut BELVEDERE
(10% had it as a top-three 7
choice), following HAKU
appearances in the last 8
two trending lists. Beluga STOLICHNAYA
9
dropped to eighth with ZUBROVKA
a similar performance, 10
while Diageo’s Smirnoff NIKKA COFFEY VODKA
and Cîroc – two brands
not particularly associated
with the high-end bar
cocktail channel –
complete the top 10.
24 drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL

cognac
HENNESSY CARRIES ON ITS TRADITION OF TOPPING THE BESTSELLING
TABLE, WHILE RÉMY MARTIN IS PULLING AHEAD OF THE PACK

O BRAND HAS top-three roster. Hennessy be on the back bar – it was

n HAD A MORE
dominant
performance
is the top trending cognac
too, which makes us think
it will stretch its clean
a top-three presence in
less than a third. But
if third is a slight drop
BestSelling
Brands
1
over the 13 years of the sweep of the bestselling HENNESSY for the Maison Ferrand HENNESSY
Brands Report than that of list next year. IS THE ONLY brand, its incursion in 2
Hennessy. In fact, it is the Rémy Martin is certainly BRAND TO the traditional top four RÉMY MARTIN
only brand to have topped the best of the rest. The HAVE of cognac now has a 3
its table in every year Rémy-Cointreau-owned TOPPED ITS permanent feel. FERRAND COGNAC
we’ve polled. The Moët cognac, which is made TABLE IN In fourth we find Beam 4
COURVOISIER
Hennessy/Diageo cognac with only Grand and Petit EVERY YEAR Suntory’s Courvoisier which 5
offers the spectrum of Champagne Cru grapes, is WE’VE was the choice in 10% and MARTELL
styles and price points – so pulling ahead of the pack, POLLED in the cast of bestselling 6
much so, it’s responsible with 15% of respondents cognacs in a quarter. It CAMUS
for around 40% of all saying it was their top edged out Martell, which is 7
HINE
cognac sales globally. brand and 58% making down one to fifth. 8
Indeed, given its total it among their top-three The Pernod Ricard MERLET
domination of sales, you cognacs. brand was also the 9
might say that its Ferrand Cognac, in number one in 10% of our BOURGOIN
10
stranglehold is a little third, goes after the house sample of the world’s best FRAPIN
looser in the high-end bar pour hard. It was on the bars, and among the
trade. Here, 29% say it’s rail in an impressive 18% top-three roster in 22%.
the house pour, while of bars, but if not the Meanwhile, Camus
two-thirds put it on the house, it was less likely to and Hine were the
most likely to figure
outside of the bar
Top Trending
industry’s big five Brands
cognac brands. Camus, 1
HENNESSY
a real innovator in
2
the category, was RÉMY MARTIN
among the three 3
most served FERRAND COGNAC
cognacs in 10% 4
COURVOISIER
of bars polled, 5
just ahead of DELAMAIN
Hine, which 6
leads with H HINE
by Hine in this 7
CAMUS
sector. According 8
to our survey, BISQUIT
Merlet, Bourgoin 9
and Frapin were BOURGOIN
each among the 10
FRAPIN
three most-used
in 4-5% of our
sample of the
world’s best
bars.

brandy
WITH COGNAC SEPARATED OUT, THE BRANDY CATEGORY IS DOMINATED
BY SPANISH BRANDS
UR BRANDY
o CATEGORY
takes into
account any
brandy outside the Cognac
region and embraces a
hugely diverse collection
of spirits. With such a
spread of brands in our
poll, we reduce the lists for
bestselling and top
trending to five instead of
10 so that we can ustilise
the strongest data
available.
Spanish producer Torres
has once again come
up trumps in the global
brandy category. With 31%
of our bars voting it their
number one brandy, Torres
is firmly the top choice
and the result of a focused
strategy by the Penedès
producer. In September
2021 Torres launched its
first cocktail competition,
which focuses on
sustainability, and the
Spanish winemaker
released Alta Luz, a
bartender-focused brandy
which is charcoal filtered
to offer an aged spirit with
a clear appearance.
Miguel Torres
Maczassek, fifth-
generation winemaker
at Torres emphasised
the impact Alta Luz was
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 27
having in the on-trade and
the positive feedback the
brand was receiving from
its regular accounts.
BestSelling
Brands
1
SPANISH Narrowly retaining TORRES BRANDY
PRODUCER its spot in second is 2
TORRES Greek brandy Metaxa, METAXA
HAS ONCE which despite taking the 3
AGAIN silver medal has lost a CARDENAL MENDOZA
COME UP significant amount of 4
CARLOS I
TRUMPS votes with just 8% of our 5
bars naming it their house OSBORNE
brandy, compared to 19%
in 2021. This year we see
the disappearance of
Seven Tails, which broke
into the list with promise Top Trending
last year. Founded by Brands
former bar owner Joel 1
Fraser, the blended brandy TORRES BRANDY
was expected to gain a 2
following within the trade, METAXA
but sadly it doesn’t feature
3
OSBORNE
in either list in 2022. 4
Completing the podium YSABEL REGINA
is another Spanish brandy, 5
this time from the Brandy CARLOS I
de Jerez region of southern
Spain. Cardenal Mendoza’s
solera-aged brandy has
been a long-standing
staple of the global brandy
category and, with almost
10% of the overall votes, it
looks set to stick around a
while longer.
Things get even better
for the Spaniards with
Brandy de Jerez brands
Carlos I and Osborne,
which are both solera-
aged according to the
traditional methods of the
AOC, featuring in fourth
and fifth. Between them
the closely contested labels
took around 7% of the total
votes.
28 drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL

Pisco
PERU LEADS THE CHARGE OVER CHILE, WITH POLLED BARS OPTING FOR
THE FORMER MORE OFTEN, LEADING TO A 60-40 SPLIT

ARSOL has made it a 1-2 finish for

b REIGNS
SUPREME in
the pisco
Peruvian pisco. With 11%
of our bars voting it their
go-to pisco, Demonio de
THE
BIGGEST
PRODUCER
BestSelling
Brands
1
category. The Peruvian Los Andes continues to BY VOLUME IS BARSOL
brand took a whopping grow among the industry’s CAPEL IN CHILE’S 2
31% of the first-choice top bars and, while ELQUI VALLEY DEMONIO DE LOS ANDES
votes and 23% of the simultaneously sitting 3
top-three pours in the second in the top trending EL GOBERNADOR
World’s Best Bars. The rank, things are only polled bars declaring it one 4
CAPEL
brand was introduced 20 looking up in the future. of their three bestsellers. 5
years ago with the One of the youngest El Gobernador is also the WAQAR
intention of getting pisco brands in the list is also most popular Chilean 6
into the best bars in the one of the bestselling. pisco in the list, which TABERNERO
world and therefore its Torres’ El Gobernador only is split 60-40 between
7
PISCO PORTÓN
dominance of the Brands launched in 2017 yet it sits Peruvian and Chilean 8
Report is evidence of third in our list of most brands and evidence of the CAMPO DE ENCANTO
Barsol’s success. popular piscos in the elite recent revival of Chilean 9
Demonio de Los Andes on-trade, with 9% of our piscos in the on-trade, MACCHU
10
which fell behind their MISTRAL
Peruvian counterparts a
few years back.
The biggest producer
in the list by volume is Top Trending
Capel in Chile’s Elqui Brands
Valley. The cooperative 1
producer has several BARSOL
products under the 2
Capel name, but its Moai DEMONIO DE LOS ANDES
Reservado bottle, shaped
3
PISCO PORTÓN
like an Easter Island head, 4
is proving popular on back WAQAR
bars around the world, 5
helping the large-scale CAMPO DE ENCANTO
6
brand break into the list, EL GOBERNADOR
having been exiled in 2021. 7
Paying attention to the TABERNERO
top trending list, it looks 8
like Peru is leading the CAPEL
9
charge going forward. LA DIABLADA
We can certainly expect 10
further success for Barsol KAPPA
in 2023 with Demonio de
Los Andes piling on the
pressure, followed by
Pisco Portón, making it
an all-Peruvian top
three.
Tequila
WITH ITS STAR STILL IN THE ASCENDANT, THE MEXICAN SPIRIT
CONTINUES TO SEE A RAFT OF QUALITY LAUNCHES
HE GLOW UP
t THAT the
tequila
category has
undergone in recent years
must be the envy of the
wider spirit world. The
reputation of Mexico’s
national drink has gone
from a regret-inducing
shot, always preceded by
salt and chased with lime,
to a sophisticated sipping
spirit worthy of
contemplation.
This evolution has
heralded a wave of high-
profile brand launches, but
notably, the bestselling
list is vacant of any of
the celebrity-endorsed
tequilas that emerged after
Diageo purchased George
Clooney’s Casamigos for
$1 billion and which serve in half of the polled
have been the focus
of much attention and
condescension from DON
bars, with 13% plumping
for the Diageo brand as
their house pour.
BestSelling
Brands
1
corners of the drinks JULIO TOPS It was a difficult year for DON JULIO
community. THE POLL Ocho with the sad passing 2
Tequila’s growing FOR THE of beloved co-founder OCHO
popularity has also SEVENTH Tomas Estes. In the 3
placed a strain on agave YEAR market, the bartender PATRÓN
farmers. Prices are at an favourite was as popular 4
JOSE CUERVO
all-time high and some as ever – a house pour in 5
brands are picking less- 13% of bars – but, unable EL JIMADOR
mature agave or using to match the pervasiveness 6
cost-cutting but quality- of Don Julio, takes second OLMECA ALTOS
lowering techniques such place, a top-three serve in 7
ESPOLÒN
as diffusers. a third of bars. 8
Don Julio tops the poll Patrón in third place ARETTE
for the seventh year, means that the top three 9
representing an ideal bestselling tequila brands CALLE 23
10
matching of are the same as last year. HERRADURA
quality and Despite its non-movement
affordability. in the list, Patrón has
It’s a seen much change as
top-three Bacardi announced the Top Trending
discontinuation of the Brands
popular Patrón XO Cafe so 1
the company can focus on CASA NOBLE
its core range of tequilas. 2
High-volume brand TAPATIO
Jose Cuervo has reversed
3
SIETE LEGUAS
its recent descent in the 4
rankings, climbing one GRAN ORENDAIN
place to fourth, and El 5
Jimador jumps four places EL JIMADOR
6
to fifth thanks to its strong AVIÓN
performance as a house 7
pour in 10% of bars. CURADO
Casa Noble tops the 8
trending table following VIVIR
9
a 2021 relaunch with DON JULIO
a revised recipe and 10
packaging. Before it was ARETTE
acquired by Constellation
Brands in 2014, it was part-
owned by Carlos Santana
– who said celebrity-
owned tequilas were
anything new?

Cachaça
THIS CATEGORY IS STILL NICHE TO MUCH OF THE WORLD, SO MANY
BRANDS ARE BATTLING FOR A STAKE IN THE SMALL EXPORT MARKET
ELIEVE IT OR
b NOT, cachaça
is the third
most popular
spirit in the world. In its
homeland of Brazil, there
are some 5,000 registered
brands, with many more
unregistered, and 40,000
distilleries. Domestic
consumption is twice the
size of gin globally, but the
spirit remains somewhat
niche to most of the world
– 99% of all cachaça never
makes it out of Brazil, and
the 1% that does almost
invariably ends up in a
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 31
Caipirinha. It’s a category number of Brazilian
that is talked about with
reverence by those in the
know, yet has never quite
brands vying for the small
stake that is the export
market, the playing field is
BestSelling
Brands
1
managed to find a relatively flat. High-volume LEBLON
permanent place in the and craft brands perform 2
spotlight. Still, the rise of similarly, and this year’s CACHA�A 51
craft and internationally- three bestsellers have all 3
owned brands has made topped previous lists. YAGUARA
an impact in recent years Bacardi’s Leblon, which 4
SAGATIBA
and our poll indicates that has taken second place 5
more than three-quarters in the last two reports, AVU�
of bars stock a cachaça, returns to the head of 6
more than half stock two the bestselling table ABELHA
brands, and more than a with a shade over 20%
7
MAGNIFICA
third have three or more on of cachaça-stocked bars 8
the shelf. choosing the brand as CAPUCANA
With such a huge their house pour, and as a 9
top-three serve in a third. GERMANA
10
This result narrowly beat Â
YPIOCA
volume-giant Cachaça 51,
which was the bestselling
cachaça in 19%.
Craft brand Yaguara
is an organic Brazilian Top Trending
cachaça made by a fifth- Brands
generation family-owned 1
producer. It topped both YAGUARA
tables in last year’s list and 2
follows up with third and AVU�
first in the bestselling and
3
CACHA�A 51
trending lists this year. 4
The brand is also the most ABELHA
common second choice for 5
bars on the list. SAGATIBA
6
Gruppo Campari’s LEBLON
Sagatiba, one of the first 7
OUR wave of premium cachaças CABANA
POLL when it hit the market 8
INDICATES in 2004, and the single GERMANA
9
THAT MORE source and pot distilled PITUÂ
THAN Avuá, owned by US-based 10
THREE- Drifter Spirits, round out MAGNIFICA
QUARTERS the top five.
OF BARS The Trending list has
STOCK A been updated after Drinks
CACHAÇA International became
aware of a data error.

Mezcal
THE AGAVE SPIRIT CONTINUES TO GROW AS SHOWN BY THE EXTENSION
OF OUR LISTS FROM FIVE TO 10 BRANDS THIS YEAR
ERNOD
p RICARD’S DEL
MAGUEY is
still the
dominant force within the
mezcal sector. Its flagship
Vida expression can be
found in the best bars
around the world and its
green bottle is fast
becoming one of the most
recognised in the agave
industry. With 25% of all
the votes, Del Maguey was
twice as popular as
Montelobos, bought by
Campari in 2019, which
took the runner-up spot in
the bestselling list with
15% of our bars naming it
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 33
their house pour. The
premium brand was
founded by Iván Saldaña
in 2012 under William
IT’S TIGHTLY
CONTESTED
WITH FEWER
BestSelling
Brands
1
Grant & Sons and since its THAN 10 VOTES DEL MAGUEY
more recent acquisition SEPARATING 2
Saldaña has been ALIPUS TO ILEGAL MONTELOBOS
travelling the world to 3
educate the trade on ALIPUS
Montelobos, making him separating Alipus to 4
SIETE MISTERIOS
one of the category’s most Ilegal. 5
recognised faces. Diageo’s Casamigos CASAMIGOS
The extension of our put in another solid 6
bestselling list to 10 performance to make BRUXO
brands in 2022 is testament its second appearance
7
DERRUMBES
to mezcal’s continued in the list and, with a 8
rise in popularity and firm foothold in the top ILEGAL
below Montelobos it’s a trending ranking, the 9
tightly contested ranking George Clooney brand KOCH
10
with fewer than 10 votes looks set to continue its MEZCAL VAGO
rise in future years.
One of the most popular
styles of mezcal remains
Espadin, and the vast
majority of the brands on Top Trending
our list are of this style. Brands
Ilegal is a good example 1
and its appeal to the DEL MAGUEY
bar trade also comes 2
from its tag line of “no SIETE MISTERIOS
celebrities, just damn
3
ALIPUS
good mezcal”, a slight at 4
the celebrity figures either CASAMIGOS
owning or serving brand 5
ambassadorial roles with MONTELOBOS
6
agave spirits. Ilegal took BRUXO
home around 5% of the 7
overall votes to maintain DERRUMBES
its spot in our bestselling 8
mezcals. LOS DANZANTES
9
In terms of top MARCA NEGRA
trending, 2023 looks 10
set to be another stellar QUIQUIRIQUI
year for Del Maguey
while an appearance for
QuiQuiRiQui at the bottom
is a breakthrough for the
brand founded in 2011.

cocktail bitters
ANGOSTURA AND PEYCHAUD’S RETAIN THEIR GRIP IN THE TOP SPOTS
ON BOTH LISTS FOR ANOTHER YEAR
OCKTAIL
c BITTERS ARE
EVOCATIVE of
the Golden Age
of cocktails – of brown and
stirred-down drinks,
braces, waistcoats and fine
moustaches which went on
to make an implausible
comeback in the early 21st
century.
But now in the 2020s,
we are past peak bitters.
Bars have them, but
they are mostly set back,
rather than lining the bar
under the curious noses of
punters.
This year, 99% of bars
we polled stocked bitters,
95% had two lines, while
78% had three or more.
But wherever we put the
pin in bitters’ centuries-old
journey, Angostura has
been leading the way.
This ubiquitous brand,
which was around when
most of these classical
recipes were first trialled,
is a presence in more than
95% of bars we asked.
What’s more, in 86% of
bars, it’s the number one
choice. After they buy the
bar, the tables and the
chairs, bartenders buy
Angostura bitters – it’s
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 35
part of the furniture. With
so many classics calling
it by name, why wouldn’t
you stock this spicy old
BestSelling
Brands
1
ANGOSTURA timer? That it’s top of our ANGOSTURA
BITTERS IS trending list means it’s not 2
PART OF THE lost any of its credibility PEYCHAUD’S
FURNITURE over the years. 3
Of a similar ilk, but a THE BITTER TRUTH
few less cocktails to call 4
FEE BROTHERS
home, is Peychaud’s, 5
which is produced at BOB’S
Sazerac’s Buffalo Trace
distillery. With anise
notes, this bitters is most
often used in the Sazerac Top Trending
and Vieux Carré cocktails. Brands
Interestingly, only one 1
bar of our 100 uses it more ANGOSTURA
than any other bitters, 2
though 43% had it as their PEYCHAUD’S
second favourite. Indeed
3
BITTERMENS
in two-thirds of cases it 4
was among the top-three FEE BROTHERS
bitters. 5
German brand The Bitter THE BITTER TRUTH
Truth, which is popular in
Europe, offers the gamut
of bitters flavours. It was
actually more likely to
be a first choice than
Peychaud’s, but much
less likely to be part of the
supporting cast. It seems if
you don’t go for Angostura
and Peychaud’s, you may
opt for a brand range such
as The Bitter Truth. It was
a top-three bitters in just
over a third of bars. Fee
Brothers, meanwhile,
combines history and
a modern-day range
approach. Its products
were present in more than
a quarter of bars polled,
while Bob’s in fifth was a
fixture in 15%.
36 drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL

Liqueurs
STAPLES OF MANY CLASSIC COCKTAILS, LIQUEURS’ REACH IS WIDE
ACROSS EVERY BAR’S MENU

IQUEURS DO A the Italian aperitif also cocktail a herbal punch.

l LOT OF the
heavy lifting
on a cocktail
features in a Boulevardier
and Americano, which
both appear in the top 50. THE
Giffard takes third place.
The go-to brand in 11% of
bars, its extensive range of
BestSelling
Brands
1
menu, so naturally, the It’s the most popular NEGRONI, premium classic liqueurs CAMPARI
bestselling list boasts a liqueur in a quarter of IN WHICH makes it a player across the 2
huge variety of styles. polled bars and a top-three CAMPARI entirety of a cocktail menu. CHARTREUSE
Again, for the seventh selection in 40%. HAS A Cointreau, our list’s most 3
consecutive report, In second place on the STARRING popular orange liqueur, GIFFARD
Campari reigns supreme, bestselling list and atop ROLE, IS benefits from its role in 4
COINTREAU
and a look over our the trending table is the THE YEAR’S many of our top 50 classic 5
bestselling classics will tell Carthusian monk-made, MOST cocktails. It’s a top-three MERLET
you why. The Negroni, in bartenders’ favourite POPULAR most popular liqueur 6
which Campari has a Chartreuse. It remains SERVE brand in 22% of polled ST-GERMAIN
starring role, is the year’s the bottle to grab for any bars. 7
BAILEYS
most popular serve, and bartender looking to lend a French brand Merlet, 8
with its extensive range of BOLS
classic liqueur varieties, 9
completes the top five, ANCHO REYES
10
the most commonly used DISARONNO
brand in 7% of polled bars.
The top five are
unchanged from last year’s
list, but there is movement Top Trending
at the foot of the table. Brands
Bacardi’s elderflower 1
liqueur St-Germain rises CHARTREUSE
three places to sixth thanks 2
to its role in the growing CAMPARI
popularity of spritz serves.
3
ITALICUS
Diageo’s Irish cream 4
Baileys re-enters the list at MR BLACK
seventh, the most popular 5
liqueur in 4% of polled COINTREAU
6
bars and a top three in 7%. MUYU
Dutch brand Bols 7
relaunched its 40-strong ANCHO REYES
liqueur range last year 8
with new recipes and DISARONNO
9
bottle design – it returns to BENEDICTINE
the top 10 following a year 10
of absence. CYNAR
Chile liqueur Ancho
Reyes proves there is space
on the list for the niche,
and Disaronno lands the
10th spot for the second
consecutive year.
38 drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
vermouth
A HISTORICAL MAINSTAY INGREDIENT OF MANY A CLASSIC COCKTAIL,
VERMOUTH HAS SEEN A SURGE OF LAUNCHES IN RECENT YEARS
TOCKED BY
s ALL THE BARS
we polled,
vermouth has
long been the fortified
wine of the cocktail venue.
Pretty much since the
1860s when the first bottles
came ashore in the US, it
has been an ingredient for
mixing. Good timing – the
cocktails made in this
period etched themselves
into the bar manual and
consequently enshrined
vermouth as the
bartender’s fortified.
Perhaps forever.
By this point Carpano
was close to a hundred
years into the sweet
vermouth game – and it’s
said the Antica Formula
recipe hasn’t changed to
this day. This year, it was makes it a persuasive force
found to be the most-used
vermouth in 24% of our
sample of 100, among
behind the bar. It was
actually more likely to be
the house vermouth than
BestSelling
Brands
the top-two in 41% and MANCINO Cocchi, but less likely to be 1
ANTICA FORMULA
among the three most used LOOKS LIKE in the fridge in reserve. A 2
vermouths in more than ONE THAT third of bars polled said it COCCHI
half. It has been the number COULD GO was among their top three. 3
one vermouth in three of HIGHER Another old timer, MARTINI
the last five years of polls. NEXT YEAR Cinzano, climbs two 4
CINZANO
2021 saw many Italian places to fourth. The 5
triumphs, and we can add votes were spread across MANCINO
vermouth to the list – the the preference spectrum 6
top five of this historically – this is both a house DOLIN
Italian/French category pour to some and one 7
NOILLY PRAT
are all from the former. of the supporting cast 8
In second was Cocchi, to many others. In fifth, LA QUINTINYE
which was the go-to in Mancino looks like one VERMOUTH ROYAL
11% of bars but a top-three that could go higher 9
VERMOUTH DEL
vermouth in 44% of cases. next year – the brand is PROFESSORE
Next, mega-brand constantly extending its 10
Martini, whose classical tendrils beyond its Asian YZAGUIRRE
looks, multitude of styles stronghold, further into
and affordable price point, the Americas and Europe,
and, prophetically, takes
top spot in our trending Top Trending
list. Brands
Vermouth de Chambery, 1
Dolin, and compatriot MANCINO
Noilly Prat take sixth and 2
seventh in our list, with the COCCHI
former more likely to be the
3
ANTICA FORMULA
house pour, but the latter a 4
member of the supporting NOILLY PRAT
cast. From eight to 10, we 5
see a drop off in listings but CINZANO
6
some interesting brands DOLIN
that could gain ground. 7
In eighth is La Quintinye VERMOUTH DEL
Vermouth Royal from PROFESSORE
the producers of G’Vine 8
BELSAZAR
gin, while Vermouth del 9
Professore is made in LUSTAU
collaboration with Jerry 10
Thomas Speakeasy in MARTINI
Rome. This list is completed
by our only Spanish entry,
Yzaguirre.
40 drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
Sherry
INCREASING IN POPULARITY, SHERRY IS A GROWING CATEGORY AND
ONE THAT PROVIDES PLENTY OF CHOICE FOR BARTENDERS
ERHAPS ONE
p OF the smaller
categories of
the Brands
Report, sherry is significant
nonetheless. More than
three-quarters of venues we
polled stock sherry behind
their bar. And most of those
that do have two brands,
while more than half will
have three or more. That’s
not surprising given the
interest in sherry in recent
times. It’s a category that
keeps on getting bigger, the
more you pick away. There
are sherries with puckering
acidity, air-aged wines with
nutty character and
rounded juicy styles with
vinous sweetness. And
while some sherry will be
sold by the glass, plenty
ends up in cocktails too –
sometimes as a shift from
vermouth in a twist on a
classic, but also commonly
in original cocktails.
They’re not the most en
vogue, but Sherry Cobblers
and Bamboos are an
occasional calling card in
classically oriented bars
too.
Here, in and around
Jerez, brands come in
the form of bodegas,
offering the breadth of the
category through various
bestselling
brands
1
WHILE sub-brands. The largest, GONZÁLEZ BYASS (INC.
SOME González Byass, tops our TÍO PEPE)
SHERRY list, and while in previous 2
WILL BE years we’ve separated out LUSTAU
SOLD BY its Tío Pepe line, we’ve 3
SANDEMAN
THE GLASS, counted its famous green- 4
PLENTY bottled fino under the LA GITANA
ENDS UP IN umbrella of its parent 5
COCKTAILS brand this year. VALDESPINO
TOO So to the numbers. All
of those bars that stocked
sherry had a González
Byass product this year, top trending
while more than half of our brands
sample said it was their 1
number one pour. In the GONZÁLEZ BYASS (INC.
trending list, more than TÍO PEPE)
half said González Byass 2
LUSTAU
was the hot brand. 3
In second, Lustau is SANDEMAN
another bodega to offer 4
the gamut of styles, WILLIAMS & HUMBERT
from manzanilla to 5
LA GITANA
amontillado, palo cortado,
oloroso, cream, muscatel
and Pedro Ximenez. More
than a quarter attested to
Lustau being their go-to
sherry, while more than
a half said it was among
their top-3 choices.
Sandeman, a wine
company which deals in
fortifieds across Iberia,
was much less likely to be a
house pour than González
Byass and Lustau but was
a top-three sherry in 13% of
our sample. La Gitana and
Valdespino make up our
list of five, but were found
to be occasional features of
our sample of the world’s
best bars.
42 drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
Beer
INTERNATIONAL BRANDS TOP THE LISTS BUT THERE IS NOT A SINGLE
DOMINANT BEER ACROSS THE POLLED BARS
IGH-END BARS
h RARELY
allocate bar-top
space to
draught systems, meaning
the bestselling list is a battle
of the bottles. Again, given
beer’s role as a refreshment
ahead of the main event of
cocktails, it’s typically lagers
and lighter-style beers that
do best.
Seventy per cent of polled
bars stock a beer brand,
half stock two and a third
offer three or more. Given
the specific regionality of
many domestic brands,
it’s no surprise that again
the international brands
come out top, but no one
brand dominates. With
the sustained popularity
of the craft movement in
brewing, the general lack
of craft brands on both the
bestselling and trending
tables is notable.
Last year, Heineken, a
usual mainstay at the head
of the table, had its lowest
IT’S
performance since the
birth of the Annual Brands
Report but returns to the
BestSelling
Brands
1
TYPICALLY top two with last year’s ASAHI SUPER DRY
LAGERS bestseller, Asahi Super 2
AND Dry. Both brands were the HEINEKEN
LIGHTER- most popular beer in 13% 3
STYLE of our polled bars, and a PERONI NASTRO
AZZURRO
BEERS THAT top-three choice in a quarter. 4
DO BEST We give Asahi Super Dry GUINNESS
the nod based on historical 5
performance, not least that PILSNER URQUELL
it is the reigning champion. 6
BUDWEISER
The Asahi Breweries-owned 7
Italian lager, Peroni Nastro STELLA ARTOIS
Azzurro rounds out the top 8
three, falling one place. BREWDOG
Diageo’s Guinness is 9
CORONA
the only stout on the list. 10
A number one choice in SUPER BOCK
just 3% of bars, the brand
fares well as an alternative
selection, a top-three selling
brand in 21%. Top Trending
Fifth to seventh places Brands
are separated by a single 1
percentage with the ASAHI SUPER DRY
world’s first pale lager, 2
non-mover Pilsner Urquell, HEINEKEN
and American volume-
3
PERONI NASTRO
giant Budweiser narrowly AZZURRO
beating Stella Artois, 4
which climbs two places. BREWDOG
Scotland’s Brewdog, a brand 5
GUINNESS
at the heart of craft beer’s
mainstream popularity,
makes its fourth consecutive
list but falls two places in a
year marked by company
culture controversy.
Mexican lager Corona,
owned by Constellation
Brands, falls from third to
ninth, a bestseller in just
1% of polled bars, and the
Portuguese favourite Super
Bock completes the list.
champagne
WHENEVER THERE’S CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION, CHAMPAGNE WILL BE
CENTRE STAGE, BUT IT’S THE FAMILIAR BRANDS THAT CARRY MOST CACHÉ
HERE WASN’T
t A HUGE
amount to
celebrate last
year, but it doesn’t take
much of an occasion for
champagne corks to fly in
the world’s best bars –
almost 90% of our bars
stock the French sparkler.
Three-quarters have two
champers and two-thirds
have three or more.
The marque with the
most is Moët & Chandon.
In the 10 years we’ve been
asking about champagne,
the Moet-Hennessy/
Diageo brand has never
finished outside the top
two – and it’s had more
firsts than seconds.
As the bestselling
champagne globally its
brand awareness carries
into the bar domain and,
when you throw in the
incentives often associated our list. Its yellow-labelled
with being part of a wider
portfolio, Moët makes
sense. But there is another
MOËT
IS
ONE
Veuve Clicquot manages
to be a volume player and
retain its cool credentials
BestSelling
Brands
factor at play too: this is OF THE MOST – it backs up last year’s 1
MOËT & CHANDON
one of the most consistent CONSISTENT number one spot with 2
wines out there. When WINES OUT a respectable third (8% PERRIER-JOUËT
you’re making sparkling THERE made it their house, 3
cocktails, year-to-year 26% a top-three pour) VEUVE CLICQUOT
or even bottle-to-bottle and topped our trending 4
DOM PERIGNON
vagaries are a moving part league. Its stablemate Dom 5
you can do without. Perignon is the big-ticket BILLECART-SALMON
All that said, it was champagne that does 6
extremely tight at the top, well in high-end bars – RUINART
with both Moët & Chandon particularly hotels. It 7
GH MUMM
and Pernod Ricard’s was found to be the 8
flagship Perrier-Jouët both number one bubbles in BOLLINGER
sharing 12 house pour 10% of our polled bars and 9
listings each. Moët edges a top-three serve in about LOUIS ROEDERER
it as it was more likely a quarter. 10
TAITTINGER
to be among the support Billecart-Salmon,
cast of champagnes. But meanwhile, has always
if those two are the key been an on-trade favourite,
brands in this channel, last year finishing as high Top Trending
LVMH is the indisputable as third. The medium- Brands
top brass of the category, sized marque, which 1
contributing four brands to targets this sector, was the VEUVE CLICQUOT
house champagne in 9% 2
of the bars we polled, and PERRIER-JOUËT
part of the repertoire in a
3
DOM PERIGNON
fifth. 4
Ruinart, another LVMH BOLLINGER
brand, is down one to 5
sixth, with 18% of bars KRUG
6
stocking it among their RUINART
top-three selection, while 7
Pernod Ricard’s Mumm BILLECART-SALMON
was in eighth with 11%. 8
Bollinger performed GH MUMM
9
similarly – with one less MOËT & CHANDON
house pour listing – while 10
Louis Roederer finds its TAITTINGER
way into our ranking for
the first time since 2017.
Tattinger makes its
fourth appearance in our
list of champagnes – every
time in 10th position.

Non-Alcoholic spirits
ONLY IN ITS SECOND YEAR IN THE REPORT, THIS CATEGORY IS ALREADY
WELL SEEDED IN THE WORLD’S BEST BARS
HE NON-
t ALCOHOLIC
spirits category
debuted in last
year’s report, but the sector
has quickly taken root and
now no drinks group’s
portfolio is complete
without one. It was only
six years ago, in 2015, that
Seedlip came to market,
and though decried by
some as posh squash,
became a bona fide hit. At
the end of last year,
Bacardi predicted that the
low and no-alcohol sector
will grow 400% over the
next four years.
Wellness and
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 45
mindful drinking trends spirit selecting the Diageo-
were accelerated by
the pandemic and,
increasingly, more THE
owned brand as the house
pour. It was a top-three
serve in almost 80%.
BestSelling
brands
1
consumers expect decent, SECTOR Australian brand SEEDLIP
mature zero-alcohol HAS Lyre’s – a range of 13 2
options from bars; the QUICKLY non-alcoholic facsimiles LYRE’S
days of the fruit juice-filled TAKEN of traditional spirits and 3
mocktail list are behind us. ROOT AND liqueurs designed to be EVERLEAF
Half of the polled bars stock NOW NO seamlessly swapped into 4
THREE SPIRIT
one or more non-alcoholic DRINKS classic serves – takes 5
spirits brands, with 22% GROUP’S second place, with 15% of AECORN
stocking two and 19% PORTFOLIO bars opting for the brand
stocking three or more. IS as their first choice.
Seedlip retains the top COMPLETE Not much separates
spot comfortably, the WITHOUT the three remaining Top Trending
original proving again ONE brands, with Everleaf, Brands
to be the most popular, a non-alcoholic apéritif 1
with two-thirds of bars brand created by bar SEEDLIP
that stock a non-alcoholic owner and conservation 2
biologist Paul Mathew, LYRE’S
taking third place thanks
3
EVERLEAF
to a strong performance 4
in a supporting role as a CEDER’S
second or third choice. 5
Three Spirit, a range of THREE SPIRIT
functional beverages in
that they contain active
compounds designed
to alter the mood, takes
fourth place, and
Aecorn, the Diageo-
backed sister
company of
Seedlip, completes
the table.
The trending list
makes for similar
reading to the
bestsellers, with
Aecorn giving way
to Pernod Ricard’s
non-alcoholic gin
Ceder’s, which
takes fourth place
as Three Spirit
moves down
to fifth.
46 drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
Mixers
MIXERS HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE GROWTH STORIES OF RECENT YEARS, BUT
WHAT ARE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL BRANDS IN THE WORLD’S BEST BARS?
ISTENING TO
l THE DEMANDS
of bartenders,
premium mixer
brands have become
increasingly experimental
with their flavour
combinations. To reflect
this greater variety, the
tonic water table of
previous reports has
been broadened to
encompass all mixer
brands.
Given that the sparkling
quinine-flavoured water
is a staple in most mixer
brands’ rosters, the
bestselling list isn’t too
much of a departure from Schweppes is credited with
the tonic tables of old.
For the eighth year,
Fever-Tree takes the top
having sold the world’s
first bottled soft drink in
1783, and 238 years later
BestSelling
Brands
1
spot and by some distance. THE TONIC the brand is still going FEVER-TREE
The London-based WATER strong. A top-selling mixer 2
premium brand launched TABLE OF in 13% of polled bars and a SCHWEPPES
in 2004 and paved the PREVIOUS top-three choice in a third. 3
way for a sea of premium REPORTS Since we began polling COCA-COLA
mixer brands that have HAS BEEN on tonic water eight 4
LONDON ESSENCE
launched since. This year, BROADENED years ago, Fever-Tree and 5
it’s the go-to brand in a TO Schweppes have always THREE CENTS
third of the polled bars and ENCOMPASS held the first and second 6
a top-three serve in two ALL MIXER place respectively, but in FENTIMANS
thirds. BRANDS third is a newcomer to the 7
THOMAS HENRY
If the top spot goes to list. 8
the archetypal modern Soft drink titan Coca- EAST IMPERIAL
mixer brand, second place Cola has flirted with the 9
is reserved for a classic. high-end on-trade in recent BRITVIC
10
years. In 2019, the brand CANADA DRY
launched a line of Coca-
Cola signature mixers
designed for mixing with
alcohol, in collaboration Top Trending
with industry figures Brands
Max Venning, Antonio 1
Naranjo, Adriana Chía, FEVER-TREE
Pippa Guy and Alex 2
Lawrence. THREE CENTS
London Essence, a
3
LONDON ESSENCE
brand with a firm on-trade 4
focus, takes fourth and SCHWEPPES
Three Cents, which was 5
founded in 2014 by Greek EAST IMPERIAL
6
bartenders George Bagos, THOMAS HENRY
Dimitris Dafopoulos and 7
George Tsirikos, rounds BRITVIC
out the top five. 8
Fentimans drops one COCA-COLA
9
place to sixth – 16% said ARTISAN
it was one of their top 10
three. German brand FENTIMANS
Thomas Henry and
East Imperial were both
top-three mixers in a 10th
of bars, while Britvic and
Canada Dry complete
the list.

Brands in cocktails
ARE THERE BRANDS THAT WORK BETTER THAN OTHERS FOR CLASSIC
COCKTAILS? BARTENDERS SUPPLY THE ANSWERS
HILE MOST OF
w THIS magazine
is a study into
the brands
bartenders buy, that
doesn’t say a huge amount
about the liquid’s final
destination – be it neat or
on the rocks, with mixers or
in cocktails. So here we’ve
asked bartenders what the
best brands are for a
number of classic cocktails
from the major categories.
In the past, we’ve looked at
the brands bartenders use
in the most-made classics
from our top 50 list, but
with consistent and slightly
predictable results in recent
years, we’ve mixed up the
menu with cocktails that
are on the rise – trending,
almost – to see if the results
might differ.
Gin is the number one
spirit among our polled
bars but we moved away
from the Dry Martini this
year (where normally
Tanqueray is the choice)
to the on-trend French 75,
which is now up to No.18
in our list of most-made
classics. Here, we see a
surprise: our top gin this
year, Tanqueray, isn’t the
choice. It was tight, but
Bombay (Sapphire mostly)
is the French 75 brand in
more than a quarter of bars,
just a handful more than
the Diageo flagship. A little
way back in third, Pernod
Ricard’s Beefeater was the
most-used in 15% of bars.
The Mai Tai has been
a top 20 cocktail in the
past few years, and made
for an interesting case
study. Last year the Rum
Old Fashioned called for
richer rums and in past
years the Daiquiri has
been preferred with lighter
styles – so what of this
tiki classic? Well, that’s
an Appleton Estate cock-
tail, says our sample. The
Jamaican pot still, full-
bodied rum took almost
20% of the vote, while
Bacardi and Plantation
were close at just over 15%,
but just a few listings short
of top spot.
Another popular drink
is the Boulevardier, which
moved up from 18th to 13th.
With Diageo’s Bulleit taking
the American whiskey
category gong, you might
expect it to be the choice in
this Americanised Negroni
– and it was, by a distance,
taking 23% of the vote.
Buffalo Trace predictably
came in second, with 15%
of the sample attesting to its
suitability, while Woodford
Reserve pipped Maker’s
Mark into third, with 10%.
The Paloma is one of
the most popular long
drinks around right now
and finished 15th in our
classic cocktails list, up
THIS YEAR
WE’VE
MIXED UP
THE MENU WITH
COCKTAILS THAT
ARE ON THE RISE
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 49
from 22nd. But how do
they make it? Well, here
the field is more varied.
Ocho is the top pick in
Boulevardier
1 BULLEIT
16% of polled bars, 11% 2 BUFFALO TRACE
said Patrón and 10% Jose 3 WOODFORD RESERVE
Cuervo. Don Julio, our
tequila category winner, Mai Tai
was down in seventh – 1 APPLETON ESTATE
something of a mystery. 2 BACARDI
3 PLANTATION
In so many vodka
cocktails, the spirit brand
is hard to detect – think
French 75
1 BOMBAY SAPPHIRE
the Espresso Martini or 2 TANQUERAY
Moscow Mule – but in the 3 BEEFEATER
Vodka Martini it really
shines through. Ketel One Vodka Martini
was the choice in 27% of 1 KETEL ONE
bars, while Grey Goose 2 GREY GOOSE
found its way into the 3 BELVEDERE
Martini glass in 17% of
cases. Belvedere ousted Paloma
Pernod Ricard’s Absolut 1 OCHO
this year – the Moët 2 PATRÓN
Hennessey brand was the 3 JOSE CUERVO
Vodkatini choice in 14%
of polled bars. So, when it Penicillin
comes to Vodka Martinis in 1 JOHNNIE WALKER
top bars, it’s the big-brand 2 MONKEY SHOULDER
3 ARDBEG
house pour, but very much
at the super premium end.
Sam Ross’s Penicillin
has long been the top
scotch cocktail in the bars
we poll – no different
this year, in fact it’s the
only significant scotch
presence. And this one
went to type – Johnnie
Walker was the choice in
22% of bars, with mixed
malt Monkey Shoulder in
second with 14% and for
those that like it smokier
ISTOCK.COM/ PEKIC
than a chimney, Ardbeg
headed up the peated
single malts with 10% of
votes.

the
bestselling
classics
ONCE AGAIN, WE ASKED OUR 100 GLOBAL BARS
TO RANK THEIR BESTSELLING CLASSIC COCKTAILS.
HAMISH SMITH GETS THEM IN ORDER
2 OLD FASHIONED
The Old Fashioned may not be the
most ordered classic in the world’s
elite bars this year, but it’s still the
most likely cocktail to find its way
into a glass in 20% of bars polled and
was among the top-two classics in
a third. It was close enough to think
the Old Fashioned could once again
top our list, after all, this cocktail
has been around forever – traced to
1833 by historian David Wondrich
– and remains a timeless classic. In
its infancy it would have been made
with genever, rum or brandy (whiskey
wasn’t what it is now), but these days
make it with bourbon (or rye), sugar,
Angostura bitters and an orange twist.
Don’t forget to forget the cherries.
3 DRY MARTINI
Up one to third in the ranking this
year is the Dry Martini, which was
the most-made classic in only 6% of
bars polled, but one of the five most-
frequent serves in almost a quarter.
This boozy yet refined gin classic can
be thrown or stirred in a mixing glass
– sorry Bond – while proportions
of gin to dry vermouth are down to
personal taste, and what you’re doing
the next day. At London’s Duke’s it’s
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL 51
1 NEGRONI
The king is dead, long live the Negroni. Finally, after eight years
as best supporting cocktail, the Negroni tops our list ahead of the
vanguard tipple of the cocktail renaissance, the Old Fashioned.
This bitter ruby serve has ridden the wave of the classic cocktail
trend, the bitter-drinks trend, the gin trend, the aperitivo trend, the
Italian bartenders taking over the best bars trend – everything was
carrying it forward. More than a quarter of our sample of the world’s
best bars said this was their number one classic and over half said it
was among their top-two serves. Traditionally, it’s made with thirds
of gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, but is adjusted to taste.
nearly all gin, while at Barcelona’s Dry (where there is lime and rum, there
Martini (formerly of The World’s 50 be Daiquiris), though it has to be said,
Best Bars) it’s a half and half. The dash not always well. Take lime juice, white
of orange bitters, a squeeze of lemon or rum and sugar syrup; shake, serve
a green olive are, to many, preferable and repeat – few are able to consume a
embellishments. Daiquiri in the singular: they slip down
like a slug on a slide. One last thing:
strawberry is a modifying prefix, and
has little to do with the classic.
4 MARGARITA
Since we’ve been polling top bars
globally, the Margarita has always
been a top 10-classic, but fourth is 6 APEROL SPRITZ
a new high. It’s one of the top-three In at six, it’s a spritz. Not five years
classic serves in 18% of bars from ago, the Aperol Spritz was a mid-
our sample, but only top dog in 5%. table drink in our list, but times have
Margarita is Spanish for daisy, which changed – people want light and effer-
is cocktail for a sour-based drink, so vescent and they want to drink all
that gives you an idea where the recipe day and still feel OK. All that adds up
is headed. It’s tequila, orange liqueur to a spirit-free spritz. This particular
and lime – the salt is optional. Or else, brand-centric bitter-sweet sparkler
the cool kids make it Tommy’s style – was named a top-five classic in a
100% agave tequila and swap agave quarter of bars, which will please the
syrup for the orange liqueur. Barbieri brothers, who invented it
in the 1900s, though are now dead.
Aperol is obviously the key to this mix,
which includes prosecco and a splash
of soda.
5 DAIQUIRI
The Daiquiri is the most ordered rum
drink in the world’s best bars – it’s
a top-five classic in a fifth of them
– yet to this day, no one outside of 7 ESPRESSO MARTINI
Spanish-speaking nations has been When we first started polling
able to pronounce it. It’s dy-key-ree, bartenders, this coffee-vodka classic
not dak-er-ree. In Cuba, where they was at No.23 – a familiar drink, but not
can say it, you’ll find it made all over one you’d find too often in the world’s

best bars. But Dick Bradsell’s London-
born recipe gathered momentum after
the legendary bartender’s untimely
death in late 2016. The story goes that it
was first made for a customer to “wake
her up and fuck her up”, which, as a
lot of the best yarns, probably involves
a little creative licence. Regardless,
the neo-classic, once known as the
Vodka Espresso and Pharmaceutical
Stimulant, is a top-10 serve in almost
40% of bars polled.
9 MOJITO
When the Mojito became the drink of
the holidaying auntie, it lost a little
of its street cred in the world’s best
bars, but now the Pornstar Martini has
taken on the mantel, we see the Cuban
classic restore some of its reputation.
Let’s not forget the Mojito is a bone fide
classic that will be here long after our
aunties are gone – it’s a top-10 classic
in a third of bars we polled. The trick
here is a light-style Cuban rum, the
greenery is best in muddled Cuban
apple mint or spearmint form and the
sugar dissolved (it might need some
persuasion).
10 WHISKEY SOUR
While at one time it was brandy
that was mingled most with lemon
juice for the Sour, the Whiskey Sour
has for some time been the most
notable among them. Indeed, in
the world’s best bars, the Whiskey
Sour is part of the top-10 repertoire
in just under a third of our sample.
Don’t forget the egg white for added
mouthfeel. Vegan alternatives are
available and in some bars feel like a
safer option.
11 MOSCOW MULE
More of a crowd-pleaser in the US than
anywhere else, our poll suggests the
Moscow Mule is a top-10 classic in a
quarter of the best bars around. Frozen
in 11th position from last year, this
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
8 MANHATTAN
It’s eighth for a third time on the spin for whiskey classic
the Manhattan, with a third of polled bars making it
among their top 10. This whiskey drink may play second
fiddle to the Old Fashioned, but it is an age-old favourite
that has given birth to a family of classical spins. While
some persist with the notion that the dry (with dry
vermouth) and perfect (with dry and sweet vermouth)
are of merit, this is not true – Manhattans should come
sweet (that’s with sweet
vermouth). Let’s head
to Manhattan and PDT
where Jim Meehan used
to make his with rye
whiskey, sweet vermouth
and two dashes of
Angostura, stirred with
ice, strained into
a chilled coupe
and garnished
with brandied
cherries.
vodka, lime, ginger and soda drink is
something of an every-person drink,
prized for its simplicity on both sides
of the bar. Essentially, this is vodka’s
answer to the Dark ’n’ Stormy and is
housed in the kind of copper mugs that
make vodka, lime, ginger and soda a
happy marriage, even outside of happy
hour.
12 BOULEVARDIER
Up six places, the Boulevardier is a
Negroni with bourbon and created
by Erskine Gwynne, an American
writer in the 1920s, who named it after
his Parisian monthly magazine. The
Boulevardier is still on the regular
roll call in almost a quarter of our
polled bars. Say it softly and check
who is listening, but this might be an
improvement on the Negroni.
13 PENICILLIN
Invented by Attaboy owner Sam Ross,
the Penicillin is a neo-classic made
throughout the world. Combining
scotch, lemon, honey-ginger syrup and
peated scotch, it was a top-10 classic in
just under a quarter of polled bars. It
says a lot that this is the highest-placed
scotch classic – ahead of the Bobby
Burns in 44th and Blood & Sand in
47th. One wonders whether the scotch
53
industry realises how indebted it is
to the Penicillin’s Australian creator.
Probably not.
14 PALOMA
In essence this is a two-piece cocktail,
with grapefruit soda and tequila.
With that simple marriage alone,
the Paloma sings like a bird, but
bartenders do like to take things
up a notch. With freshly squeezed
grapefruit, lime juice and agave syrup,
topped with grapefruit soda, it really
takes flight. The Paloma continues to
scale our league of classics and this
year is up eight places and a top-10
classic in just under a quarter of bars.
15 BLOODY MARY
This tomato and vodka classic is not
for everyone – particularly those who
like their tomatoes hot – but does
allow for acceptable morning drinking,
responsibly. It is among the top-10
selling classics in just over a fifth of
polled bars. If you are in crawling
distance of the current world’s best bar
– Connaught Bar in London – its Bloody
Mary is the best you’ll ever try. It’ll even
turn those who don’t like them.
16 AMERICANO
The Americano is a sort of sensible
Negroni – and if legend is correct,
predated it. Simply sub the gin for soda
in your Negroni spec and you have
it – the Americano, or, as was once
known, the Milano-Torino. It’s up nine
places in our ranking, with a fifth of
bars suggesting it was part of their
top-10 repertoire.
17 FRENCH 75
Up four places, the French 75 was
created by Harry MacElhone in what
became Harry’s New York Bar in Paris,
documented by The Savoy Cocktail

Book and popularised in the Stork
Club, New York. Its adopted home is
Arnaud’s in New Orleans, but there is
an excellent rendition at Three Sheets
in London. Our sample of bars suggest
Bombay, Tanqueray or Beefeater gin,
but over at Arnaud’s in New Orleans
the French 75 is made even Frencher
with the use of cognac.
18 GIMLET
This gin-lime cocktail has quite the
story. Swiftly speaking: lime juice
protected the British navy against
scurvy, alcohol against mutiny. The
two came together in wondrous
alchemy – though in the upper decks,
officers drank gin, which made it a
Gimlet. When sugar was found to
preserve lime juice, Rose’s lime cordial
was born and this was mixed 50-50
with gin. These days, you’re more
likely to find Gimlets made from fresh
lime and sugar syrup because, well,
they’re better. Down a few places
but still in our top 20, The Gimlet is a
top-10 classic in 19% of polled bars.
19 MAI TAI
When Trader Vic’s brand of Polynesian
restaurants globally proliferated, so
did founder Victor Jules Bergeron’s Mai
Tai, which years on is still a presence
in bars globally (18% make it as part of
their top-10 repetoire) – and possibly
even in Polynesia. As a bastion of
tropical culture this rum, orgeat,
orange liqueur and lime cocktail is a
kitsch classic loved by bartenders in
flowery shirts and people who wish
they were somewhere warmer.
20 PISCO SOUR
Supposedly invented by Victor
Vaughen Morris, an American
bartender, who opened his bar in
Lima in 1916, the Pisco Sour was an
early explorer, finding its way to the
dock of the San Francisco bay in the
1930s and wasting little time before
21 CLOVER CLUB
This pink pre-Prohibition
classic is the cocktail legacy
of Philadelphia, having
been named after a
gentlemen’s club in
the city, but today has
suitors of all types, in
all corners of the world.
It is a top-10 tipple in about
15% of bars we polled, but
also the top classic in few too.
In Julie Reiner’s New York
bar, Clover Club, it’s
made with gin,
dry vermouth,
raspberry, lemon
juice and egg white.
rising to popularity in New York in the
1960s. The basic recipe is three parts
pisco, one part simple syrup, one part
lime juice, egg whites and a dash of
Angostura bitters. A top-10 classic in
17% of bars we polled.
22 DARK ’N’ STORMY
This Bermuda-originated highball is
no stranger to the upper half of this
list. Essentially, it’s rum’s Moscow
Mule with a better story. It goes that
British seafarers brought the ginger
beer and local distiller Gosling the
rum. They threw in some lime, and
there you have it, the Dark ’n’ Stormy,
still a classic you’ll find as a regular at
the world’s best bars.
23 GIN FIZZ
The Gin Fizz continues to effervesce,
climbing five places this year. ‘Fizz’
was first referenced in the Jerry Thomas
Bartenders Guide 1887 edition, which
included six recipes – this is the most
famous. Simply, it’s gin, lemon juice
and sugar, topped with carbonated
water. It’s fizzy, citrussy and gin-y, so
there’s little to not like.
24 CAIPIRINHA
As our survey continues to call on more
voices from South America – as the
region’s bar scenes develop – we’ve
seen a logical jump for Brazil’s national
cocktail, the Caipirinha. While it’s
hard to say the Caipirinha is on-trend,
it’s never really off-trend and the
advent of craft cachaças has certainly
cemented its credibility in the best
bars. Essentially, it’s a mint-less, short
Mojito and it’s served among the top-10
classics in 13% of bars we polled.
25 PIÑA COLADA
If you like Piña Coladas – as the
song goes – you’re in good company,
because they like them in the world’s
best bars too. Though the modern
breed often sees embellishment, with
the likes of absinthe or champagne,
the foundation of pineapple, coconut
and rum normally remains. This year
the ’70s kitsch classic – in rebooted
form or not – is up seven places from
last year.
26 AMARETTO SOUR
A fixture at No.26 – and in many of the
world’s best bars – the Amaretto Sour
is among the top-10 in 12% of those
we polled. The recipe? It’s two shots of
amaretto, lemon juice and egg white,
while Angostura bitters is optional. It
can be too sweet, so adjust the lemon,
or drink something else.
27 VIEUX CARRÉ
The Vieux Carré was invented by
Walter Bergeron, head bartender
at the now Hotel Monteleone bar in
New Orleans, where bartenders flock
annually, only to be disappointed
by the Vieux Carrés. It’s made with
American whiskey, sweet vermouth,
Benedictine, Angostura and
Peychaud’s. Down three places this
year, made well, it’s a lovely riff on a
Manhattan.

28 ZOMBIE
This tiki drink of the living dead is still
in fine fettle, gaining 16 places this
year. Make it by emptying all of your
bar’s rum into a large glass along with
apricot brandy, lime and pineapple
juice. More refined recipes are
available, particularly at the world’s
best bars, where the Zombie is one of
the 10 most-made in 10% of bars.
30 CORPSE REVIVER
Harry Craddock’s Corpse Reviver
might need some of its own medicine,
having sunk 14 places this year. The
original recipe, known as Corpse
Reviver #1, uses cognac, calvados and
vermouth and Craddock recommends
you drink one before 11am for optimal
revival.
31 VODKA MARTINI
Perhaps not as popular as its gin
equivalent, the Vodka Martini remains
the best way to get your vodka fix
– if that’s your poison – as here it
comes only with a little vermouth for
company. Run-of-the-mill vodkas don’t
work here – you’ll need something
sturdy. In this martini glass, there’s no
hiding. Up 11 places, the drink that also
goes by the name Kangaroo, is a top-10
classic in 10% of our bars.
32 OLD CUBAN
The Old Cuban didn’t feature last year
– it’s a young classic, so still has to
work hard to play with the big kids of
this list. But it has pedigree: invented
by New York legend Audrey Saunders
in 2004, the Old Cuban is something of
a cross between a Mojito and a French
75, taking in aged rum, lime juice,
mint leaves, Angostura bitters and
sparkling wine.
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
29 SAZERAC
Down nine is the Sazerac,
which may be suffering from
a move away from boozy,
stirred-down drinks. Purists
use cognac for the Sazerac
and so did bartenders
in the 1850s, until
phylloxera ravaged
French vineyards
and the American
Civil War made
cognac importation
something of a second
thought. In came
whiskey and many
today prefer the booze
hit to be propelled by
the grain, not the grape.
Rimmed with absinthe, the
aromas are ominous alone.
33 VESPER
This cocktail’s story is one for the
raconteurs, but the drink is less the talk
of the town. That said, this vodka-gin-
Lillet Martini pulls a chord for some
punters, particularly those who like
James Bond, a character from which
the cocktail was named. Ian Fleming
calls for: “Three measures of Gordon’s;
one of vodka; half a measure of Kina
Lillet. Shake it over ice, and add a thin
slice of lemon peel.” It’s among our
sample’s top 10 in 7% of cases.
34 AVIATION
Gaining height this year – if only by
one place – is the Aviation, which is a
top-10 classic in 7% of bars polled.
The recipe first appeared in Hugo
Ensslin’s 1916 Recipes for Mixed
Drinks, where crème de violette
provided an extra floral dimension.
This point of difference, the crème de
violette, is the reason people love it,
and hate it.
35 LONG ISLAND ICE TEA
Yes, really. The Long Island Iced Tea
is now up to the dizzying heights of
35. Little is known about the origins of
this indiscriminate bucket of booze,
but one finger is pejoratively pointed
at Robert ‘Rosebud’ Butt from the Oak
55
Beach Inn, Long Island. The recipe is
essentially every spirit you can think
of, orange liqueur, citrus and cola. It’s
only a top-10 tipple in 5% of the bars
we polled and, one imagines, they
employ a lot of artistic licence.
36 BEE’S KNEES
Re-entering the list this year after a
two-year absence, this lemon and
honey classic is, as it says, the Bee’s
Knees. Created in the Prohibition era,
it’s suggested the honey and lemon
distracted from the roughness of the
spirits. The recipe is quite simply two
parts gin, ¾ lemon juice and ¾ honey.
Best with a cold.
37 BELLINI
This peachy sparkler invented by
Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry’s
Bar in Venice, was once a seasonal
serve, but eventually became a
permanent fixture on the menu in both
Venice and New York. It has a wider
and less discerning audience these
days and was found to be a top tipple
in 5% of the bars we polled.
38 RAMOS GIN FIZZ
This half milkshake, half Gin Fizz
concoction was named after the New
Orleans bartender who created it in
1888 – Henry Charles Ramos. The
original saw silky-smooth cream and
orange flower put a new spin on the
Fizz. It takes a long time to make, so
don’t be that person who orders it on
a busy night. Though do try one –
done right, they are worth the work.
Particularly if it’s not yours.
39 COSMOPOLITAN
The Cosmo’s years as the bartender’s
punch bag are long into the past,

and now there’s a sort of indifference
warming to affection. It helps that
Sex and the City isn’t on the telly and
that everyone who grew to hate it has
mellowed in their middle age. If you
need reminding, the Cosmo is vodka,
triple sec, cranberry and lime. A little
tweak here and there and it’s not such
a bad drink at all.
41 TI’ PUNCH
This drink of Martinique and
Guadeloupe is a sort of downsized
Daiquiri/Caipirinha affair of rum and
lime juice and, for a true rendition,
says David Wondrich, you need cane
syrup, the raw juice of the cane boiled
down until thick. The Ti’ Punch is back
in our list for the first time since 2017.
42 PAINKILLER
Trademarked by Pusser’s, the
Painkiller was the drink of the Soggy
Dollar Bar, on the BVIs, to which
seafarers would swim for refreshment.
The bar serving the rum, coconut
cream, pineapple and orange juice
liquid would take sodden money for
the drinks, but the cocktail would
only delay the pain of having to swim,
inebriated, home.
43 LAST WORD
In the list for a third time, this gin,
Green Chartreuse, maraschino and
lime gem was first published in Ted
Saucier’s 1951 cocktail book Bottoms
Up. Lost for half a century, it was
unearthed in 2004 at Zig Zag Café in
Seattle and has been a common sight
behind the stick ever since.
44 BOBBY BURNS
Making its debut in our list this year,
the Bobby Burns is something of
an occasional cocktail, though a
drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
40 HANKY PANKY
The famous American Bar classic Hanky Panky was
invented by Ada Coleman, who supposedly served
the drink to actor Charles Hawtrey, one of the “best
cocktail judges” she knew. She said: “He sipped it and,
draining the glass, he said, ‘By Jove! That is the real
hanky-panky!’” While the phrase also refers to sexual
dalliance, in the language of cocktails, it’s a bone fide
classic and gains two places in our list.
little more frequent than on Burn’s
Night once a year. In structure it’s a
Manhattan, just with scotch and a
few dashes of Benedictine. It was part
of the top-10 repertoire in 10% of our
sample.
45 IRISH COFFEE
For those that do it well – think Dead
Rabbit, Swift and Homeboy – the Irish
Coffee is approached forensically,
with temperature and viscosity honed
to perfection. The drink is thought to
have been created by Joe Sheridan,
the head chef of Foynes flying boat
terminal, Ireland, but head to Dead
Rabbit for the recipe: 1½ parts Irish
whiskey, ¾ parts demerara syrup, four
parts hot brewed coffee and heavy
cream, lightly whipped.
46 TOMMY’S MARGARITA
This simple but logical twist on the
Margarita by Julio Bermejo of Tommy’s
in San Francisco, sees agave syrup
replacing orange liqueur – and always
100% agave tequila. It’s become
the bartender’s preferred Margarita
method, made around the world,
sometimes under the guise of the
original.
47 BLOOD & SAND
Originating from 1922, the Blood &
Sand was inspired by the eponymous
57
film. A century later and this scotch,
cherry brandy (the blood), sweet
vermouth, and orange juice (the sand)
cocktail is still an occasional mix at
the world’s best bars. It’s one of three
scotch cocktails in this year’s list of 50.
48 CORPSE REVIVER #2
Featuring gin, Lillet blanc, orange
liqueur and lemon, this classic
cocktail, which dates to the 19th
century, was returned to life by
curious bartenders in the 21st century
peeling back the pages of cocktail
tomes to find inspiration. It most
famously features in Harry Craddock’s
The Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930,
but is still found on occasion in the
world’s best bars – some, rightly, prefer
it to the Corpse Reviver #1.
49 SIDECAR
Probably the most famous brandy
drink, the Sidecar is looking a little
beaten down these days. Many
bartenders say that the original
recipe is unbalanced, but this brandy,
triple sec and lemon drink can be
tweaked to taste. It has Parisian roots
but the original creator has never
come forward – or at least not in the
singular.
50 PISCO PUNCH
Made famous by San Francisco’s
Bank Exchange bar, the Pisco Punch
came on the coat-tails of trade and
immigration to the Californian city.
The recipe was never written down,
instead romantically handed down
from one Bank Exchange bartender
to another, which hundreds of years
later really isn’t helpful. Students of
newspapers and books of the time
suggest you won’t go too far wrong
with pisco, pineapple, gum syrup and
lemon juice.
58 drinksint.com January 2022 DRINKS INTERNATIONAL
Spirits
WHILE GIN REMAINS THE TOP SPIRIT FOR COCKTAILS, THERE HAS BEEN
SOME INTERESTING REORDERING IN THE LOWER RANKINGS
HEN YOU ADD
w all the brands’
sales together,
what is the top
selling category in the
world’s best bars? That’s
where this list comes in.
And, well, the news which
isn’t really news to anyone
is that the answer is gin.
And the botanical spirit
isn’t losing any ground
from last year – 57% of
bars said it was their
bestselling spirit, with
78% suggesting it was one
of their top two serves.
While we might see
cocktail bars as the driving
force of trends, you get
the suspicion with gin
it’s consumers that are
now behind the wheel.
Probably the Gin & Tonic is
a big reason for sales being
so high, but a quarter of
our list of the top classic
cocktails also call for gin.
If that isn’t reason enough,
in bars’ signature cocktails
gin always plays a major
part. With major drinks
groups all pushing their
flagship brands (Diageo
with Tanqueray, Bacardi
with Bombay and Pernod
Ricard with Beefeater –
to name just three) gin’s
dominance looks well
rooted for longevity.
This list hasn’t changed
much over the years, but
for 2022 we have a new
category in the runner-up
position. Rum was the
top spirit in 12% of bars
we polled, but it is among
the top-two in 30% and
a top-three serve in more
than half. It’s long been
a popular spirit among
bartenders, but it hasn’t
experienced the kind
of movement among
consumers that propelled
gin to kingpin. Still, with
the gamut of styles – from
unaged, aged and spiced
to light and rich, molasses-
based and agricole – it
has the variety to sate a
wide set of appetites. Not
to mention, there are some
pretty popular classics that
require rum (nine in our
list of the top 50), not least
the Daiqiuri and Mojito.
So, even though
American whiskey gives
us the Old Fashioned, the
Manhattan and Whiskey
Sour, it is down to third in
our table.
With the Negroni taking
the Old Fashioned’s mantel
as the number one cocktail
in top bars, perhaps
we are seeing a slight
reordering of priorities.
The stirred-down classics
trend was the big thing
at the front end of the
cocktail renaissance, and
when you mix in modern
trends – apertivos, spritzes
and lighter-abv drinks
– it doesn’t really play
into American whiskey’s
hands.
There is a permanent
place for American
whiskey behind the bar
(indeed, six of our 50 top
classics demand it), but it
feels like its presence has
levelled out. This year 11%
made it their top serve,
while a quarter said it was
one of their top-two spirits.
Tequila is headed the
other way, jumping past
vodka into fourth. No
longer is this a category
blighted by its old
reputation– these days
it’s for sipping, it’s for
mixing, and it’s mostly
100% agave. There
aren’t a huge number of
tequila cocktails – save
the Margarita, Tommy’s
Margarita and Paloma –
so this isn’t many bars’
top spirit (5%) but it’s a
top-three category in more
than a third.
Vodka has had a steady
presence in the top half of
this list, even in the years
when it was fashionable to
not like it.
With a handful
of classics behind it
(Espresso Martini, Moscow
Mule, Bloody Mary,
Vodka Martini), it’s also a
popular spirit for cocktails
with ingredients that
don’t require competing
richness. It’s not one of the
GIN’S top sellers in most bars we
DOMINANCE polled but it was found to
LOOKS be a top-five serve in 59%.
WELL Meanwhile, scotch is
ROOTED in sixth. Without many
FOR classics to call its own
LONGEVITY (Penicillin, Bobby Burns
and Blood & Sand being
ISTOCK.COM/ SNOOPAYA
Most Used
Spirits 2021
1
GIN
2
RUM
3
AMERICAN WHISKEY
4
TEQUILA
5
VODKA
6
SCOTCH
7
MEZCAL
8
BRANDY/COGNAC
9
JAPANESE WHISKY
10
PISCO
the only three in our top
50), scotch is mostly part of
the supporting cast. It was
a top-five spirit in 39% of
bars we polled.
As we descend, we find
categories that see only
occasional use in the
cocktail bars we polled.
Mezcal (27% said it was a
top-five spirit) continues
to outperform brandy/
cognac (where 18% have
it as one of their top-five
arsenal), underlining both
the agave spirit’s maturing
presence behind the bar
and the now long-term
underperformance of
brandy. Japanese whisky
and pisco complete our top
10, just ahead of cachaça,
absinthe and Irish
whiskey.