While cocktails may be big business in the on-trade, their consumption in the off-trade is much less prevalent, with just under 3 in 10 (28%) adults who consume alcohol at home, claiming to drink cocktails at home. Recent research on behalf of Retail Intelligence by Empathy Research, amongst a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults aged 18+, sought to understand the motivations for having cocktails at home and which types of cocktails are most popular.
In-home cocktail consumption is driven by those aged under 34, with almost half (46%) of those aged 18-24 drinking cocktails at home along with 36% of those aged 25-34. Females (33%) are significantly more likely to consume than males, of whom just 23% drinking cocktails in the home.
Consumption of cocktails tends to occur at celebratory times, with just over half (51%) of cocktail drinkers consuming on a special occasion and over 4 in 10 (44%) consuming at Christmas. However, there are almost a third of cocktail drinkers (32%) who claim they do not necessarily have to have a specific reason to drink cocktails at home.
The majority of home cocktails are prepared without the aid of a cocktail mixing kit, with just over a third (31%) of cocktail drinkers claiming to use one. Males (35%) are significantly more likely than females (28%) to use cocktail mixing kits. Knowledge in relation to cocktail making is gleamed from several sources, with online searches being used by almost 6 in 10 (58%) cocktail makers. Friends/Family members are used by almost 3 in 10 (29%), with nearly 1 in 5 (18%) specifically using YouTube to help them make cocktails.
Looking ahead to this Christmas, cocktails appear to be on the menu for a sizeable proportion of those who current make cocktails in-home, with almost 7 in 10 (68%) planning to make some this Christmas. Those aged 35-44 (76%) are significantly more likely to be planning on making cocktails over the festive period. This suggests that there is some scope for retailers to influence behaviour amongst shoppers with engaging cocktail options and recipes.
For further information and more in-depth analysis on consumer behaviour amongst those who make cocktails in-home, please contact Robbie Clarke at Empathy Research.
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