BENGALURU : The Covid pandemic has forced many lifestyle and habit changes, and an important one is the impact on the F & B industry. While the food outlets reinvented themselves to stay afloat with increased delivery and takeaways, cloud kitchens, and the like, the sale of drinks took quite a hit because of myriad restrictions on the sale of alcohol and spirits. Most states did not allow home delivery of alcoholic beverages, and, as a result, consumers were forced to buy their liquor themselves, and consume it at home during the lockdown period. Naturally, this has led to a change in consumption patterns once restrictions have eased, and one can sense these changes, especially in busy bars and microbreweries.
One change that is very noticeable is that the sale of bottled liquor has gone down considerably, as most people have gotten used to drinking at home, and are still wary of drinking out even though they now have the option of doing so. Consumption of shooters and shots, by and large, remain the same, and, in fact there was a noticeable increase as soon as the restrictions were lifted, as people used them as a celebratory drink. Beer sales, especially in microbreweries, have remained fairly constant as craft brews always have a loyal following.
At our microbrewery, we let you choose the potency of the cocktail, and that’s probably the reason why our cocktails are best sellers, and have been doing extremely well. Since the potency of the cocktail can be customised by the guests, a strong cocktail is often preferred to a straight drink as they are similarly priced, and a cocktail tastes and looks better. Many guests also prefer a cocktail with multiple flavors which add colour to the drink and make it more ‘photogenic’.
Also, most of the ingredients we use in the cocktails are natural while ensuring that the quality and taste of the cocktail remains the same. Post Covid, many people prefer natural products as opposed to artificial sweeteners and the like, which is probably one of the reasons for the increased popularity of cocktails.