Top Cocktail Trends of the Decade

The biggest trend in that we have seen from 2000-2009 encompasses all of the other points below. Within the last decade there has been a renewed interest, almost a frantic desire, for reviving the cocktail in its purest, most celebrated, and well-crafted form. This has brought the term "mixology" back into our vocabularies.

Mixology in the 21st century has not only led to a renewed interest in classic cocktails and old school techniques - ones which you are willing to wait 5-10 minutes for - but also for a higher quality in ingredients - both spirits and mixers - and innovative adaptations of the traditional concept of a drink. Within this one decade more and more bartenders have treated drinks like a 5-star chef treats his dishes.

In a world inundated with products containing preservatives, sweeteners and all matters of artificial contents that make life easier, freshness has returned to the bar. Over the last few years we have seen a growing appreciation for the way in which natural ingredients can enhance cocktails to measures that had not been seen regularly in many previous decades.

Freshness is showing up in the bar by numerous means beyond a citrus press squeezing fresh lemon and lime juice. It has also appeared via fresh herbs and spices, homemade ingredients like sour mix, simple syrup and grenadine, and an appreciation for the the bar's most important ingredient, clean ice. All of these little elements make a significant difference in today's drinks.

Anyone who browses the liquor store has to have noticed that the options available on the shelves has grown considerably. Every month a number of distilled spirits are released to the market, many with their unique characteristics.

Whether it is the new gins that are causing a stir in that category, the never ending list of infused vodkas (and growing number of tequilas, rums and whiskies), or the new boutique liqueurs like TY KU, Domaine de Canton and St. Germain that are taking flavors to a new level. Also, there is a growing trend in organic spirits that is reflective of today's consciousnesses.

Quality is key to this new spirits market. Even with some of our favorite brands, we are willing to spend more on the good stuff.

There are thousands of cocktails that have been created since the first definition of the cocktail was printed in 1806 and many have risen and fallen in favor with trends. Yet, there was a golden age of cocktails during the late 1800's and early 1900's that are the best mixed drinks of all time. During this first decade of the 21st century there has been a growing resurgence in researching and reviving many of those great cocktails.

The Martini and the Manhattan have always been in our thoughts, but those like the Aviation are a favorite again, while the Sazerac has been named the official cocktail of New Orleans. Countless of other classic cocktails continue to be rediscovered inside the pages of the first bartending guides ever printed.

There have always been trends in the bar, whether it was the vodka craze when it first became a cocktail favorite in the middle of the last century or the overly sweet, creamy drinks and oversized portions a few decade later. Lately the craze of the day has changed by flavor, and switched from one to another almost too quickly to notice.

Most of these flavor crazes have followed trends in food and drink and the most notable have been influenced by the healthy lifestyles and the fruits that help us lead those. Most notably there was the pomegranate, which gave birth to PAMA and other liqueurs alongside many great flavored vodkas. The acai berry is the most recent "super fruit" trend with Veev Spirit and Van Gogh Vodka leading the way.

For many Americans absinthe had long been a mystery, an outlawed liquor that was only obtainable illegally or through homemade concoctions. Yet, it was the biggest bar news in this first decade when the US government decided that it could once again, after 95 years, be sold in the country legally.

Despite its new regulations, which are not imposed in many other countries, it has quickly found a home again in the mouths of many drinkers and regained an appreciation that it once knew. Since the 2007 decision a handful of brands have been released to the US market and we no longer have to seek out its substitutes like Herbsaint, Abisante or Anisette to enjoy the many great absinthe cocktails.