The future of drinking lies in the cheesy cocktails of the past says top advertising agency in report

By Nigel Huddleston

Published: 07 September, 2015

Cheesy cocktails of yesteryear are making a comeback according to a report on future food and drink trends from ad agency J Walter Thompson.

The agency's Innovation Group - part of the JWT Intelligence division - says cloying cocktails of the 1970s and 1980s are being reinvented by mixologists to suit modern tastes.

It also identified a "mashing up" of health and hedonism as a trend of the future, such as voga classes where a hybrid of dance and yoga is followed by drinks.

The report also highlights marijuana-inspired drinks and experiential marketing activity that tells virtual stories about products as future drink trends.

"Today's food and drink consumers are more sophisticated than ever before," said Lucie Greene, worldwide director at the Innovation Group.

"Our research shows that both US and UK consumers are placing increasing importance on food and drink as an experiential luxury and reflection of their personal identity.

"We also found that millennials, despite their well-documented economic challenges, are demanding higher-quality food, visual stimulation and technologically-enhanced experiences."

The report claims that 74% of US millennials and 58% of UK millennials believe marijuana will become as socially acceptable as alcohol over the next decade.

Green added: "Cocktail classics of yesteryear, long relegated to the dustbin of cheesy nightclubs, are being reinvented with a gourmet twist, unapologetically celebrating the synthetic hues of retro ingredients such as crème de menthe and blue curaçao.

"Booze and fitness can also be enjoyed together, as we're seeing from new after-dark exercise events such as Voga Bonbonniere?one hour of yoga, followed by drinks - or Equinox's After Dark events.

"Marijuana is great?so long as you describe it as gourmet and it comes with a sommelier."

She added that in cocktails "increasingly the mixologist world is borrowing from Michelin starred chefs to innovate?using fat washes and sous vide treatments".

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