Post #368947 by ikitnrev on Mon, Mar 24, 2008 12:39 PM

I went to the website for the Distilled Spirits Council, and learned that rum sales increased 8.9% last year, for total sales of $2.1 billion. Meanwhile, the market share for beer has gone down for every one of the last six years.

I have a new theory, that the rise in popularity of more complicated cocktails might be due to the influence of Starbucks and other similar coffee houses. You go to one of those places, and a barista will take the time to create your own specialized coffee drink. There is usually a wait involved, but people don't mind, if they feel they are receiving a quality individually-made drink that tastes much better than some quick coffee poured from some communal coffee pot.

Perhaps that same consumer model is migrating to the bar/nightclub scene. People might be tired of paying $5-6 for a glass of beer, and having it poured and served quickly from a tap. For a few dollars more, and a short wait, they can observe the bartender actually doing real preparation with their drink - and not just slosh 2 or 3 liquors over some ice in a glass.

There have always been people who appreciate quality over quantity ... but perhaps things didn't really start to click until the Starbucks model arrived, and influenced a whole generation of people that having to wait for a quality drinking beverage, and willing to pay a higher price, was a worthwhile thing.

Why do I have a sudden craving for the Mai Kai's Black Magic, with its mixture of rum and coffee flavors.

[ Edited by: ikitnrev 2008-03-24 12:40 ]