Advertising And Promoting Of Cocktails In The Food And Drink Industry

Dutch twins Raissa & Joyce de Haas, started Double Dutch drinks in 2015 with a belief that drinking could be more flavourful and that premium spirits deserved better mixers to make every drink delicious. With flavours such as Cucumber & Watermelon and Pomegranate & Basil, the mixer & tonic water brand has won more awards than any other mixer brand including Best Tonic for your Gin, Bartenders choice of tonic as well as a spot on the prestigious Forbes 30 under 30 list. With the growing rise in cocktails, which has been accelerated by the Covid- 19 pandemic as consumers seek a convenient way to enjoy on-trade drinks at home, we speak with Joyce and Raissa about how companies are promoting cocktails further and how they are becoming more mainstream.
The growth in foodie culture and focus on food pairing on social media has driven the desire to have a truly ‘Instagram-worthy’ shot and cocktails are the perfect opportunity to achieve this. Cocktails can be as complicated as a Michelin standard meal, with molecular gastronomy and a focus on flavour pairing mean you can really take someone on a flavour journey. On the other hand, they can equally be sufficiently simple; with the growth in the category, cocktails have become even more accessible at home with flavoured mixers such as Double Dutch’ Bloody Mary soda or Cucumber Margarita. This shift has allowed consumers to become a bit more experimental, layering flavour profiles to maximise their drinking pleasure.
Consumers are actively looking for engaging brands who offer inspiration to make the most of their consumption occasions. From glassware to garnish it is about more than just the liquid. A great looking cocktail can evoke an immediate emotional connection and appetite appeal to create awareness and trial which makes them the perfect tool to drive experimentation and reaching new audiences.
The growing shift towards more moderate drinking habits means lower abv cocktails are gaining popularity which has accelerated the use of more exotic and herbal ingredients in cocktails like basil and rhubarb. Theis shift in consumer attitudes means flavourful and fulfilling drinking experience 03 | MM 2021 www.insightssuccess.com is more important than ever and cocktails or ‘mocktails’ are a great tool as the desire for low alcohol options increases, they provide the perfect opportunity to elevate your standard ‘No and Low’ beverage.
Double Dutch flavours are created with molecular gastronomy by using flavour pairing techniques. This allows them to find unique and well-balanced flavour combinations that bring the best out of the spirits that they are mixed with and make cocktails more easily.
There are some drawbacks when using cocktails as an advertising tool, platforms like Instagram & Facebook can make it difficult to advertise effectively because of restrictions on alcohol. However, I agree it is important to be responsible and advertise the kind of consumption that is also reflecting consumers lives – moderate, choiceful and tasteful. Focusing messaging on why your brand is relevant therefore is even more important to create a distinctive message that can resonate with consumers, whatever platform you are reaching them on