The craze for gin, prosecco and craft beers have come and gone, 2022 is all about Tequila and it's back with a new favourite - Mezcal. Smoky, rich and super trendy, the Mezcal is on its way. The team at Drink Finder (home to the largest range of wines and spirits in the South West of England) have put together their thoughts on the upcoming trend for 2022.
Think of Mezcal as Tequila’s smoky, rich and trendier family member. Although both spirits are derived from the agave plant, mezcal can be made from up to 40-50 different agave plants whereas Tequila is made from the blue agave plant. Mezcal brings a strong, smoky flavour to drinks and a little goes a long way, to create a new spin on classic cocktails.
We are seeing people move away from once-popular drinks such as prosecco and flavoured gins in 2022 as consumers look for a more authentic experience with their alcohol.
The market for Tequila and Mezcal in the UK is certainly growing in recent years, with the Tequila trend that has been large in America slowly transitioning to the UK – it may have taken longer to break into the UK market, but when the trend arrived it certainly took off.
The Mezcal market is projected to reach £840 million by 2027, according to data from a new report forecasting its rise. The category, which was valued at £537 million in 2019, is now growing at a CAGR of 6.1% and is predicted to grow considerably in the coming years, according to research. It was around 2015 that the Tequila and Mezcal boom really started to take effect, and has continued to rise since in both a commercial and consumer setting.
In speaking with Jon at Drink Finder, home to the largest range of wines and spirits in the South West, we can learn more about the shift in buying habits towards Tequila and particular Mezcal.
“Mezcal has seen a rise in popularity amongst high profile chefs pairing them with exquisite food and cocktail bars offering the unusual for a while now. With the bringing of the Coronavirus lockdowns, we saw consumers purchasing alcohol they missed when going out for a meal or their favourite drink at the cocktail bar, with this, they were buying higher quality and exploring the offerings we had available and that so happened to be Tequila.”
“Mezcal is really approachable, we would say, unlike its neighbouring spirit Tequila, it does not have negative memories of cheap shots at the bar on a night out, it feels elegant and sophisticated and relies on the experience of drinking, which is what people longed for during the pandemic, experiences. And Mezcal was able to provide that, so it is not surprising that its popularity has continued to rise.”
So if you are looking for the next ‘it’ drink to take to any dinner party or social gathering in 2022, consider taking a rich bottle of Mezcal, full of sweet smoky flavours.
Data Sources: https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2021/11/Mezcal-market-due-to-hit-us1136-55-million-globally-by-2027/ Buy Wine, Beer, Gin, Rum, Tequila, Mezcal and much more at:- https://www.drinkfinder.co.uk/ Drink Finder (home to the largest range of wines and spirits in the South West of England)