LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2023

TREND: RUM RUMBLES WITH WHISKY

“Shochu is the new mezcal, potentially the new gin, in TREND: JAPAN COMES ON STRONG terms of popularity. Shochu is so different from anything else we ever tried in the Western world. It can be made from over 55 different raw mate rials; it can have a very wide bouquet of flavours, from the lightest and floral to the most savoury and umami. Fuelling this is the rising popularity of Japanese food and drinks, resulting in more Japanese bars and restaurants opening in Europe…. [In London] we can clearly see how fast the interest in Japanese bartend ing culture is developing” —Pietro Rizzo, bar director at London’s award-winning The Aubrey at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park

“Rum continues to penetrate premium spirit categories. We look for our audience among spirits enthusiasts typically drinking single malts or bourbon. They have sophisticated palates, so they’re looking for complex spirits with grip and length” —Gayle Seale, global brand ambassador, Foursquare Rum Distillery, Barbados

TREND: SWEET TALK

Bar-made syrups are going to be as popular as bitters now are. There’ll be more experimentation on ways to infuse syrup with fruit to sweeten drinks as opposed to simply using sugar” —Jerrett Young, restaurateur and CEO of Hamilton’s Equal Parts Hospitality

FOOD & DRINK AUTUMN 2023 153