With the 12th of June marking International Cachaça Day, CGA’s research into the German on trade has revealed a perhaps surprising penchant for the Brazilian spirit with cocktail drinkers in Germany, through the drink with which it is most commonly associated; the Caipirinha.
Ranked as the joint most popular cocktail for consumers in Germany (alongside the Mojito), the Caipirinha has captured the imagination of bartenders and cocktail drinkers alike, becoming a must-have on cocktail menus across the country. Along with being the most consumed, it is also the serve that most German cocktail drinkers would consider when out, further highlighting the depth of feeling for the Cachaça-based, sugar-fuelled drink that embodies Brazilian cocktail culture.
Our recent Mixed Drinks Report spotlights the fact that the Caipirinha is universally popular across German consumers, appearing within the top three most popular cocktails for all age groups and, in fact, ranking as number one for 35 – 44-year-olds as well as males.
The report, a first-of-a-kind equivalent of the CGA Mixed Drinks Report for the German market, focusses on cocktail preferences and habits, identifying lime as the most popular cocktail flavour, further reinforcing the credentials of the Caipirinha as a leading player within the market.
Alongside Cachaça, white spirits feature prominently across German cocktail menus, with vodka, white rum and gin ranking as the spirits most commonly included in cocktails consumed.
Closer to home, the Caipirinha is less popular in the British cocktail market, ranking 41st of 42 pre-defined options for cocktails chosen when out by consumers. However, with consumers ever-more hungry in the quest for new drinks and flavours (58% of GB spirit drinkers say that they like to try new flavours), perhaps Cachaça increasingly offers opportunities, as the category diversifies, premiumises and connects with consumers through an interesting backstory.
Indeed, with an increasing number of products emphasising quality credentials, be it through the production methods such as pot-stilled distillation, heritage and Brazilian provenance or traditional harvesting and fermentation, it appears that Cachaça is following in the footsteps of other spirit categories riding the wave of premiumisation.
However, for consumers looking to experience the category, it may prove difficult to find. Stocked in around 5,000 outlets in the GB on trade, the category is available in 4% more outlets this year than last but still holds a relatively small on trade footprint.
With sales and volume of Cachaça also declining year on year in the British on trade, there is perhaps a lesson to be learnt from the German example – providing a relatively untapped opportunity for operators and suppliers alike through bringing a sense of samba with the national drink of Brazil; the Caipirinha.
To understand more around the opportunities from European markets, or to learn more about the CGA German Mixed Drinks Report, please contact me at Charlie.mitchell@cga.co.uk
