Among all the categories in the Brands Report, cocktail bitters stands out as one consistently dominated by a single brand. Angostura again claims the top spot, maintaining its position as the bestseller in 80% of the bars polled. The brand has become synonymous with cocktail bars globally, a staple ingredient in both classic and modern serves. With classic cocktails retaining popularity, Angostura’s role in them is as vital as ever, with every bar polled stocking the yellow-capped bottle. As well as its flagship, Angostura produces Orange and Cocoa varieties and remains the go-to bitters in the world’s best bars. But Peychaud’s secured second place by being named a top-three choice in 54% of bars polled.
Those bartenders who choose to stock a broader range are increasingly enjoying the versatility offered by alternatives such as Peychaud’s. The same trend can be seen with The Bitter Truth, which ranks third and, notably, received more alternative votes than Angostura, with 22% naming it a top-three choice.
However, there are no signs of fatigue when it comes to the Trinidad giant. Angostura continues to dominate the trending list, earning just over twice as many votes as Scrappy’s in second place. This commanding lead underscores the reliance that even the world’s most innovative and influential bars still place on Angostura.
How we did it
The Brands Report has been released every January for the past 16 years and aims to provide data analytics into the buying habits of consumers in the world’s best bars.
To collect the data, we first curate a sample of industry-acclaimed bars from a combination of The World’s 50 Best Bars and its regional North America and Asia lists.
In order to ensure the best global coverage, about 5% of the poll were ‘editor’s picks’ – highly rated bars in regions less represented to assure a truly global data pool reflective of the current bar industry. Each year the panel rotates to ensure a fair and accurate set of results.
As part of the survey, we ask each bar owner or head bartender to dig out their sales spreadsheets and rank the three bestselling products in each spirits category, as well as beer, champagne and mixers. The bestselling list is based on hard data, while top trending is more subjective – the brand which isn’t necessarily shifting big volumes but is seen as in vogue by each bar. Often, the brands that figure highly in the trending list move on to the bestselling list the following year, as curiosity and excitement transition to weight of sales.
We also ask our poll to declare the house pour in some of the world’s bestselling classic cocktails. The drinks are chosen to specifically represent major spirits categories and are generally big hitters in the Cocktail Report’s list of the 50 bestselling classic cocktails, due to launch in spring.
To view the page-turner edition of the Brands Report click here.
The Brands Report will be serialised on drinksint.com throughout January.
