“ Due to the war in Ukraine , “ we now feature Vodka Mules in place of the former Moscow Mule .”
VODKA TRENDS
first ready to drink cocktail . A permanent addition to the Cîroc portfolio , the RTD comes in four flavors : Watermelon Kiwi ; Sunset Citrus ; Pineapple Passion ; and Colada .
Cardinal Spirits , a craft distillery in Bloomington , IN , recently introduced its Double Vodka Soda with a splash of cranberry and squeeze of lime . “ We casually polled our fans on social media about what kind of vodka canned cocktail they ’ d like to see from us next , and cranberry and lime was the clear winner ,” says Jeff Wuslich , the company ’ s cofounder .
AGAVE ELBOWING IN Despite vodka ’ s dominance on retail shelves and restaurant bars , agave spirits have been gaining on it . Tequila and mezcal ’ s revenue rose 30.1 % in 2021 , to $ 5.2 billion , compared to vodka ’ s 4.9 % increase to $ 7.3 billion , according to the latest Distilled Spirits Council of the U . S . ( DISCUS ) data . Vodka volume increased just 1.6 % in 2021 compared to a 20.8 % hike for tequila / mezcal and a 4.5 % rise for whiskey .
Vodka ’ s share of all liquor sales on Drizly slipped from 30 % in 2019 to 23 % today . What ’ s more , 80 % of respondents in Drizly ’ s annual retailer survey stated that they plan to carry more tequila in 2022 , 40 points ahead of those who plan to stock more vodka .
“ Tequila currently ranks just six percentage points behind vodka at 17 % of liquor share on Drizly ,” says Liz Paquette , the company ’ s head of consumer insights . “ If tequila ’ s trajectory continues , sales of the Mexican mainstay may surpass vodka at some point this year on Drizly .”
Another wildcard for vodka is the war in Ukraine , since so many brands are tied to that part of the world . For example , Stolichnaya already changed its name to just Stoli , and some stores removed Russian vodkas from their shelves altogether .
At the same time , many bars and restaurants have adjusted either what they ’ re serving or how they ’ re doing so . “ Our sales have not changed , but we have altered our menus to reflect [ the Ukraine situation ],” says Alli Torres , general manager and mixologist at Freehold Miami . “ For example , we now feature Vodka Mules in place of the former Moscow Mule . This has been seamless and welcomed .”
Some retailers have also felt the pressure . “ We had several calls from the media asking us if we were going to take a stand and take Russian vodka off [ our shelves ],” says Zonski-Armijo .
Jubilation kept the Russian vodka brands , but doesn ’ t promote them . As a small business , Zonski-Armijo notes , “ we sort of just took the position that we ’ re here to just sell vodka ; we ’ re not here to make a political statement .”
How big of an impact all of this will have on the category , and who stands to benefit , remains to be seen . But Drizly ’ s vodka brands with Ukraine origin , such as Nemiroff , Khor and Kruto , have gained share since February 2022 . In fact , Khor was the third-fastest growing vodka brand on the platform for the first quarter of 2022 .
But the overall top-selling vodka brands on Drizy this year — Tito ’ s , Smirnoff , Grey Goose , Ketel One and Svedka , respectively — have showed little shakeup . Category leader Tito ’ s celebrated its 25th anniversary this past April .
“ People love supporting their home country , so a great-tasting , authentic , American-made product like Tito ’ s Handmade Vodka continues to perform well ,” says Frank Polley , the brand ’ s vice president of trade marketing . “ Consumers continue to look for brands that are high quality and consistent and ones they feel they can trust .”
CLEAN , CREATIVE COCKTAILS Tito ’ s is the best-selling vodka at Freehold Miami , followed by Blank Vodka , which Freehold the restaurant uses as its house well . As far as vodka cocktail trends , Torres has noticed “ people drawing back and simplifying .” This means “ less flavored products , more cleaner drinks , and an uptick in classic Martinis .”
Vodka category leader Tito ’ s celebrated its 25th anniversary this past April .
“ Due to the war in Ukraine , “ we now feature Vodka Mules in place of the former Moscow Mule .”
– ALLI TORRES , GENERAL MANAGER AND MIXOLOGIST AT FREEHOLD MIAMI
Freehold takes pride in its Espresso Martini , she says . “ We pride ourselves on integrating our coffee program into our beverage menu , and what better way than a perfectly curated homemade Espresso Martini ?”
Natalia Farfan , bar lead at The Lark in Santa Barbara , CA , features as many local craft distilleries as she can . These include St . George Spirits in Alameda , CA ; Corbin Cash in Atwater , CA , which features a sweet potato vodka ; and Cutler ’ s Artisan Spirits , which is located near The Lark .
“ You always want a vodka cocktail on the menu to create balance ,” Farfan says . “ In my experience , refreshing is always the best way to go .”
For her new brunch menu , Farfan included a $ 15 vodka cocktail featuring a cilantro-infused Cutler ’ s vodka , fresh mango , Falernum liqueur and lemon juice . “ It ’ s really refreshing , a nice good-morning drink
34 StateWays | www . stateways . com | Fall 2022