The Death Of the Short Drink

When was the last time you drank Rye and Coke or Vodka Tonic? if you answered yesterday you are in a tiny minority of drinkers these days. It seems as though the Martini, Bellini, Margarita crowd has become the last bastion of  mixed drink consumers. Sure Single Malts and Aged Rums are getting some press along with Flavored Vodkas and Small Batch Gins but these are more likely a 1 drink a night style of libation. So what does this mean for the consumer and the Bar those standard drinks drove margins for both the manufacturer and the bar. so now they sell less and costs are climbing I expect prices will rise to match the drop in sales and that will only drive another nail into the coffin. Now don't get me wrong I'm not suggesting we go back to that style of drinking it just means we need a new strategy and some creative new trends to keep us interested.