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From back-bar classics to homegrown start-ups, the aperitif sector is prospering in the UK, despite the wider challenges facing the country’s beverage alcohol market.
Although storm clouds are brewing for the drinks industry in the UK, the forecast for the aperitif scene remains comparatively positive. The country’s economy continues to splutter on life support: Inflation rages, cash-strapped consumers tighten their belts and the beleaguered on-premise battles duty hikes, labour shortages and soaring overheads.
The upward momentum of aperitifs, however, has not been stopped in its tracks.
With its sunny, alfresco image and appealing Mediterranean heritage, lower-ABV serves and versatility in both classic cocktails and easy-to-make spritzes, aperitifs continue to strike a chord with rain-soaked Brits yearning back to their holidays in sunny climes.
Campari-owned Aperol, the orange-hued behemoth of the aperitif sector, leads the way as it continues its love affair with the UK, growing sales by 20.9% in 2022, despite the many headwinds buffeting the market, not least supply chain issues.
Italian newcomers with high UK hopes
Unfazed by gloomy economic forecasts, new entrants continue to eye the UK as a top export target. A case in point is Cordusio, which is named after the famous Milan piazza. Presented in a red Art Nouveau-style bottle and containing 100% natural ingredients, Cordusio is billed as the “world’s first red berry aperitif” and the first Italian spirit to be B Corp-certified. Bottled at 19.5% ABV, Cordusio is positioned in the super-premium price tier with an SRP of GBP35 [US$42.10] per 70cl bottle.
“We’ve just launched in Italy, our home market, and are building distribution there,” Cordusio founder Chris Tanca tells Global Drinks Intel. “We’ve also got ongoing discussions with distributors in neighbouring European countries, and we absolutely have our sights set on the UK and London, which is the undisputed cocktail capital of the world. We want to get to London within the next few weeks.
“We want to stay authentic to the super-premium space,” Tanca adds. “So, we’re really going after the A-list bars and cafes, first in Italy and then across Europe. When you bring Cordusio to the bartenders, they say they can take their classic cocktails and put a twist on them or use a real Italian-style, refreshing aperitif, perhaps topping it up with a little tonic or soda. You then have something refreshing with not a very high ABV.”
Another Italian brand aiming to make it big in the UK is Cipriani Bellini, an RTD developed by the family of Giuseppe Cipriani, the legendary owner of Harry’s Bar in Venice and the inventor of the Bellini cocktail. Distributed by Italian food producer Sacla in the UK, Cipriani Bellini is available in a 75cl bottle at GBP25 and a 20cl bottle for GBP8.50, picking up listings with Selfridges, Fortnum & Mason and online retailer Ocado.
Homegrown brands gain ground
It’s not just Italian aperitifs looking to make merry in the UK; domestic brands are trying their luck too. One example of this new wave of UK aperitifs is Sipello, launched during the pandemic in 2020 by former IWSR analyst Tim Simmons. Meaning ‘sip it’ in Italian, 22% ABV Sipello is made at the Silent Pool distillery in southern England from a blend of distinctly British ingredients, mostly notably gooseberries, rhubarb and chuckleberries – a cross between gooseberries, blackberries and red currants -as well as more traditional botanicals such as sandalwood, gentian and wormwood.
Simmons fine-tuned the recipe for Sipello with the help of some of the UK’s leading bartenders. The brand has gone on to win some high-profile on-premise listings in the country, with London a key focus – notable examples in the capital include The Savoy, the award-winning Lyaness and Artesian cocktail bars as well as Edinburgh’s Waldorf Astoria.
Although around 95% of Sipello’s sales are generated in up-scale bars, a handful of specialist off-premise accounts, including London-based retailer Hedonism and specialist e-tailers Master of Malt and the Whisky Exchange, are bearing fruit. Business is beginning to snowball and in anticipation of higher volume orders, Simmons is working with Silent Pool to streamline the lengthy, six-week production process.
Despite battling soaring production costs, a 10.1% hike in spirits duty from August and competing in a category dominated by standard-priced brands, Simmons is confident about the future. “It’s a slow burn as Sipello is a complex product,” he says. “It’s getting on to more cocktail menus – in recent weeks, it’s appeared on the menus of a couple of bars that I’ve never been to and don’t know the bartenders there, so it’s now finding its own way as well.”
Another new domestic aperitif on the scene is Beesou, an 11% ABV, B Corp-certified product made from ethically sourced British honey and natural botanicals. Launched in the UK on-premise last year, the brand has quickly picked up high-profile listings across the capital with the likes of The Savoy, Annabel’s and Chiltern Firehouse.
“Beesou is a drink with a purpose,” says co-founder Mark Wakefield. “We want to help save the bees by building awareness about how important they are to the planet. If bees were to become extinct, humans would have four years left to live! We’re educating our followers on Instagram about how everyone can do their part to help #savethebees. We also give 10% of our profits to ‘Bees for Development’, which is our partner charity.”
No & low on the rise
The UK’s no- & low-alcohol market continues to go from strength to strength. Half of the country’s adult population bought a no/low product last year, according to IWSR Drinks Market Analysis, boosting the segment’s volumes by 9%. Similarly, research from Martini shows moderation is becoming a year-round trend for many UK consumers, with 57% saying they wanted to reduce their alcohol intake.
A flood of no & low brands continues to swamp the UK and many of these new entrants position themselves as aperitifs. High Point, which launched in 2021, claims to be the world’s first fermented non-alcoholic aperitif. “It’s fermented, infused and blended on the coast of Cornwall using natural ingredients,” says founder Eddie Lofthouse. “High Point Ruby Aperitif is made with hibiscus, lavender, wormwood, pink peppercorn, orange zest and pink grapefruit zest. Its wild herbal aroma is followed by a cool wave of zest and spice, before kicking back with bittersweet citrus.”
Lofthouse says the company’s strategy over the coming months is to “own the aperitif drinking occasion” with the brand’s signature serve of Ruby Aperitif with tonic water. “We already have dining groups such as Hawksmoor and The Wright Brother who have had great customer feedback on the serve, which we’re excited to share with more on-premise venues,” he says.
A more established no-alcohol brand taking big strides in the UK is Everleaf, founded by biologist-turned-bar owner Paul Mathew in 2019 and comprising three variants: Mountain, Marine and Forest, designed to be mixed with tonic. The brand gained listings in the UK last year in bars and hotels such as Cafe Murano, The Dorchester, Bacchanalia and Sexy Fish, among others.
“It was a really big year for us with significant growth overall, but not without its challenges,” says Mathew. “Like everyone, we saw our cost of goods and logistics increase substantially, but worries about consumer spending don’t seem to have significantly affected us yet.
“Our biggest success was in the on-trade. Everleaf was born in the on-trade and it was our biggest channel, but we’d obviously been constrained for the last few years. The bounce-back of bars and restaurants was wonderful to see, and it’s really driven our success over 2022.”
No-alcohol aperitifs will no doubt make further gains in the UK this year, but for all these reasons, the outlook for the wider sector is also upbeat. The country is fast losing its reputation for not liking bitter-tasting drinks – perhaps that reputation was never warranted. “The Brits have a bitter palette and I don’t think a lot of people realise that,” says Sipello’s Simmons.
“We’ve been drinking Gin & Tonic for years – if you take the lemon out, that’s a bitter drink.”
This article has been available to Global Drinks Intel subscribers since May. For details on how to join them, please click here.
