From traditional coffee cocktails, Port and Sherry to innovative shot and sipping serves, the post-dining consumption occasion takes in a diverse range of drinks. Sandra Newman explores the latest trends.
The digestif occasion encompasses a wide range of alcoholic drinks, with aged spirits, fortified wine and cocktails all featuring. Spirits consumed after meals include brandy, Cognac, bitters, liqueurs (particularly herb or citrus-based), whisky, rum, agave spirits and aquavit.
Traditional after-dinner cocktails include the Old Fashioned and coffee-based drinks such as the Espresso Martini and Black Russian, while Port and Sherry are also popular post-meal choices.
While tradition still plays an important role, consumer experimentation and the development of after-dinner cocktails are helping to make digestifs a more varied and interesting space.
France has a particularly strong tradition in this area, and domestically-produced dark spirits such as Cognac, brandy and Armagnac remain popular, despite changing consumer preferences.
“The environment for spirits is very dynamic and the digestif consumption moment is really benefiting from this trend,” says Armagnac Darroze president Marc Darroze. “Brandies are great after-dinner options and still lead the unblended digestif segment.
“Cognac plants 3,000 hectares of vines every year to meet the demand for both aperitif and digestif occasions. Rum is also a dynamic category but, sadly, the lack of anticipation from rum producers a few years ago explains why there’s a small number of old rums available globally.”
Digestif drinkers are increasingly seeking out new and distinctive products with a strong heritage, according to Christian Drouin Calvados president Guillaume Drouin. “Consumers are becoming more open-minded and eager to expand their drinking repertoire,” he says. “They don’t stick to their favourite spirit anymore but rather experiment with lesser-known categories. These need to show authenticity, a strong story and artisanal production methods and this trend has hugely benefited Calvados.”
Consumers looking for digestifs are also looking at single-cask bottlings, high-proof editions and adventurous finishes and maturations, according to Drouin. “Our Experimental series, for example, has been very well-received by digestif drinkers looking for something innovative and unique, while our range of millésimes are ideal at the end of a meal,” he says.
French spirits group La Martiniquaise-Bardinet recently launched a 170th-anniversary limited edition of its Beehive Brandy, which is a blend of Beehive Original XO and 15-year-old eaux-de-vie. Beehive international brand manager Léna Rusek claims the Beehive brand is “proof that innovation and heritage can sit side by side”, adding that the latest edition to the portfolio is “the perfect way to mark nearly two centuries of expertise”. “Thanks to its rich and smooth taste profile,” she says, “Beehive is sold in many countries where consumers enjoy it as an after-meal spirit.”
Bitters broaden their appeal
Bitters have long been a popular choice as a digestif and many were created as medicinal drinks, featuring herbs or spices to aid digestion. Jägermeister is a traditional digestif that has successfully widened its appeal in recent years to encompass other occasions. Post-meal consumption is still important for the brand, however, with newer extensions boosting its versatility in the neat spirits and after-dinner cocktail segments.
Jägermeister’s most recent innovation is Cold Brew Coffee, which was launched in 2019; it is a popular ingredient in an Espresso Martini, but its recommended serve is as an ice-cold shot. Mast-Jägermeister UK head of brand & trade marketing Johnny Dennys says: “Jägermeister Cold Brew Coffee is Jägermeister infused with intense cold brew coffee, providing an alternative shot, extending the shot occasion to earlier in the evening, such as post-meal.”
Jägermeister Manifest, which was launched in 2017, also works well as a digestif, according to Dennys, particularly as an after-dinner cocktail. “Because of its unique flavour profile, Jägermeister Manifest can be served in a variety of cocktails or on the rocks. This makes it a flexible offering for the on-trade, especially with consumers becoming more adventurous with their drink choices.
“The layers of flavours in Jägermeister Manifest can add a twist to a classic cocktail, for example an Old Fashioned, or be used to create a unique cocktail such as a Manifest highball.”
In Cognac, some companies are also trying to broaden their appeal and move away from the category’s traditional after-dinner reputation. Domaine Sazerac de Segonzac GM Clive Carpenter says: “There’s so much more to Cognac than just the late-night sipping from a snifter — we want to convey that sense of making it part of a fun and varied lifestyle.”
The company’s Seignette VS line, was launched in the UK earlier this year. Seignette’s versatility makes it ideal for post-meal cocktails, says Carpenter. “Seignette is a great base or addition to a cocktail; fragrant and flavourful, but not heavy or overpowering,” he adds.
In May, Maison Boinaud’s Cognac De Luze released redesigned packaging and an updated logo for its Cognac range to tie in with the brand’s 200th anniversary, with the aim of making its Cognacs more accessible to younger consumers and female spirits drinkers. “When it came to developing the new look,” says Boinaud master blender Rémi Boinaud, “we tried to put ourselves in the shoes of the classic Cognac De Luze consumer, but also in those of the new, younger audience we want to reach.”
While the brand has been tapping into the cocktail trend, Boinaud director of hospitality Thomas Livorin says post-meal consumption is still the main driver of sales for Cognac. “Even if mixology is getting more popular, especially with young Cognacs, the classic digestif serve stays the main way of tasting, particularly with aged Cognacs like the XO,” he says. “Some markets are mature in terms of consumers discovering all the facets of Cognacs, but the post-meal consumption trend remains global in our markets.”
Complex cocktails and new spirits enter after-dinner space
Both Darroze and Drouin note a trend for complex cocktails as digestif options evolve. “Consumption of cocktails created for the end of a meal is a new phenomenon,” says Darroze. “We see a growing demand for richer and more complex dark spirit-based serves, which directly compete with the more traditional and historical sipping occasion.
“Armagnac also benefits from this trend, even though it remains a niche product mostly enjoyed by connoisseurs.”
The trend for complex after-dinner drinks has seen increased requests for classic cocktails using Calvados, such as Calvados Old Fashioned, the Sazerac or Vieux Carré, says Drouin.
Darroze adds: “Many mixologists and bars offer cocktails that are particularly suited to the end of a meal, such as the Landes fashion, our twist on an Old Fashioned using our 12-year-old Grand Assemblages Armagnac.”
Drouin has noted regional differences in consumption trends. “Many cocktail trends start in the US, but each continent keeps some specificities,” he says. “Japanese consumers are very knowledgeable and curious and are seeking the rarest bottles. Most of the sales of Calvados in Asia benefit from the current cocktail trend, whereas Europe is more focused on finding niche sipping digestifs,” he says.
Darroze also recognises the continued popularity of white spirits in post-meal cocktails. “Dark spirit-based drinks are growing, but gin continues to dominate the after-dinner cocktail segment in high-intensity venues in many countries,” he points out. “I’m thinking of Spain of course, but also Belgium, Great Britain and others,” he says.
While Cognac remains fashionable, Livorin believes other types of spirits have also gained popularity as digestif options in recent years. “Other spirits, such as Tequila, have become very popular, especially on the American continent,” he says.
According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the US, Tequila/mezcal was the second fastest-growing spirits category in the US by value and volume in 2021. Sales volumes have grown by 6.9% a year on average since 2003. During this period, the most rapid growth has been in super-premium-and-above.
Growing interest among consumers in product heritage and tradition and celebrity-owned brands have boosted sales, while the increased range of sipping Tequilas available and suitability of agave spirits for cocktails have helped increase digestif consumption, mirroring trends in the post-dining segment as a whole.
This article was initially published in September’s issue of Global Drinks Intel magazine. For details on how to subscribe, click here.
