Wellness trends are driving moderation behaviours like the sober curious movement, where people are encouraged to be mindful of alcohol use. It allows consumers to choose discretionary indulgence, where one is free to manage alcohol consumption at their own pace rather than total abstinence.
It presents opportunities to highlight themes that complement or reflect moderation behaviours, which are present in Diageo’s World Class Cocktail Festival this year.
The competing bartenders created cocktails that reflected non-alcoholic beverage trends, such as reduced sweetness, tea-based ingredients, and lighter flavour profiles.
“A healthier feel”
Tess Bar and Kitchen’s Bae Chehui blends jasmine tea, citrus flavours and Singleton 12yrs to create the White Garden Fizz, where the fizziness mirrors the profile of lighter, refreshing beverages.
“The featured cocktails are infused with ingredients like tea and citrus flavours, they’re also intentionally less sweet to give a healthier feel,” Bae said.
Last Word’s bartenders Ooi Foo Giap and Reina Hsu similarly created fruity and tea-based cocktails like OOF, LONG, Tea – a blend of Oolong tea with the Singleton – and Easy, Maria, which combines Don Julio Tequila and tomato.
The fruit-forward and citrusy notes point to another dominant food trend that signals wellness and offer familiar flavour profiles that can lower barriers for consumers seeking lighter, less intense options.
Lighter and easy-to-drink formats
Apart from citrus flavours, the cocktails also featured botanicals that complement the flavour notes of the spirits. Johnnie Walker Black Ruby, for example, is reimagined as a spicy, creamy drink at Plume Bar.
Plume’s bartender Mathew Chan calls the drink Under Pressure – a rounder, and juicier rendition of Johnnie Walker Black Ruby.
Chan combines the fruit-forward Black Ruby with ingredients like Indian-inspired chai spices and roselle-chai syrup. To make the drinking experience more unique, nitrogen is infused into the cocktail before being pumped into the serving glass.
Plume’s Matthew Chan preparing Royal Mai (Zacapa No. 23 blended with crème de cacao, cashew orgeat and lime) and Under Pressure (Johnnie Walker Black Ruby blended with Basmati Horchata, roselle-chai syrup and nitrogen).
Other botanicals used include the sweet potato in Last Word’s Bukan Martini featuring Tanqueray No. TEN Gin with torch ginger flower, and Plume’s Royal Mai featuring Zacapa No.23 with Crème de Cacao, cashew orgeat and lime.
Beyond using well known ingredients, localisation is a crucial tool that not only encourages acceptability, but also provides a unique tailored experience that can complement the flavour notes of each spirit.
Cocktails inspired by local culture and heritage
Localisation is a key strategy for global spirits to resonate with consumers in specific markets without altering core SKUs. One way to do this is to use regional flavours and culturally familiar ingredients.
Sentosa’s Woobar presented Ruby! Why So Fruity?, which follows a breakfast theme with its blend of Black Ruby whisky, raspberry jam, and mint. It is served with a raspberry sando to complete the experience.
Butter Me Up, Baby is inspired by Singapore’s coffee culture. It blends Ron Zacapa 23 with coffee and egg white, and is topped with a buttered banana slice with burnt caramel.
Woobar also draws inspiration from Singapore’s sunny weather and Singlish culture, presenting It’s Hot lah – a spicy Don Julio number served with cucumber, dry curacao agave, and Tabasco.
These adaptations show how localisation supports product versatility, allowing brands to offer experiences that reflect local taste preferences while reinforcing moderation-friendly, premium drinking occasions.
Vanker, for instance, highlighted how localisation highlights the versatility of Black Ruby across different consumption formats.
“It can be a sipping whisky taken neat or blended with other ingredients into a cocktail,” said Vanker.
Regardless of how the spirits are consumed, Diageo emphasises responsible drinking, positioning the festival around intentional consumption.
The World Class Cocktail Festival is designed to inspire consumers to “drink better, not more, and to slow down, savour, and indulge in truly unforgettable experiences,” according to its February 23 press note.
“By bringing together tastemakers, rising bartending talent, and some of the world’s most iconic luxury spirits from Diageo’s portfolio, [the World Class Cocktail Festival] invites guests to experience cocktails in a more intentional way said Alex Freri, General Manager, Strategic Partnerships & New Markets, SEA.