5 Cocktail Trends to Channel Don Draper

Megan Westerby, VP of Marketing for SideChef, highlights five cocktail trends that can raise the flavor profile of anyone's drink of choice:

1. Rise of bitter ingredients.
While sugar is an essential ingredient in many cocktails, most lack the bitter components that create a complex flavor (even in sweet and fruity drinks). Adding a dash or two of Campari or Suze can enhance the flavor complexity of even the fruitiest drinks.

2. White whiskey is the new vodka.
Unlike its brown counterpart, white whiskey never sees the inside of an aging barrel, resulting in a smooth and flavorful flavor that cannot be found in vodka. Expect white whiskey to be the center of many cocktail favorites - whether it's a Moscow Mule or a traditional martini.

3.Culinary cooking methods for bartenders.
Mixologists are now utilizing classic cooking techniques to create unique and creative liqueurs (such as sous-vide liqueurs). In addition, more bartenders are creating their own bitters instead of simple syrups, as well as catching on to the molecular gastronomy trend.

4. Old school is new school.
While the use of Prohibition-era recipes in cocktail bars is nothing new, a variety of obscure ingredients are finding resurgence in popularity. Bitters in flavors of all kinds (including rhubarb, chamomile and celery) will continue to improve too-sweet cocktails. Shrub, an even older concoction of vinegar, sugar and fruit, will also be popular among mixologists this year.

5. Low-alcohol and low-proof cocktails.
Cocktails that are low in alcohol and in proof, which guests can drink without getting too inebriated, are not only more food-friendly, but are also appearing at more bars and restaurants. Such drinks are great for starting or finishing, to ease customers into the night or help them wind down.