Top cocktail flavors in 2023 from expert bartenders

Blue spruce, fermented baked milk and feijoa – what do these words have in common? If you answered “cocktail”, then you are right and understand modern drinks!

Today we’ll talk about classic and trendy cocktail flavors and guest preferences in 2023. The experts are bartenders from the capital's restaurants: Vitaly Skripchinsky from Amy, Evgeny Evdin from Do Not Disturb, Artem Zavarzin and Evgeny Yushkin from Vasilchuki Chaikhona No. 1.

About trends. Laconism and minimalism in cocktail preparation are relevant again. The trend is for drinks that have a minimum of ingredients, but maximum taste and naturalness.

Syrups, which sometimes replace several ingredients, help to follow the trend towards minimalism. Artem Zavarzin confirms this:

– If there is herbal syrup, then why should I add sugar and bitters? I mix the syrup with whiskey and get a balanced cocktail.

Evgeniy Yushkin appreciates Tequila Sunrise for its brevity:

– Mixed orange juice with tequila and poured some syrup on top. Looks beautiful and easy to prepare!

About syrups. Most often, syrups are used in cocktails to enhance the taste. Evgeniy Evdin believes that they can also be used as a tool for additional flavor combinations:

– If we add a sweet part to a drink and want it to be well balanced in the end, it is necessary to introduce sour, and sometimes bitter or salty parts. Here the limits are set only by the bartender’s imagination.

It is syrups that offer enormous opportunities for experimentation in mixology: herbal, pine, fruit, berry, perfume, and spicy. Which of them set the tone today?

“It all depends on the season. In winter – more spicy, herbal, in summer – fruity, berry,” says Vitaly Skripchinsky. Colleagues agree with him. In cold weather, guests often order warming, spicy drinks, and in hot weather, refreshing drinks with passion fruit, feijoa, and pineapple flavors.

Artem Zavarzin shares his observations:

– In winter, no matter how much I experiment, herbal ones are more suitable, for example, spruce, and monopremixes, for example, feijoa with spruce. There are few exotic fruits in Russia. If there is a syrup with a rare tropical taste, it may become popular, like yuzu did in its time.

About guests' preferences. Despite the interest in the exotic, the bulk of the range of syrups in the bar is occupied by tastes that Russians understand. Classic, you might say.

Evgeniy Evdin noted that guests more often order balanced, light, sweet and sour drinks. Only later, when the guest’s trust is gained, the bartender “integrates something more extravagant and unusual into the drinks.” Whether the guest likes this unusual taste will determine whether the cocktail will become popular.

Let's summarize:

• In 2023, conciseness and minimalism are relevant when preparing cocktails.
• They help create trendy drinks - syrups, cordials, purees.
• When choosing syrups, you should focus on seasonality and guest preferences. Familiar tastes and classic recipes are the basis, but the exotic must also be offered and new extravagant combinations must be looked for.