Alcohol trends

New research from the Bank of England has revealed that British households spend an extra £800 on average in December in comparison with the rest of the year. There is a 30% increase in the amount that people spend on alcohol, which comes as no surprise as the festive season takes hold. Christmas is universally accepted as the time to eat, drink and be merry, but what are we sipping this festive season? Newly-released data has revealed the world’s festival drinking habits – some expected, some not quite.

Unsurprisingly Champagne is five times more popular in December than any other month of the year. Less expected is the fact that typical summer drinks (such as Ableforth’s Summer Fruit Cup and Pimm’s No 1) are just as popular during the festive season as they are in April. Though Christmas is a time for resurfaced classics – such as mulled wine – it is also a time for new creations and inventions. Think about a drink made with Christmas cake spiced gin, or smoky malt whisky from the Laphroaig Distillery. The festive drinking experience should be anything but bland.

Aston spoke to Kristiane Sherry, editor at master of malt to discuss the Christmas trends and what to expect in 2020.