Throughout the year, part of the job we love the most is keeping up with the latest food & drink trends. From willing volunteers at the latest restaurant openings, to mixing up drinks at home, to scrolling through TikTok for “research”, to swapping news stories in the office; all of these are critical, and tasty, undertakings so we can guide our clients on culturally relevant partnerships, impactful content creation, current media conversations and more, for their brand. 

So we thought we’d put the passion to good use, and run an unofficial Alfred Food & Drink Awards to mark that halfway moment of the year. Without further ado…

Top colour: 

Beige. And with “why is beige so popular?” one of the most associated searched questions, we do hear your cynicism…but from Love Islanders’ wardrobes, to oat drinks to “beige flags” on TikTok, the colour is everywhere this year and food is no exception. So paint your nails milky and indulge in your #basic flat white knowing you’re exactly on trend for 2023. Don’t believe us? Head to The Guardian.  

Most googled: 

Margarita is still the top googled cocktail around the world. Take yours with tequila, mezcal, frozen or in canned form, they’re everywhere. And if you don’t trust yourself to mix them up at home, you can’t go wrong with Hacha in Dalston & Brixton. Or pick-up a Moth ready-to-drink Margarita all over the UK. 

Top cultural moment: 

Has to be the coronation (with Eurovision a close second). In food, you couldn’t move for coronation caterpillar cakes or limited-edition fizz. Google searches for “M&S coronation food” spiked by +850% between April-June, and the top team at M&S HQ had us all covered with biscuit tin memorabilia and Colin in his finest celebratory outfit. Kantar also discovered sales in sparkling wine rose by 129% over the coronation 4 week period. Any excuse eh… 

Surprise incomer: 

Disco cocktails (and we love it). Brilliantly kitsch, beautiful colours and a complete outlet of fun and nostalgic indulgence. This one’s all about an elegant revival of Appletinis, Daiquiris, Grasshoppers and the bluest of cocktails. The Evening Standard summed this up for us perfectly here. 

TikTok’s breakout recipe: 

French onion pasta. Or at least, this is what’s on our feed. We loved looking back at the top recipes from 2022, including cloud bread and the feta bake pasta that we couldn’t escape from in our algorithms. If you want to try this latest pasta obsession at home for 2023, though, we like Delish’s recipe.  

Most notorious product launch:

You’ll no doubt have heard of the launch of Prime energy drinks by Logan Paul x KSI (famous YouTubers now WWE wrestlers/boxers). Announced as a limited edition run, and with a huge teenage following behind them, cue chaotic queues outside shops with anxious parents trying to get hold of bottles for kids’ playground kudos. Take 40m+ followers and add a dash of scarcity marketing, and you have a recipe for a sell-out product and extortionate resales on eBay. BBC digs into the craze here and the proof is in the Prime with +4,850% Google searches in the last 90 days in the UK alone.

Favourite opening: 

Rixo’s flagship store…yes we know it’s clothes…bear with us. The team at Smokey Kudu has been tasked with creating a simply beautiful cocktail bar for part of the in-store experience and enjoyment. Highly instagrammable, we liked the understated and elegant entrance into the London bar scene with this launch. Read more here on Secret London. 

Keeping it planet-friendly: 

Sustainability in drinks is showing no signs of slowing down. The latest tipple to take hold is nettle G&Ts, encouraging budding mixologists to make use of all the plants we have naturally available – weeds and all. Think dandelions and thistles, but just be careful which ones you decide to eat and find some expert foraging advice to follow. Metro explains it all. 

On the fence trend: 

Parmesan Espresso Martinis. This strange pairing started bubbling over on socials, and despite some keen fans behind it, we’re not sold. The savoury cheese element is intended to balance out the sweetness from the original cocktail recipe. Whilst coffee and cheese isn’t as crazy a combo as it sounds, something about the texture of this trend is keeping us on the fence. The Indy gives you all the background you need here. 

Food or drink brand with growth on your mind? 

Come and talk to us: [email protected]