Our last category in the CLASS Report is Mixers - Hamish Smith sums up the results.
Our mixers category is a broad church, and from it Coca-Cola’s shadow looms large. This is the brand of all brands – it has that unique ability to have a place at almost any occasion. To the point where venues must explain to customers why they don’t stock it, not why they do.
Yet, next to pubs, clubs and mainstream bars, the UK’s best bars probably aren’t the key battleground for Coca-Cola – only 14% said it was their top seller – but it’s present, with 71% of bars saying it was among their top three mixers. Its role as a soft drink and, of course the ‘and-Coke’ order, means it’s a hard-to-forgo product in any channel.
Though Coca-Cola is a key supporting actor, in most bars it's a tonic brand that is the bestseller. In fact, 31% said they stock Fever-Tree, making it by far the bestselling tonic-led mixer range. 48% said Fever-Tree was among their top three. Fever-Tree dislodged Schweppes in this channel a decade or so ago, but now it’s the established brand that faces a similar challenge. Top bars want a great-tasting product that makes sense financially, but they also want something that’s different to the mainstream – and often each other.
Franklin & Sons has certainly answered the call – rising to be the number two tonic-led mixer range in the UK’s best bars. Its support of the trade has been key, with presence heightened through cocktail competitions and the sponsorship of events such as The Class Bar Awards. The mixer brand was also one of the best performers in the Bartenders’ Brand Awards, taking three of the top five spots with its Franklin & Sons Pineapple & Almond Soda, Raspberry Lemonade and Rose Lemonade. 23% said it was their bestselling mixer, and 36% said it was among their top three.
Schweppes, the traditional heavyweight brand of the category, took a while to shift gears when it lost its crown, but the rebuild is well underway, with trade activations aplenty and a new team of bartender-allied ambassadors assembled to lead the push. In our snapshot of the UK’s best bars, 9% said it was their house tonic, while it was a top-three mixer in 27% .
The London Essence Co – Britvic’s high-end tonic – has gone after top bar accounts to much success in recent years. The 2016-founded brand was the top seller in 12% of our sample, but if it wasn’t the house, it wasn’t often the back-up mixer – 8% of cases.
The Athens-founded Three Cents is another newish-comer that is taking share through its tonics but also flavoured skus such as its Pineapple and Pink Grapefruit Sodas – 3% said it was their go-to and 16% of bars said it was among the top three. Outside of what sells, almost a quarter of bars said Three Cents was their favourite brand, just ahead of Franklin & Sons.
Double Dutch was slightly ahead on house pour (4%), but otherwise barely registered in a supporting role, while British brand Fentimans was a top-three mixer presence in 5% of bars. The Artisan Drinks Co had a couple of house contracts, while traditional brand Canada Dry was a back-up in a handful of cases.