DATA STUDY: Europe’s Favourite Cocktails
by 2023-01-27There is more to Europe than just history, culture, and amazing food. They also make pretty delicious cocktails too!
European interest in cocktails is plain to see, with the UK being the top searcher of cocktails in the continent – making 165,000 average yearly searches for cocktails – followed by the Netherlands that makes on average 33,100 yearly searches for the boozy mixed drinks.
It’s perhaps unsurprising that the UK is the top searcher of cocktails in Europe, considering the UK is home to many award-winning, successful cocktail bars, particularly in cities like London.
But what are the cocktails most beloved by Europeans? Let’s take a closer look at the stats!
What Are Europe’s Top 5 Cocktails?
The top 5 most searched for cocktails in Europe are the pornstar Martini, the mojito, the margarita, the Aperol Spritz, and the piña colada.
The UK is a massive fan of pornstar Martinis, with the term being searched about 165,000 times on average every year.
Interestingly, Germany and France have a mutual love of mojitos, with both countries looking up the drink on average 110,000 times each year.
Germany is also particularly fond of an Aperol Spritz, with 135,000 yearly searches on average for the classy cocktail.
While Europe is enamoured with cocktails, spirits are still popular among patrons, with spirits accounting for 55.8% of Amazing Grace, one of the bars in London Bridge alcohol sales.
With all that being said, let’s learn more about Europe’s favourite cocktails, their history, and the best way to enjoy them.
What Is A Pornstar Martini?
In contrast to a traditional gin Martini (because why would a drink with such a provocative name conform to tradition!), a pornstar Martini doesn’t combine vermouth and gin, but rather makes vanilla vodka and passion fruit the stars of the show!
What Is A Mojito?
A mojito is a traditional highball drink that hails from Cuba, and its ingredients are deeply rooted in its country of origin, consisting of lime, mint, rum, and sugar.
The drink is usually finished with a pinch of club soda to properly quench your thirst on a hot, Havana day! (or on a hot day in Paris or Berlin, judging by their search trends!)
What Is A Margarita?
A traditional margarita cocktail is usually served on the rocks or straight up, and is an iconic cocktail for good reason.
Nothing cools you down on a sweltering day, or lights a fire in your belly on a cooler day more than a margarita. Our takeaway is that a margarita can be enjoyed any day of the week!
Margaritas are normally diluted and served in large jugs to share among friends, but are also more traditionally served a lot stronger in a margarita glass with salt on the rim.
What Is An Aperol Spritz?
Traditionally served as a pre-dinner drink in northern Italy, this sophisticated cocktail is now enjoyed all over the world – and they seem to really love it in Germany!
Aperol, sparkling water, and prosecco are the main ingredients of an Aperol Spritz, and the drink is usually topped with a slice of orange.
Although enjoying wine and ice together is controversial to some, Aperol Spritz is a wine-based cocktail that goes well with ice, particularly large cubes that take longer to dilute.
What Is A Piña Colada?
The piña colada is an iconic, frozen cocktail, and is a staple of every cocktail bar menu. This famous cocktail was first made in the 1950s, and unfortunately, a lot of bottled piña colada mixes and those found at popular restaurants often fall short of the real thing.
While some piña colada recipes swap out coconut cream for sugar syrup or coconut milk, coconut cream really is the star ingredient of a delicious piña colada.
What Are The Least Popular Cocktails In Europe?
French 75
With 9,900 average yearly searches in the UK, and just 210 yearly searches on average in Austria, the French 75 is in the bottom 5 of Europe’s most searched cocktails.
This fresh, citrusy cocktail consisting of champagne, gin, lemon juice and sugar gets its name from the fast-firing 75-millimeter field gun that the French used in WWI.
Singapore sling
The classic Singapore Sling has also found itself in the bottom 5 of Europe’s most searched cocktails, with an average of 14,800 searches every year in the UK, and just 70 yearly searches on average in Romania.
This is an elaborate cocktail consisting of cherry liqueur, gin, Grand Marnier, herbal liqueur, lime, pineapple, bitters, and club soda.
Dark and Stormy
With the UK and Denmark searching for this drink 12,100 times a year on average, the Dark and Stormy is a great cocktail for vodka fans! Quite similar to the Moscow Mule, it contains ginger beer, dark rum, and lime.
Bramble Cocktail
The bramble cocktail has the same number of searches in the UK as the Dark and Stormy, but isn’t as popular in Belgium, where it is only searched a mere 120 times on average each year. The inventor of the bramble cocktail – Dick Bradsell, bartender at Fred’s Club in London’s Soho – also invented the classic espresso Martini!
PASSIONFRUIT MARTINI
Interestingly, the passion fruit Martini is at the bottom of the list of Europe’s favourite cocktails, despite their favourite cocktail being the pornstar Martini which also contains passion fruit!
Despite this, it was still only searched for 70 times on average each year in Spain and Sweden, but fared better in the UK, being searched for 22,200 times on average per year.
Conclusion
Who doesn’t love a cocktail? They’re colourful, tasty, and pack quite a kick!
Europe’s favourite cocktails shows the continent really has varied tastes in cocktails, from potent, fizzy cocktails like the mojito, to sweet, fruity affairs like the Pornstar Martini, and the delightfully tropical piña colada!
If you want an amazing cocktail in a vibrant, bustling setting you can’t go far wrong with paying a visit to the cocktail bars in Central London.
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The full data study can be found here
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