A Global Response

A Global Response

Newcastle Herald

Wednesday January 14, 2009

THESE are dire financial times, so we keep being told. But the fear of a moth-ridden wallet and a credit card bill stamped "overdue" sometimes isn't quite enough to stave off the desire for a nice, big margarita on a Friday afternoon. Especially after a tough week at work.

In 2009 it's expected that the global financial crisis will take a sizeable bite out of the average person's weekly entertainment budget, which will affect not just dining habits but also the choice of poison.

Still, history shows that in times of economic recession people crave comfort food, or, as it may be, comfort drinks. So the experts reckon that this year pubs, clubs and restaurants will be forced to get even more creative with their cocktails, while providing them at cheaper prices in order to give cash-strapped customers the incentive to keep drinking.

Trends for this season will be centred around bringing more exciting, colourful and flavoursome ingredients into the mix. Think ginger, chilli pepper and maybe even beer, coupled with gin, tequila, pisco or framboise.

The trend will be away from tacky party drinks, with a focus on using new ingredients to add a fresh twist to some of the early cocktails, such as martinis, which have traditionally been quite basic.

So while it may be a tough period economically for consumers, it's also the time to take advantage of the extra effort venues have to go to to entice you to spend your money with them.

In Newcastle we're already starting to see signs of change, with new cocktail menus popping up at venues all over the city and lots of happy-hour offers to sweeten the deal.

It seems there are more options than ever for cocktail-drinking folk, and never before have we needed a drink more.