From classic cocktails to cucumber juice and naturally flavoured sodas, here’s what we’ll be wetting our whistles with in 2020.
Chicory root coffee
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by JOYÀ (@thejoyalife) on Feb 19, 2019 at 5:49am PST
The chicory plant is the key component of chicory coffee. Chicory root is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the dandelion family.
According to the Pinterest Hot 100 list, coffee is taking a spot on the back burner to make way for steaming mugs of chicory root coffee.
With searches for the beverage increasing by 91% on the idea-sharing website, its amazing anti-inflammatory, decreased blood sugar and improved digestive benefits seem to be behind its growth.
Until local cafes and restaurants cotton-on to the trends, the best way to get your hands on a cup full would be to buy the ground root powder from health food shops and prepare the drink yourself.
It’s best served hot, with a hint of cinnamon and honey to enhance the earthy flavour.
Cucumber juice
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Emilia - Gut Health Coach (@intheglowhealth) on Jan 7, 2020 at 12:29pm PST
Cucumber is replacing celery as the new favourite ingredient in homemade health drinks for 2020.
Low in calories and super hydrating, having a chilled glass of this juiced green veggie will help you get about 4% of your daily potassium, 3% of your daily fiber and 4% of your daily vitamin C. Gemma Clark, nutritionist from The Sprout added in that cucumbers promote healthy hair, skin and nails.
Drinks packaged with sustainable packaging
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Courtney (@leafygreeninfo) on Jun 29, 2016 at 2:56pm PDT
Whether it's almond milk in a cardboard carton or craft soda in a glass bottle, sustainable packaging is becoming a must for the next generation of consumers. - Gen Z are an eco-conscious group with tremendous buying power—an estimated R2 trillion in the United States alone, according to Forbes.
If brands want to make their way into their good books, and not be shamed all over social media for their frivolous use of plastic and non-recyclable materials, they better get with the times.
Sodas packing a beneficial punch
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Premium Sparkling Juice (@drinkcorelia) on May 2, 2017 at 2:58pm PDT
The demand for high-quality, plant-based ingredients and flavours from nature goes hand in hand with the new demands of eco-aware consumers. Drinks flavoured using local and seasonal ingredients that support farmers markets, allows consumers to have more control over where their food is sourced from and therefore, how it is grown.
Boozy basics
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Forbes Travel Guide (@forbestravelguide) on Oct 21, 2019 at 5:02pm PDT
From coulis to cordials to garnishes of candy floss crowns, lollipops and a paragraph of ingredients, cocktails have really seen it all in the past few years. However, overly complicated sugar-packed cocktails adorned with all the glitzy bells and whistles have lost momentum.
The move away from Instagrammable cocktails is making room for the classics to, once again, have their moment in the sun. We’ll see the original classic cocktails, like margaritas and Manhattans recreated with elegantly simple yet innovative twists to keep customers enticed.
Gin for the win
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Cocktail Ideas & Concepts (@barprints) on Jan 25, 2020 at 9:03am PST
Everybody thought that gin was just another passing craze, but with it’s high demand, it seems this distilled alcoholic drink that derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries is here to stay. According to the blog, The Gin Box, “It is still very much trending in the UK, and here in SA.
We have not only discovered the effects of our diverse range of fynbos botanicals on the spirit, but we have also exploded onto the market with hundreds of different variations in a very short space of time.”
But first, coffee
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Dohyun. Yoo (@december_coffee_bar) on Jan 26, 2020 at 7:17pm PST
As for everyone’s favourite pick-me-up drink, David Donde, CEO of Truth Coffee weighed in on what we’ll be sipping more of this year. “The big trend in 2020 in coffee is the move away from acidity to coffees with natural sweetness. This is achieved by looking at processes of producing green beans, varieties of green beans and roasting and brewing methods which highlight sweetness.
Alternative brewing methods particularly with regard to black coffees are also taking up more space on café menus. “We’re navigating away from the flat white and cappuccinos. Not that their deliciousness will ever go away from our hearts,” said Donde.