Welcome to the Low-Alcohol Beverage Dictionary!
Jun. 17, 2016
The heat of the summer calls for drinks that pack more refreshment, and one way to meet your customer’s thirst is through low-ABV drinks and cocktails.
Consumers are already tapping into the low-ABV beer market, which delivered a CAGR of 4.9% in 2015, versus 1.57% for the overall beer market. This niche market appears ready to bloom, with Euromonitor projecting global sales of non- and low-alcohol beers to increase 93% in just 10 years, from $3.36 billion in 2008 to $6.5 billion by 2018.
Health-conscious consumers will be interested to know that low-alcohol wines typically have fewer calories. A 5.5 percent ABV wine typically contains 33% to 50% fewer calories than 13 percent ABV wine. Meanwhile, mixologists in bars and kitchens around the country are reviving the lost art of the gentle apartief and pioneering low-proof session cocktails that focus on nuance and flavor.
Familiarize yourself with the key terms for the low-ABV trend and get ready to talk to your customers about all the great low-ABV flavors and brands they have to choose from. Click on the words below to see the definition.
Amaro
Italian herbal liqueur that is commonly drunk as an after-dinner digestif.
Apartief
A drink served before a meal.
Aperitivo
The act of going out for a drink before a meal; a drink served before a meal.
Blender
Mixing high- and low-proof spirits in a session cocktail.
Full-proof spirit rinse
Coating the inside of a glass with liquor to add flavor to a low-ABV drink.
Low ABV
Beer with no more than 1.2% ABV. Wines with ABV of 5.5% to 11% are considered low ABV.
Low proof
Liquor with less than 20% ABV.
Mocktail
A cocktail made with low-ABV or non-alcoholic ingredients.
Sessions
Beers with less than 5% ABV. Mixed drinks made with low proof liquors.
Shandy
Beer mixed with a non-alcoholic drink, such as lemonade or juice.
Sherries
A fortified wine made from white grapes with an ABV of 15% – 22%.
Spritz
An apartief made with sparkling wine, bitter liqueur and mineral water.
Suppressors
A type of low-alcohol cocktail made with low-proof liquors.
Talk to your Breakthru sales consultant about stocking your shelf with low-ABV and low-proof gems, or to add some Sessions and Suppressors to your drink menu.
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Sources
Rachel Arthur, “Non-alcoholic and low alcohol beers: Opportunities and Challenges” Beverage Daily []
Jillian Berman, “Can Non-alcoholic Beer Save Big Breweries?” Huffington Post []
Katrina Bishop, “Sobering thought: Low-alcohol wine set to bloom?” CNBC []
Talia Baiocchi and Leslie Pariseau, new book "Spritz: Italy's Most Iconic Aperitivo Cocktail, with Recipes”