Now in its twelfth year, the Report is a snapshot of the buying habits of the world’s best bars.

Predicated on a global survey of a 100-strong sample of the world’s best bars – those which have been nominated or won international awards – the Report offers insight into the drinks brands used at the elite end of the bar trade.

Respondents - bar owners, bar managers and head bartenders - were asked to rank their three best-selling products in each category of spirits (plus wine and beer), offering insight into the brands that are selling best. The Trending lists offer an indication of the brands that are hot right now.

The Report also delves into the most-used spirit categories at the world's best bars, the top-50 most-made classic cocktails and the brands most frequently used in key serves.

Hamish Smith, editor of the Brands Report, said: "It's been quite the year for the bar industry. Few areas of trade have been impacted by the pandemic more than hospitality – and within an ailing sector, bars have suffered most acutely. But amid the disruption to the worldwide bar scene, business has been done. There have been reduced hours and periods of closure for most bars around the world, but broadly speaking, for most of this year the majority of bars managed to trade to some degree. The Brands Report attempts to offer some insight into this picture.

"The results aren’t as chaotic as you might imagine, with data suggesting natural year-on-year deviation rather than sweeping change. Trading in cocktail bars in 2020 may have seen volumes reduced but in buying behaviours it shared a lot of characteristics with 2019, with only one new leader among the 10 major categories." 

To view the page-turner edition of the Brands Report click here.

The Brands Report was a supplement to the January 2021 edition of Drinks International and will be serialised on drinksint.com throughout January.