Spirits are again capturing the consumer’s imagination and whether it is a budget brand or a premium spirit, customers are undoubtedly coming back into this highly profitable category. Customers are becoming increasingly discerning and look for recognisable quality brands as well as a more refined level of drinking experience. Specialist Spirits & Liqueurs Liqueurs and speciality spirits are a buoyant category in the drinks market, with the picture dominated by the appeal of brands since customers are known to order a brand as opposed to a drink. Benefiting from this, brands such as Southern Comfort (SoCo), Baileys and Archers continue to enjoy popularity with consumers. Offering a range of simple quality cocktails is a great way to drive sales throughout the year since they can be changed to suit the particular season. To maximise this potential more effectively, greater efforts at producing ‘theatre’ when preparing and selling cocktails are being called for across the drinks trade. Finally, Pitchers to share are successful in increasing incremental spend, especially in the warmer summer months.