Summer’s here and with more consumers being vaccinated, the long-awaited return to bars, restaurants, wineries, taprooms and tours is anticipated. In fact, CGA’s Channel Strategy Study, which delves into 11 different on-premise channels, notes that the “size of the prize opportunities,” post-COVID-19, are huge. The No. 1 on-premise channel is local neighborhood restaurants, with 59% of consumers stating they will return, followed by casual dining chains, with 52% of respondents indicating it as such.

CGA’s study also found that neighborhood bars, the No. 1 drinking channel and No. 3 on the on-premise list, also are showing a positive outlook for summer 2021 and beyond. But, what will bar-goers be drinking when they figuratively “belly up to the bar?”

When it comes to the top drinking trend for summer 2021, Bacardi released a survey of U.S. industry leaders, bartenders and consumers finds, which indicates that rum will have a huge surge in popularity, with the piña colada and mojito being the Top 2 summer cocktails (31% and 30% respectively). The Margarita rounds out the Top 3 with 20% of respondents favoring the classic serve.

Other key findings include:

Nearly half (46%) of respondents noted that they have shopped for food and drink online at least once a month, showcasing that eCommerce consumer behaviors have permanently changed.

People will go out on the town — 64% of Americans note that they plan to go to a bar/restaurant this summer.

Brunch will become the top dining occasion this summer with 23% of Americans reporting they’ll be enjoying cocktails in the afternoon.

Americans also will enjoy lighter drinks — 19% of Americans have bought no ABV spirits/beer/wine online this year.

For an in-depth look at on-premise rebuilding and recovery tactics and trends, read our June cover story.

Consumers also will be imbibing outside with 81% of people planning to spend more time socializing and enjoying drinks outdoors than ever before. In fact, there was a 125% increase in U.S. searches online for “outdoor bars near me.”

They’ll also be enjoying cocktails at home, with 45% of people noting that they order spirits bottles online, showcasing that eCommerce patterns engendered during the pandemic are here to stay.

Far Niente marks its decades-long commitment to exceptional winemaking in the heart of Napa Valley with the 40th anniversary release of the 2019 vintage of its Chardonnay. The 2019 vintage Chardonnay celebrates a milestone for the benchmark estate and embodies Far Niente’s vision of crafting a singular expression of the estate-driven and cellar-worthy Napa Valley Chardonnay. Far Niente, which romantically translated means “without a care,” produced its inaugural Chardonnay from the 1979 vintage 60 years after Prohibition shuttered the original stone winery in Oakville, Calif. It was the first wine made in the modern era, setting a benchmark for luxury Chardonnay in the Napa Valley, the company says. The vintage is made without malolactic fermentation and aims to be a “house style” that seamlessly balances grace, elegance, depth and length. “We set a goal from the very beginning to produce one of the world’s great Chardonnays, a wine that is as timeless as it is enjoyable to drink,” said Far Niente chairman and former winemaker Dirk Hampson, who produced the wines during the 1980s and 1990s, in a statement. “The vision was to keep improving the Chardonnay each vintage, crafting a harmonious style of wine that had it all, while remaining true to our core values.”

To reinforce consumers’ love for food, Pepsi is upending what consumers expect of the food delivery world with the launch of Pep’s Place, where the cola comes first. From May 3 through June 2, consumers were invited to first pick their Pepsi beverage of choice, which prompted curated food items based on that beverage, to enhance the overall meal experience. Pep’s Place was available in select locations around the country for delivery only, available through PepsPlaceRestaurant.com and major food aggregators (Uber Eats, Door Dash and Grub Hub). “For years we have known that Pepsi is the perfect complement to a variety of foods. But even though consumers know that food tastes Better With Pepsi, they often still forget to order a beverage with their favorite meals,” said Todd Kaplan, vice president of marketing for Pepsi, in a statement. “With the launch of Pep’s Place, we have designed a new ‘fast beverage’ restaurant delivery concept that features a menu and experience literally built around the idea of what foods go best with Pepsi, allowing consumers at home to fully optimize their meals. We are confident that by doing this, everyone will agree ― and taste firsthand ― how well Pepsi goes with their favorite foods.”

U.S. consumers’ thirst for beverage products over the course of the pandemic is growing. Findings from New York-based NCSolutions include:

• Spending across all beverage categories is up 10% in the 12 months ending April 2021 compared with the same 12-month period ending April 2020 — outstripping consumer spending across all CPG/grocery categories, which was 7% higher over the same period.

• In April, top-growing categories year-over-year included pre-mixed cocktails (+49%), liquid coffee (+30%), isotonic beverages (+25%), new age beverages (+15%), water (+14%) and liquid tea (14%).

• On the flipside, beverage categories showing the greatest year-over-year decline were frozen juice (-41%), shelf-stable chocolate drinks (-31%), cocktail mixers (-30%), tea bags (-26%) and instant tea and drink mix (-23%).

— NCS is designed to help CPG companies achieve better advertising outcomes. It collects frequent shopper data/panel data sets to provide brand clients a full view of U.S. CPG sales by consumer spending levels, brand loyalty, products purchased and purchase inflection points by category.

In honor of World Cocktail Day (May 11) and to give its fans something to cheer about from the comfort of their couch, Inter Miami CF (IMCF) — Miami’s favorite fútbol team — brought local fans and Scotch whisky-lovers the ultimate game day experience with the Haig Club IMCF Guava Mojito Cocktail Courier kit. The Cocktail Courier kit included everything fans need to mix up the official cocktail of the IMCF team at home, including Haig Club Clubman and ingredients for everything from the tropical twist to the classic Mojito drink. The team has games scheduled all summer and into fall, so head to CocktailCourier.com to get your own game day (or not) Mojito Cocktail Courier kit.