Turning cocktail trends into activation levers for spirits brands

When cocktail trends become a growth lever for spirits brands

In the on-trade, cocktail trends move fast. Very fast. A cocktail can explode in popularity in just a few weeks, driven by social media, seasonal habits, or new consumption rituals… and then fade just as quickly.

For spirits brands, the challenge is recurring:

👉 How do you identify the cocktails that really matter, at the right moment, and activate your brands where demand is truly happening?

Traditionally, these decisions relied on weak signals, partial field feedback, or retrospective analyses. Too late to catch the wave.

That’s exactly where HorecaPulse by Fyre changes the game.

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The challenge: turning a cocktail trend into measurable activation

For a spirits brand, simply following trends isn’t enough.

You also need to be able to:

• Identify cocktails that are genuinely growing in volume, not just in visibility

• Understand where, when, and in which types of venues these cocktails are performing

• Connect these trends to your own brands and commercial priorities

• Measure the real impact of activations on sales and menu presence

Without reliable, comparable sell-out data, these decisions often remain intuitive rather than data-driven.

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Brand objectives

Objective 1

Identify the most in-demand cocktails in real time, by region, outlet type, consumption occasion, and customer profile.

Objective 2

Link trending cocktails to the spirits they are made with, in order to prioritize the brands to activate.

Objective 3

Precisely target high-potential venues for commercial and marketing activations.

Objective 4

Measure the real impact of campaigns on sales and each cocktail’s share after activation.

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Fyre’s strategy for data-driven spirits activation

#1 Real-time on-trade data collection and integration

Fyre continuously collects data from the POS systems of bars, restaurants, and nightlife venues.

This data includes in particular:

• The actual cocktail names ordered

• Associated ingredients and spirits

• Volumes sold

• Consumption moments (day, week, season)

• Outlet types and positioning

  
  

👉 This level of granularity makes it possible to go beyond declarative trends and analyze real consumption behaviors.

#2 Mapping cocktails and associated spirits

Thanks to HorecaPulse, each cocktail is automatically linked to its base spirits (tequila, vodka, rum, gin, etc.).

This makes it possible to:

• Identify which spirits directly benefit from growing cocktails

• Spot cocktails where a brand is already present… or absent

• Understand which serves are gaining ground by region or outlet format

For example, the rise of a cocktail like the Paloma becomes immediately visible, along with the tequila brands most exposed to this trend.

#3 Dynamic tracking of cocktail trends

Fyre doesn’t settle for a static snapshot of the market.

HorecaPulse dashboards allow brands to:

• Track cocktail performance over time

• Detect early signals of slowdown or acceleration

• Compare dynamics across regions, outlet types, or consumption occasions

👉 A brand can clearly see when a cocktail starts to decline (such as the Espresso Martini in certain segments) or where a trend is emerging faster than average.

#4 Outlet segmentation and CRM targeting

One of the key drivers of effective activation is precision.

By connecting HorecaPulse insights to a brand’s CRM, Fyre enables brands to:

• Segment outlets by profile (premium, mainstream, cocktail bars, nightlife, etc.)

• Identify venues where trending cocktails are already gaining traction

• Prioritize high-potential accounts for field actions, bartender training, or menu placement

👉 National trends are thus transformed into highly targeted activation plans, tailored to each local reality.

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Key insights generated with HorecaPulse

Marketing and sales teams were able to:

• Visualize fast-growing cocktails in real time

• Identify the spirits most strongly associated with trending serves

• Understand performance gaps across different outlet types

• Adapt messaging and activations based on real consumption behaviors

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These insights helped align marketing, trade, and field teams around a shared, data-driven understanding of the market.

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The business impact of trend-driven activation

More relevant field execution

Sales teams focused their efforts on venues where:

• Demand was already present

• Targeted cocktails showed the strongest growth potential

• Actions had the highest likelihood of generating measurable impact

👉 Fewer generic actions, greater precision.

Stronger menu visibility and brand presence

By linking their brands to the most in-demand cocktails, spirits brands gained:

• Increased menu visibility

• Stronger alignment with consumer expectations

• Greater credibility with operators and bartenders

Measurable growth aligned with real demand

Campaigns could be tracked over time, with clear measurement of:

• Changes in each cocktail’s share after activation

• Impact on sales of the associated spirits

• Performance differences across outlet segments

👉 Activation decisions were no longer based on assumptions, but on market proof.

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What this use case clearly demonstrates

This case shows how spirits brands can:

• Shift from a reactive approach to proactive activation

• Turn cocktail trends into concrete business opportunities

• Align marketing and commercial strategies with on-trade realities

• Measure the real impact of their actions in the on-trade

With HorecaPulse, trends are no longer an abstract concept. They become a measurable lever for growth, visibility, and performance.

👉 Why this matters

Because in a market where trends move fast, the brands that win are those that can see earlier, act more precisely, and measure better.