Yes, it does feel like our original Culinary + Cocktail Forecast was released just yesterday – but these new emerging trends were so life-altering they required an emergency report.
In this new special edition of our Culinary + Cocktail Forecast, butter is best in more than just coffee, juicy succulents are the new cauliflower steaks, and the whole plate (and cutlery) movement is taking sustainability to the next level. When it comes to the bar, expect more drinks where size doesn’t matter, municipal grass-infused beverages, and cocktails actually made in bathtubs.
Eager to hear what will be revolutionizing dining this spring? See below for our latest F&B trends, which were identified via a survey of billions of chefs and bartenders, extensive and highly-targeted Google searching by Kimpton interns, and hours of Instagram scrolling.
Move over avocado toast! Make way for 312 Chicago‘s coffee grounds on toast. Photo Credit: Michelle Banovic.
Culinary Trends
- Coffee Grounds on Toast – move over avocado toast, 66 percent of the trendiest chefs found that spreading raw third wave coffee grounds on toast will be the next millennial obsession.
- Keto Pasta – leaning into the keto diet trend, we’re predicting that noodles made from real butter will be a great carb-free alternative that goes particularly well with Bolognese. This hot new trend will have everyone asking, “Is butter a carb?”
- Succulent Steaks –cauliflower steaks may have crept their way onto menus as entrees in recent years, but this spring expect to see succulents take their place as an exciting new option for plant loving vegetarians. These steaks are mouth-wateringly juicy – or should we say succulent?
- Edible Plates + Cutlery – the next phase in sustainability is zero-waste dinners, where diners are not only encouraged to join the clean plate club but to gobble down the silverware and dishes too.
- Sporks Make a Comeback – in effort to save on labor costs, restaurants are eliminating forks and spoons completely, and reintroducing the stylish and sophisticated spork into fine dining.
- House Plants You Can Eat – from Fiddle Leaf Fig to Spider Plants to Bromeliads, we’re taking the Jungalow trend from your house to your mouth.
- Savory Shaved Ice – 68 percent of chefs surveyed will infuse savory favorites into this vacation classic including Green Goddess, Buffalo Blue Cheese, and Truffle Salumi shaved ice.
Bartender Mirek Struniaski at Philadelphia’s Stratus Lounge created a kombu and salt infused gin martini with a maldon salt rim, presented on a kombu “cocktail napkin” with a prawn garnish. Photo Credit: Jessica Bishop.
Cocktail Trends
- Salt Water – bottled flat and sparkling water are on the way out, and salt water is taking their place. By that we mean electrolyte-rich, salted water sourced directly from the Pacific Ocean. Californians are particularly thrilled for this drought-resistant offering that can also be used in cocktails.
- Putting the Bathtub Back in Bathtub Gin – with the motto of “what’s old is new again,” we’re predicting the resurgence of bathtub gin, which we’ll be leading with DIY gin making kits for use with our in-room bathtubs.
- Municipal Grass Takes the Mainstage – taking botanical infused beverages to the next level, we predict municipal grass-infused cocktails will be the next big thing in the farm (or city street) to table movement.
- Micro Drinks – gone are the days of the pointy mustachios, the vests with arm garters, and the tipped fedora at the cocktail bar; the next wave in high-end service will be tiny, perfect drinks made in doll cups though exclusive partnerships with boutique small batch toy shops. Pinkies up!
Click here for more information about our annual – and original – 2019 Culinary and Cocktail Forecast which spotlighted trends such as the superfood revolution, the whole vegetable movement, reimagined mocktails, and the rise of mushroom-infused spirits.
Oh, and in case you were in the process of pouring coffee grounds on your toast…
Hope you enjoyed our April Fools’ joke!
