OPINION: Bottom shelf beer is a thing of the past. Cocktails should bring light to better drinking culture
It's time to build a healthier relationship with alcohol rather than one purely based on intoxication
Jake MacAndrew is the host of Drink of the Week. He has previously worked as a bartender and cocktail recipe tester in Toronto.
Alcohol is often a taboo subject. It’s an intoxicant and, yes, addictive. There is much caution to be taken around alcohol, as with any substance. But the “culture” weakens when it’s filled with cheap cans and plastic mickeys. The light I see in this industry is the flavour combinations, the presentation and even the conversation with a bartender at your favourite watering hole. They know your drink—a martini, shaken, no twist? They know your name.
Although I’m quite lacking in the age department to be familiar with the cultural phenomenon Cheers left the world with it’s familial beer-slinging bar setting, I’ve seen shift in interest towards cocktails among Millennials in the Toronto restaurant scene. I have worked in bars where while older generations stick to beer and wine, younger adults are making a switch to cocktails—interested in the ingredients used and the power of the shaker as it knocks ice back and forth. I hope this continues for Generation Z as well.
Just as farm to table cooking inspired a generation to become interested in what they eat, the modern cocktail revolution is inspiring the younger generation to gain interest in cocktails—that is, if they are drinkers.
Overall, Canada's alcohol sales are declining. In a survey conducted in 2023, Statistics Canada reported that half of Canadian adults reported not drinking any alcohol in the past seven days.
Additionally, more Canadian's are turning away from alcohol as many authorities, such as Public Health Ontario, suggest that drinking less is better for physical and mental health.
According to a Health Canada survey in 2021, alcohol consumption has decreased 10 per cent among post-secondary-aged students in Canada when measured within 30 day periods compared to 2020. But those who are drinking are consuming more than the recommended amount.
The report stated 45 per cent drank alcohol in a pattern consistent with heavy drinking in the past 30 days.
Among younger adults who are drinking, it's time to move away from a mentality of getting drunk and more towards taste.
A recent report by IWSR, a global drink data provider, reported that Gen Z is moving towards white spirit-based cocktails compared to high-volume ready-to-drink products like beer and wine. Could this be because of a longing for an experience over intoxication? Although, the report stated Canada is seeing an uptick in Ready-to-drink cocktails.
The age of drinking cheap cans and bottom-shelf liquor is hopefully coming to an end. It's time for newer generations to develop a healthier relationship with alcohol.
The creation of The Eyeopener's Drink of the Week series was intended to foster an atmosphere where drinking was viewed as a creation based on taste that uses the consumer's chosen ingredients. Someone with no cocktail knowledge comes onto the program with liquors in front of them. Some brands of liquor, they've seen their friends doing shots of at parties. Some they've mixed with Coke or Sprite. The lesson lies within what they are taught to create with ingredients that would create a positive, caring ritual.
As we more towards an outlook where alcohol is consumed more responsibly, it’s important for media targeted towards younger generations reflects a curiosity on the flavour profile, not the result of a binge drinking session.
It's time to build a healthier relationship with liquor rather than one purely based on intoxication.