Let’s taste 2025!

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/4.

Dávid Gábor Kovács  
marketing director
Zwack

“Our cocktail culture underwent significant changes in recent years, as the pandemic transformed the way bars operate and forced mixologists to rethink their work. Restaurants are adapting to changing consumer needs, turning to premium ingredients, innovation and sustainability”,

says Dávid Gábor Kovács, marketing director of Zwack.

In the best Hungarian bars the quality of drinks is getting closer to the world’s elite. Reimagined, modern versions of classics, highball drinks and cocktails with special homemade ingredients continue to be popular in bars. In Budapest the price of a more complex signature cocktail is typically HUF 3,500-6,000, while in other cities it is HUF 2,500-4,500. If they want to succeed, beginner mixers must constantly educate themselves, monitoring the trends and learning from seasoned professionals. Zwack Unicum and Diageo’s own web platform, DBA (Diageo Bar Academy) offers professional materials to support those working in the trade.

Creative bar work

Attila Piri
marketing director
Heinemann Testvérek

“In Hungary the number of premium, high-quality bars has been growing over the last 4-5 years, while the mainstream category has stagnated or declined. In practice this means that the demand for quality cocktails strengthened, partly due to the rise in tourism”,

informs Attila Piri, marketing director of Heinemann.

He believes it is their job to help bartenders with the right background information, broaden their knowledge and develop incentive programmes for them. For signature cocktails it is essential to give something extra, an added value that is characteristics of the given bar.

Needs and values

Tripolszky András
kereskedelmi igazgató
Dunapro

“Two things definitely changed on the cocktail scene in Hungary in this decade: the world of gins has taken a back seat and the HoReCa sector is suffering from a price surge and an ingredients shortage”,

we learn from András Tripolszky, sales and marketing director of Dunapro Kft.

The latest international trends are low abv, draught cocktails and agave spirits.

Mike Hankószki
brand ambassador
Gruppo Campari

“Comparing the work of a skilled bartender and a simple barman is like comparing a fast food restaurant with a fine-dining restaurant: you can eat well in both, but the experience is never the same”,

explains Mike Hankószki, brand ambassador of Gruppo Campari.

In Hungarian bars refreshing spritzes, highballs, Negroni and Margarita variations and the Pornstar Martini are the most popular..

A bartender working at a high-end place will always be well paid

Quickly arriving trends

Jakab Eszter
brand manager
Roust Hungary

“In recent years we have witnessed a big progress in Hungarian cocktail culture. The Hungarian bartender community is now focusing on quality and creativity, while also paying attention to sustainability and the use of locally produced, sometimes artisan ingredients”,

explains Eszter Jakab, brand manager of Roust Hungary KFT.

Global trends are reaching Hungary faster than before. As well as reimagining classic cocktails, innovative new drinks are also playing their part. Low-alcohol, light spritzes and vermouth-based cocktails are becoming popular, and the use of salt is back in fashion. The brand manager believes: the key to a mixer’s professional progress is knowledge of the ingredients and the classics that form the basis, and building relationships with other mixers and brand owners.

Category differences

Péter Bárány
owner
Grand Spirit

“As drinking habits have changed, so have cocktail consumption needs. Cocktail has become a luxury item and recent research shows that the cocktail category has disappeared completely from mid-range restaurant”,

says Péter Bárány, the owner of Grand Spirit.

A bartender working in a high-end location will always be paid well, but the opportunity for professional development is also important motivation for them. //