The Stig’s cider, instant cocktails and vegan jelly shots: The best new drinks for pubs and bars

Wet-led hospitality venues are fighting hard to gain custom, with YouGov research revealing that 45% of pub-goers say they are visiting less often over the past year due to the cost of living crisis.

 

So keeping your drinks menu fresh and offering unique brews, wines or mixers can make the difference in attracting and maintaining a loyal clientele.

 

The good news is, there’s always something fresh to surprise your customers with. Here is the latest round up of new products for pubs and bars.

 

Refresh your drinks menu with these new products.

 

The Stig’s cider

Barny Butterfield, founder of Sandford Orchards (left), and Ben Collins, the ex-Stig

 

Sandford Orchards has launched a vintage straw-pressed fine cider (abv 6.8%) created in collaboration with Ben Collins, formerly known as The Stig on BBC’s Top Gear. Ben’s Cider is available in 30-litre kegs and 750ml bottles and is made with hand-pressed apples from Prowse Farm in Devon, resulting in a cider with a burgundy hue and notes of grapefruit and melon in a classic Devonian bittersweet farmhouse blend.

 

Price 6 x 750ml bottles, £45

 

Sweet celebration stout

 

Vocation Brewery is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the launch of ‘Returning Favourites’, beginning with Birthday Cake Chocolate Stout, a rich velvety beer available in keg (6.0% abv) and cask (4.5% abv). It offers a chocolate base layered with flavours of vanilla, caramel, blueberries and a touch of cherry. This will be followed by four fan favourites, selected by Vocation Brewery: Stargazer, a 6.0% abv sour IPA, Strength in Numbers, a 5.4% abv New England smooth pale ale, Ascension, a 6.7% abv full-bodied hazy IPA, and Twisted Sour, a 4.5% abv crisp beer with blood orange citrus notes.

 

Price 30-litre keg, from £118

 

Mixers and foams for fuss-free cocktails

 

Nomuss has introduced a range of mixers and foams to speed up cocktail service. Its alcohol-free mixers come in Cosmopolitan, Margarita, Mojito, Basil Smash, Pornstar Martini, Espresso, Sour varieties, with 15 serves per 75cl bottle. The mixers are made using organic juices, sugar cane and natural aromas and can be combined with an alcoholic or non-alcoholic base for an instant cocktail. Vegan Nomuss Foam Drops create a foam layer in alcohol-based and alcohol-free cocktails by adding four to six drops to a shaker before shaking. There are 200 serves per 5cl bottle. 

 

Price Espresso mixer (17cl), £17.50

 

Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte trade cuvées

 

Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte has re-entered the UK market with its specialised range of cuvées for the hospitality sector. The collection of eight Champagnes showcases the diversity of terroir and creativity of cellar master Guillaume Roffiaen. The portfolio, distributed exclusively by Hallgarten & Novum Wines, comprises a core range of NV Réserve Exclusive Brut and Rosé, bearing the house’s signature fresh and fruity style, as well as two Grand Cru vintages and the prestige cuvées Palmes d’Or Brut and Rosé Intense. The range was designed for the hospitality sector, to serve with food or as an apéritif.

 

Price 75cl Réserve Exclusive Brut, £32.78

 

Tropical cider

 

Kingfisher Drinks has added a new flavour to its Peacock cider brand, Peacock Passion Fruit & Guava, available in 500ml bottles. The 4% abv cider tastes of tangy passion fruit and mellow guava and would appeal to flavoured cider fans. 

 

Price Case of 12 x 500ml bottles, £27

 

English Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

 

English producer Lyme Bay Winery has launched the Covepoint range. The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are crafted in Devon with fruit sourced from vineyard partners in Essex. The 2024 Covepoint Chardonnay has a pale straw hue and aromas of melon, tangerine, orange blossom and delicate floral notes, while the 2024 Covepoint Pinot Noir opens with aromas of wild raspberry, layered with savoury complexity and a hint of black pepper spice.

 

Price 75cl bottle, £8.78

 

Vegan jelly shots

 

Yixo has added vegan versions to its range of gelatine-based jellies in Strawberry & Vodka, Watermelon & Vodka, Champagne and Blue Raspberry flavours. All the flavours are plant-based and also available in non-alcoholic versions.

 

Price £2.50 per jelly

 

Spanish wine range

 

Spanish produce importer Mevalco has launched a drinks collection featuring wines, beers, sherries and vermouths. The 2025 collection includes Spanish wines, such as Bodegas Cunqueiro’s Casal do Vila Tinto (Garnacha Tintorera) – a fresh, fruit-forward, light-bodied red with herbal and earthy notes, the mineral and vibrant Casal do Vila Blanco (Palomino); the full-bodied and floral Cunqueiro Blanco (Treixadura); and the complex and elegant Cunqueiro ‘El Primero’ (field blend).

 

Price Casal do Vila Tinto or Blanco (75ml), £8.90