Each year, the Kimpton Culinary + Cocktail Trends Forecast spotlights the flavors and ingredients that they believe will be most popular in the months ahead. Senior Vice President of Restaurants + Bars at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, Scott Gingerich, describes what hoteliers can do to make sure they are staying on top of new food and beverage trends.
Always be on the lookout.
Gingerich says his F&B team is always looking for new flavors and ingredients. “Whether exchanging ideas with peers or taking an inspiring trip, our team always wants to bring fresh dishes and drinks back to the table,” he says.
Watch guest feedback.
“Seeing how guests react to new menu items and keeping track of what is selling can help determine what needs to be changed and what should become a permanent addition to the menu.”
Get familiar with exotic ingredients.
“Figuring out how to incorporate them into the dishes and drinks being served is half of the fun,” Gingerich says. Experimentation is also key to finding the best way to implement such ingredients into menu items. Gingerich predicts that one of the big ingredients for 2019 will be Pandan, a plant with a “musky” profile that many bartenders are using to add a smoky aroma to cocktails.
Watch these trends.
Gingerich says these three trends listed in the Culinary + Cocktail Forecast will become the biggest in 2019: vegetable cocktails, North African flavors, and sustainability in cooking.
