SAN FRANCISCO—Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants’ 2016 Culinary & Cocktails Trend Forecast uncovers what’s hot and what’s up and coming in the restaurant and bar world. Highlights include tartare, ancient grains, plant-based entreés, and open-fire roasting are rising in popularity among diners, while at the bar, gin, bourbon, rosé, and classic cocktails promise to be the drinks of choice in 2016.
Kimpton’s second annual forecast showcases findings from an extensive survey across its 70+ acclaimed restaurants, bars, and lounges in 30+ U.S. cities. The brand polled 162 of its leading chefs, sommeliers and bartenders on the hottest food and beverage trends, as well as the ingredients, dishes, drinks, and techniques that diners and bar-goers could expect to see more of in the new year.
Click here for an infographic on the hottest food trends, and here to read what’s new in the beverage scene in 2016.
“We’ve got a wealth of talent here at Kimpton—our chefs and bartenders are the stewards of our restaurants and bars, bringing fresh, cutting edge and award-winning concepts to our guests every day. They’ve also got an insatiable appetite to try new things, experiment with hot trends and push the envelope in food and beverage,” said Alex Taylor, Kimpton’s SVP of Restaurants & Bars. “We wanted to harness all the great ideas, trends and forward-looking forecasts our team is tapped into and broaden their reach beyond the kitchen and bar to inspire our guests and consumers in 2016.”
Kimpton chefs agree that cauliflower is the new kale—in terms of versatility and profile makeover, meatloaf is ready for a comeback, and fish will be 2016’s biggest protein. As more people opt for bar dining over traditional sit-down dining, chefs are creating smaller portions of heartier foods and adding more cocktail-friendly pairings to bar menus to go beyond just reds and whites. As for the biggest wellness trends for 2016, chefs pointed to energy-packed super seeds like chia, hemp, and flax.
Gin is the spirit of the moment, closely followed by rum and bourbon, according to Kimpton’s bar gurus. Rosé and sour beer are on the rise, and the Bamboo Cocktail will be the classic cocktail comeback of 2016. Bartenders are also mixing it up with mismatched vintage glassware, herbs and florals, unique ice cubes, shrubs, and house carbonated spirits.
