One in six U.S. On-Premise visitors are influenced by the bartender as to which bev/al category to order on-premise, the just-released CGA by NIQ Global Bartender Report finds.

What’s more, the proportion of consumers who are open to bartender influence increases among specific drink categories. 23% of cocktail drinkers ask bar staff for recommendations every time or almost every time they’re ordering the category, compared to just a quarter who almost never or never do so. This accentuates the key role On Premise staff can play in guiding consumers towards specific cocktails when in venues. Furthermore, it represents chances for suppliers of cocktail ingredients to score enticing wins by getting bartenders on side.

“It’s clearly demonstrable how bartender recommendations influence category and brand choices. So, there’s a potentially sizeable prize for suppliers who understand the bartender mindset. But winning it means not only brand and product familiarity on the part of bartenders, but also understanding their motivation to engage and drive specific brands and products. This calls for precision targeting what bartenders want from suppliers, the drivers behind relations, and how they’d prefer to be incentivized,” says Matthew Crompton, Regional Director – Americas.