2018 Culinary & Cocktails Trend Forecast

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants released its fourth annual Culinary & Cocktails Trend Forecast. From Chifa and Nordic-influenced cuisine to Za’atar and Vadouvan spices, Kimpton’s chefs and bartenders from 80+ restaurants and bars reveal what’s on the horizon for 2018.

The forecast findings were uncovered through an extensive survey of leading chefs, sommeliers, general managers and bartenders from Kimpton restaurants, bars and lounges across 37 cities in the U.S. as well as Kimpton properties in Europe and the Caribbean. More details on the results are in the press release below, but a few highlights include the following:

• Meat Alternatives Going Mainstream – A majority of Kimpton chefs said plant-based proteins such as tempeh or bloody beet burgers will disrupt menus and win the hearts of vegetarians and omnivores alike
• Winter Is Coming – Prepare for Nordic Influences – Expect to see more Nordic food influences, featuring fresh and colorful ingredients like carrots, cabbage and beets, and the embrace of alternative berries including juniper and lingonberries. Nordic influences will find their way onto drink menus as well, with Scandinavian cocktail ingredients like bramble shrub, dill, rhubarb and aquavit
• Emerging Spices – Spices like Za’atar, a traditional Middle Eastern blend of familiar and obscure flavors from sumac to thyme, and Vadouvan, the French interpretation of Indian curry and Kampot pepper – an elusive spice found only in the Kampot Province of Cambodia  
• Drink Your Vegetables – Ninety-one percent of Kimpton bartenders say they plan to use vegetables in acocktail in 2018 – and we’re not just talking garnishes. Bartenders are embracing nontraditional vegetables like beets, carrots, green beans, butternut squash, corn and radishes in their cocktail creations
• Next Level Coffee Cocktails – Nine out of ten Kimpton bartenders say they’ll go beyond traditional Irish coffee to create coffee cocktails with a twist, from a Turkish espresso with aged rum and agave infused with cacao nibs to a surprisingly sophisticated cardamom-coffee vermouth Manhattan
• Funky Brews – The report unveiled an upswing in German-style Gose beers, or other sour beers, which offer adventurous beer drinkers a crisp beer with a touch of tartness and herbal subtones (typically from the coriander added to most Gose beers)

These trends are already being brought to life at Kimpton restaurants and bars across the country and Kimpton will be encouraging diners to capture these 2018 trends “in the wild” either at a Kimpton bar or restaurant, or in their own kitchens. Share a photo using the hashtag #CCTrends to join in on the trendspotting fun.

The full trend report, recipes, photos and more can be found on Kimpton’s Culinary + Cocktails microsite.