Beginning in the 1990’s through to today, we are living and working in a Second Golden Age of fine beverage. Characterised by a return to craft, the emergence of global food culture, and advances in food science and technology – the Second Golden Age is an era of innovation spanning the entire beverage industry. The cocktail renaissance, second-wave, and third-wave coffee, molecular mixology, farm to table, sustainable bar programs, food tourism, just-in-time ordering, beverage e-learning are all parts of the more significant movement.
Today, people drink less alcohol than they have at any point in history. People drink more coffee, more juice, more natural soda than ever before. The demand for alcoholic drinks may be diminishing, but the sales for non-alcoholic beverages is on the rise. At the forefront of non-alcohol alternatives is PS Soda, a product born and bottled at award-winning Australian cocktail bar PS40. “Fresh produce, the layering of flavors and progressive techniques make up a core range that challenges not only what soda is but also how it can be mixed.”
In the second Golden Age, we also see a rise in the importance of provenance for guests who look to origin stories to make their spirits selections. Abreast of this trend is Never Never Distilling Company in Adelaide, “crafting bold, juniper-forward gins using contemporary production techniques”.
In Tasmania, Forty Spotted Gin matches traditional and locally sourced botanicals in a dry style gin with a taste of place. Named after the rarest of all Tasmanian birds (the Forty-spotted Pardalote), they recently welcomed a new gin to the family – Forty Spotted Australian Citrus Gin – with “sweet, aromatic influence of Australian citrus and the fresh complexity of Tasmanian oyster bay pine.”
To increase the convenience and availability of products like PS Soda, Never Never Distilling Company spirits, and Forty Spotted Gin, Proof & Company, Australia’s fastest-growing craft spirits distributor, offers just-in-time ordering with a new online trade portal. To try PS Soda, Forty Spotted Australian Citrus Gin, or Never Never Gins, you can now simply order online at https://proofandcompanyau.dearportal.com/ – or contact your local Proof & Company representative.
If you are interested in learning more about the Second Golden Age, go to jerry.global and subscribe to the online beverage and hospitality platform, JERRY. Use the promo code “Proof” at checkout and receive a complementary first month subscription. If you are a manager and would like to enrol your team, email [email protected] for more details.
Opinion by JERRY Chief Education Officer Nicole Smith, paid for by Proof & Company.