SERVED, the award-winning RTD brand, has announced its latest innovation: premium draught cocktails which launch into the on-trade this month.
SERVED have introduced their draught innovation to boost on-trade demand for cocktails in venues who already sell cocktails but want to improve speed of service, quality and consistency, and reduce staff training and wastage – as well as venues that want to sell cocktails but haven’t got the capacity to do so.
The cocktail category represents a significant opportunity for on-trade venues, valued at £707m1 annually with 43,100 outlets serving cocktails. There are now over 7.4m cocktails drinkers in the UK with 1 in 12 on-trade drinks ordered being a cocktail.
SERVED co-founder Dean Ginsberg comments, “After 18-months of development in collaboration with our partners Heineken, we are excited to be able to offer a draught cocktail solution that significantly raises the bar when it comes to delivering the same high-quality drinking experience you would expect from a hand-made cocktail.
“What really sets SERVED’s draught proposition apart from what has come before is in the technology, quality of liquid, and premium positioning of the brand. Combined, these will enable venues to serve consistently high-quality cocktails to their customers, whilst simultaneously improving speed of service, eliminating waste, and significantly reducing their carbon footprint compared with glass alternatives.
“Our draught technology enables an untrained member of staff to serve six cocktails in the time it takes a highly trained bartender to make one by hand, which is a game changer for high volume venues.”
The roll-out will be carefully managed to develop long-term partnerships with premium high-volume venues, with key partners going live this month including SSP venues nationwide and The Terrace, the new fan experience at Brighton and Hove Albion’s American Express Stadium.
All draught cocktail installations and 365-day maintenance are included free of charge, and will be supported by Innserve. This will include SERVED’s bespoke backlit 3-out premium font, branded glassware, and point of sale material to support driving trial and awareness, as well as access to SERVED’s trade portal which includes on-going training and support. SERVED will also be the only brand to offer both under-counter and cellar based solutions depending on individual venue requirements.
Heineken UK Marketing Director Rajeev Sathyesh comments, “At HEINEKEN UK, we are inspired to consistently innovate to make the pub and bar industry even better for both our customers and consumers. This ground-breaking technology means that consumers can enjoy beautifully presented high-quality cocktails, and for the On-Trade venue, they are saving a significant amount of time for each order.”
SERVED draught will launch with three of the most popular cocktails in the on-trade1, a Passion Fruit Martini, Espresso Martini and Margarita. All crafted with the finest natural and sustainably sourced ingredients, each including a 10% ABV measure of SERVED Founders Reserve vodka or tequila, packaged in a convenient stackable 10-litre recyclable bag-in box format offering 80 x 125ml serves.
Please contact SERVED directly for any listing enquiries. SERVED draught is exclusively available to purchase through Heineken, with wider wholesale availability planned for later this year as part of the roll-out.
The launch follows strong performance and momentum in 2024, where the brand grew by 476%, making it the fastest-growing ready-to-drink spirits brand in the UK2.
1 CGA Mixed Drinks Report, March 2024
2 IRI All Outlets 52 w/e 28 December 2024, Pe-Mixed Alcoholic Drinks, Brands over £2m RSV
