If the French seem to have difficulty returning to cinemas, theaters or concerts, they have easily found that of café terraces. Better still, the aperitif is now a social ritual that is progressing. In 2013, 47% of French people said they had an aperitif once a week, 51% today (and 74% do so once a month – source IFOP). It must be said that unlike cultural places, hampered by health constraints, outdoor tables were lifesaving during the reopening of bistros and restaurants. Never had we seen so many terraces springing up in the streets and squares of France. The opportunity to reconnect with good habits, or even to create new ones.
“Consumers are looking for a greater variety and better quality of experiences, with drinks that are often lower in alcohol. » Florian Gansloser, Innovation Director of the Pernod Ricard Group
“In good weather, these last two seasons have allowed us to recover the loss of earnings from confinement”, welcomes Acya Haddag, the young boss of Jolis mômes, a café-restaurant on rue Turgot, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, which had almost quadrupled its operating area. If the town hall did not authorize it, this year, to spread out so widely on the pretty square located near the square of Anvers, the effervescence did not fall back on the terrace. “We have slightly fewer elderly people, no doubt because of a lingering fear of the virus, observe Acya Haddag, but we have probably never had so many young customers. »
At the end of a sunny May afternoon, a quick overview of the tables reveals the eternal classics. Half golden topped with foam, balloons of white and rosé, anise cloudy with fresh water. But the eye is also drawn to the colors and shapes of the latest trends: neon orange in spritzes, swimming pool glass in gin and tonics, enticing bouquet of lime and mint in mojitos, sparkling opaque moscow mules…
“The aperitif has been renewed”, observes Florian Gansloser, director of innovation for the Pernod Ricard group, world co-leader (with Diageo) in the manufacture and distribution of wines and spirits. “Consumers are looking for a greater variety and better quality of experiences, with drinks that are often lower in alcohol. » His colleague and competitor, Richard Cullen, of the Bacardi-Martini group, points out that, after the phenomenon slow food, “we observe that of slow drinking : drink less but better, moving from consumption to tasting ».
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