US demand for distilled spirits is forecast rise 2.2% annually, amounting to 580 million gallons in 2020. Even in a country expected to total nearly 335 million people, that’s a lot of booze.
The distilled spirits industry can thank Don Draper, the alcohol swilling ad man from the retro-themed television show Mad Men, for reigniting a cocktail culture among US consumers, particularly millennials. While Draper might have ordered a simple Old Fashioned (or three?) with lunch, today’s drinkers are more creative; cocktails with exotic inspirations — created, of course, by bartenders refashioned as “mixologists” — are de rigueur at many bars and a growing number of restaurants.