For the World Class Great Britain Bartender of the Year 2016 competition, mixologist Aidan Bowie created not just a novel cocktail called the Vetiver Woodland Martini, but a hand cream to go with it. In order to accentuate the aroma of the cocktail as much as possible, those served the Vetiver Woodland Martini are encouraged to use the specially crafted hand cream that comes with it.
In creating the new martini, Bowie developed his own type of bitters made with vetiver, a fragrant perennial grass native to India. Rather than stopping there, he also developed a hand cream with similar ingredients. By encouraging drinkers to use the cream, Bowie ensures that they not only have a soothing experience while they imbibe, but they also carries its faint, pleasing aroma with them for hours afterward.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Sensory Pairings
- Creating complementary sensory experiences using products with shared ingredients, like a cocktail paired with a hand cream.
- Cross-industry Collaborations
- Collaborations between mixologists and skincare brands to create unique sensory experiences.
- Customized Product Offerings
- Developing unique products, such as hand creams, to complement and enhance the user experience of a primary product, like a cocktail.
Where This Applies
- Beverage
- Collaboration opportunities between mixologists and skincare brands to create complementary sensory experiences for cocktail drinkers.
- Skincare
- Opportunities to collaborate with mixologists to create custom hand creams and other products that complement and enhance the user experience of primary products like cocktails.
- Hospitality
- Opportunities to offer unique sensory experiences to guests through customized product pairings like hand creams and cocktails.
