On-premise spirits volume is trending at about 93% of the level the category was selling at in late 2019 and early 2020, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and related on-premise shutdowns, according to a new report from CGA, the on-premise arm of NIQ.
Spirits has recovered the largest percentage of pre-COVID volume out of the three major bev-alc categories. Beer ranks No. 2, selling about 83% of the volume it was selling previously, while wine is at 66%.
Beer leads bev-alc in price hikes, with an average increase of 26% at bars and restaurants versus pre-pandemic levels. Spirits are right behind beer, with the average price per 1.5 oz. serving increasing 25%. Wine prices have increased 12%.
“Trends in high-priced segments give grounds for optimism for the rest of 2025 and beyond,” CGA VP, Americas, Matthew Crompton wrote. “Interest in premium and imported beer brands and tequila-based drinks suggests many guests are chasing new and different options, while interest in sparkling wine is a welcome sign of an uplift in celebratory occasions.”
Over the last 12 months, ending March 22, spirits have maintained a dominant share of on-premise bev-alc dollar sales (46.3%), but recorded the largest share loss among bev-alc categories (-0.3 percentage points). That loss was primarily due to share gains by ready-to-drink cocktails (RTDs), which still have a miniscule share of on-premise dollars (1.2%), but increased share by 0.4 percentage points in the last 52 weeks.
“RTD growth was influenced by consumers’ desire for convenience and portability, especially in channels like nightclubs and bars, where RTDs’ share has jumped by 0.7 and 0.5 percentage points,” Crompton wrote.
RTDs have a 1.8% share of bev-alc dollar sales at nightclubs and 1.6% share at bars in the last 52 weeks. The category also recorded share growth at casual dining establishments (+0.3 percentage points, to 1%) and fine dining (+0.3 percentage points, to 0.6%).
Beer, which has the second largest share of overall on-premise bev-alc dollar sales (39.9%), also recorded a slight share increase (+0.1 percentage points), while wine was down (-0.2 percentage points, to 12.7%).
Within beer, the top on-premise share gains have come from imports and domestic premium offerings, according to Crompton.
In the last 52 weeks, imports have gained at least one percentage point of beer’s on-premise dollar sales in Washington (+1.9 percentage points, to 22.9%), Oregon (+1.3, to 20%), California (+1.5, to 32.3%), Colorado (+1.5, to 25.2%), Texas (+1.4, to 30.1%), Florida (+1, to 27.2%), Ohio (+1.3, to 14.6%), New York (+1, to 31.2%) and Pennsylvania (+1, to 14.9%).
Domestic super premium recorded its largest share gains in Nevada (+0.7 percentage points, to 10.1%), Arizona (+0.4, to 14.1%), Tennessee (+1, to 16%), Georgia (+0.8, to 12.2%) and North Carolina (+1, to 11.5%).