Inspiration and Information for your Tabletop

Ice is food. Yes, we've heard it time and time again in the foodservice industry, and we agree. We should pay more attention to our ice, particularly as it relates to clean, sanitary, and safe ice. But ice is much more than food.

Chefs have used it for years, though its origins with food go way beyond flavoring. In fact, it was first used as a method of preservation. Only in recent times, though, has this one ingredient found its way onto some of the country's best cocktail bar menus.

The ingredient?

We're well beyond the craft cocktail movement. It's become so commonplace, even national, casual bar and restaurant chains are jumping on the craft cocktail bandwagon in order to court younger generations.

The current cocktail revolution has also spawned the rebirth of many classic glassware styles. Gone are the days of always serving Manhattans in a Martini glass. We're witnessing the return of the coupe glass.

The New Year brings both reflection and anticipation. We hear this in music recaps from the previous year. We see it on the news. And we read what's coming ahead in various articles across the web. Foodservice is certainly part of that collection of content.

So let's take a quick look at what we anticipate to be some of the hot trends in food and beverage in 2018.

The Negroni. It’s a cocktail so beloved around the world that it has its own week. Despite being in the middle of the craft cocktail movement, with more mixologists experimenting with new cocktail flavors and combinations, the classic Negroni still remains a staple in bars across the world.