Ingredient Remix: From Ube Lattes to Olive Oil Martinis

If it seems that Dry January is lasting longer and longer these days, it might just be the adaptogenics talking.

As some consumers look to drink less alcohol, they’re reaching more for complex and exotic flavor profiles, leading to a rise in more “sophisticated” natural ingredients, according to some of the U.S. food and beverage industry’s top flavor houses. And don’t forget the color purple! As we look further into the new year, we broke down a few of the top flavor and ingredient trends expected to play a big role in 2024’s new beverage innovations.

“Sophisticated Sips” Expand

The makers of ready-to-drink mocktails and other NA alternatives have increasingly sought to match the complexity and depth of traditional alcoholic drinks by substituting an array of rich and distinctive flavors, going beyond the traditional soft drink formulation to create a more premium sipping occasion. In its 2024 flavor trend report, Flavorchem dubbed the phenomenon as “Sophisticated Sips,” and while “mindful drinking” is one key trait of the trend, it’s reaching out far beyond the alcohol alternative space.

Flavorchem pointed to brands like Aura Bora, with its non-alc Olive Oil Martini, and De La Calle Tepache, with its Latin American inspired flavor profile, as examples of the trend playing out in two different emerging categories, noting that consumers are seeking drinks that “cater to the demand for variety, fun, and mindfulness.”

Rebecca Shurhay, senior marketing specialist at Flavorchem, noted that this macro trend covers a wide array of ingredients, including flavors that promote calmness and relaxation like lavender, chamomile, vanilla and berry blends, as well as tropical fruits which “have gained prominence throughout the energy market due to their distinct flavors, bright hues, and the craving for unique taste sensations” – think pomegranate, pineapple, guava, papaya and dragon fruit.

“Comforting flavors like honey, chocolate, mint, and banana feed into uplifting [moods] and may reduce the negative effects of stress on the body,” Shurhay added, noting increased attention towards mental health awareness and brain function are helping drive the demand for these flavors.

Many of those relaxation-minded functional traits find themselves being used heavily in the NA cocktail category in order to replicate the feeling of alcohol without intoxication, as seen with brands like De Soi and Ghia.

Among these so-called sophisticated flavors, Flavorchem pointed to Prickly Pear as another rising ingredient, meeting consumer interest in exotic fruits, “sweet and tangy” flavor profiles, and nutritional benefits, Shurhay said. The flavor is popular for both NA drinks (Caliwater, Pricklee) but also rises to the occasion for alcoholic RTD cocktails.

Meanwhile, Flavorman highlighted “sweet heat” flavor combinations as another rising trend in the adult NA space (see again, De La Calle, with its Mango and Pineapple Chili flavors, or hard canned cocktail brands like Faux Pas and Kickstand which have embraced spicy alcoholic recipes).

Ube Breakout

If you’ve walked the aisles of Expo, Fancy Foods or any other natural products trade show in recent years, you may have seen more than a few beverages cropping up making use of a vibrant purple Filipino yam known as ube. Over the past year, brands like Remedy Organics (with its Ubeautiful messaging), Twrl and Tea Drops have embraced the colorful vegetable. T. Hasegawa named ube as its Flavor Trend of the Year for 2024, but it’s more than just a handful of companies: ube’s use has risen significantly in CPG and the culinary world.

Doug Resh, director of commercial marketing at T. Hasegawa USA, said ube-flavored products grew 250% between 2018 to 2022, with 143% growth in foodservice in that time and “70% growth in 2022 alone.”

The Japan-based flavor house noted that “Ube offers a unique combination of flavors that can be described as nutty, sweet, and mildly earthy” making it a versatile addition to desserts, savory dishes and beverages alike. Over the past year, Resh cited a 19.34% increase of ube in latte formulations, a 19.22% increase in berry flavors utilizing ube, and 14% growth in coffee formulations using ube. As well, he said ube is “predicted to outperform 88% of all other foods, beverages and ingredients over the next four years in terms of growth.”

“In addition to Ube’s unique flavor and bright color, the tuberous root also has many applications in vegan cuisine,” Resh said. “The fastest rising consumer need for Ube is within the snack category, but it has proven versatility in many other food and beverage categories.”

Ube lattes are also just one form coffee innovation has taken in recent months, and Flavorman sees other vegetables, roots, botanicals and unexpected flavors to be part of the overall innovation trend for the category going forward. In a release, Flavorman director of business development Brad Nichols noted that “unconventional flavors like rose, pistachio, lavender, and rosemary have made their way into latte and syrup,” so ube’s addition to the category is by no means some random development.

As well, ube’s vibrant color shouldn’t be underestimated as an important reason for its popularity. Resh pointed to an increase in social media posts over the past year showcasing bright purple ube concoctions.

In its 2024 trend report, The Arthur-Daniels-Midland Company (ADM) highlighted “luxe self expression” as another rising trend, as consumers look to use their food and drinks as a form of personal expression online. The report suggested that there may be “an unleashing of hedonistic taste and color … that manifest consumer emotions and identities through the bold and satisfying foods and flavors they gravitate to.” “Sensorial experiences” are likely to matter more going forward, and that can be seen in recent trends like online drink mix community #WaterTok which frequently accumulates likes and shares off of brightly colored beverage creations.