2018 Summer Soft Drink Trends

Summer soft drink trends

We love summer – mainly because slush sales fly through the roof! So it goes without saying that our favourite summer beverage will always be Snowshock slush (and now Frappino!). However, there are other trends out there that are doing really well this year. Let’s take a look at some of 2018’s soft drink summer trends:

Healthy smoothies

Matcha, beetroot and kale are all making appearances in smoothies this summer. They might seem to be weird ingredients for a smoothie – but for the health conscious, they are perfect! Healthy smoothies don’t have to taste terrible if they are done right. Even protein shake powder comes in a variety of tasty flavours – like vanilla and chocolate. Just mix your superfoods with some sweeter (but healthy) fruits, such as strawberries and bananas.

Freakshakes

What’s a freakshake, I hear you ask. Well, it’s like a milkshake, except your standard milkshake really pales into comparison beside a freakshake! With lashings of chocolate sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles and a doughnut or brownie balanced carefully on top – a freakshake is the craziest milkshake you’ll ever see. There are so many different kinds – all as weird and wonderful as each other. Lots of cafes and ice cream parlours specialise in their own freakshakes, and with the popularity of them only increasing, you’ll definitely be able to find a freakshake in a cafe near you!

Mocktails

Cocktails taste great with or without alcohol – and mocktails are becoming a hit. Colourful, tasty and packed with summer fruits, mocktails make cocktails available to everyone. Not only are they refreshing  and popular, but they have huge profit margins. They are also really easy to make at home – a few online tutorials can make you a mocktail master!

Slush

Of course! We love slush here at Snowshock, and a frozen, fruity drink is the only refreshing beverage we reach for. Slush never wavers in popularity at this time of year, and whilst slush does tend to be more popular with children, we are still inundated with grown-ups too, who can’t resist an ice-cold drink on a summer’s day. We’ve got some fantastic deals on our machines right now – so if you’re looking for a slush machine to boost your profit and delight your customers, now is the time to buy.

Kombucha

No, we don’t know how to pronounce it either, but it’s a hit in the soft drinks market. Kombucha is a mix of tea and sugar – which is then fermented for about a week or more. The fermenting adds a fizz to the drink, and a sour kick. Not only is it tasty, it’s apparently good for your insides too. It is said to improve gut function, immune support and blood sugar regulation, as well as being packed with vitamins and probiotics. It’s been around for thousands of years, but has been largely neglected until now. It’s rising popularity is seeing it pop up in restaurants and cafes across the UK.

Iced coffee

Iced coffee has exploded in popularity since finding its way over to the UK. Did you know that one in five consumers have replaced a hot drink with an iced coffee as their morning pick me up? Iced coffee’s popularity is growing year on year, which is one of the reasons why we created Frappino. Made with only the finest FairTrade Arabica beans, Frappino is deliciously cold and provides iced coffee lovers with their favourite drink. Take a look at our award winning iced coffee innovation – Frappino.

Edible glitter

This isn’t so much of a soft drink than an addition to a drink – edible glitter! Everyone is going crazy for packs of edible glitter, designed to go in a drink of your choice to add some extra sparkle! Looks amazing in cocktails and other alcoholic beverages, but it’s also making its way into the soft drink market too. The consistency of the drink doesn’t seem to matter – even in a frozen drink you can still see the glitter glistening throughout. You could even use edible glitter to glam up a cuppa (if you really must!)

Whether it’s a sprinkle of glitter, a cold iced coffee or a refreshing Snowshock slush there are plenty of delicious drinks out there to quench your thirst this summer.