Bobby Flay Predicts These Cocktails Will Be Popular In 2022

Retro cocktails are on the rise, or at least according to Bobby Flay and his daughter Sophie. "I think one of the things that has happened over the last decade or so is we've seen craft cocktails kind of sweep the nation," Flay recently explained on "Always Hungry," his and Sophie's podcast. And given that 60% of adults in the United States drink alcohol, per a recent Gallup Poll, there's definitely a customer base for these vintage drinks. 

Flay went on to share with his daughter that he really saw the rise of these drinks during a trip to Italy, when craft cocktails were just starting to become a star attraction. The Iron Chef recalled a time he was at a hotel bar in Rome 25 years ago, witnessing beautiful handcrafted cocktails being made. He was deeply impressed by how the bartenders had really transformed into a "chef" behind the bar, adding beautiful flowers and fruits to these drinks made to taste. 

Sure enough, craft cocktails soon became a craze in the U.S. However, Flay says they also quickly became overdone, with "questionable mixtures of cocktails" popping up everywhere. But the celebrity chef also conceded it created a really good cocktail culture leading to restaurants like his own serving up classic Italian cocktails like the Negroni, the Sbagliato, and one that he believes will continue to be quite popular this year. 

On his podcast, Bobby Flay shared his cocktail predictions for the new year, noting that he believes spritzes will continue their popularity as one of the retro cocktails we'll be sipping on throughout 2022. If you are unfamiliar, Spoon University says these alcoholic drinks hail from Italy and are a mix of Prosecco, a bitter liqueur, and some soda water, served over ice. "The world of spritzes has exploded over the last 5 years," Flay proclaimed. Sophie Flay echoed this sentiment, telling her dad she "loves a spritz."  

But spritzes are not new. Flay explains that Aperol, a bitter, orange Italian liqueur not to be confused with Campari, has been around for at least 100 years, and was used to make a 1950s cocktail called the Aperol Spritz. The sweetly refreshing drink is beloved by celebrities, including Adele and Reese Witherspoon. Flay believes that drinks like the Aperol Spritz and other cocktails from the 1950s are going to be what cocktrail drinkers are drinking in 2022. And if Aperol isn't your poison, Sophie Flay notes she enjoys a good Lillet spritz.