As the temperatures are rising again, the South Moravian Tourist Office has released new research into what drinks people are ordering most often in the region’s bistros and cafes during the summer months. The research suggests that the classic cappuccino is still the top order, followed closely by homemade lemonades, while matcha and non-alcoholic cocktails are becoming increasingly popular.
“We wanted to get an overview of what people are ordering most often in South Moravia this summer,” explained Martina Grůzová, director of the Tourism Office, which publishes the annual Gourmet South Moravia guide. “We focused on drinks because they are relatively similar across businesses with different focuses. Our survey is not a representative collection of data, but it shows interesting trends that indicate the popularity of sparkling and still soft drinks, the unwavering position of coffee, and also a greater desire to experiment.”
From the first warm days of early May to the long weekend in early July, there is a clear shift towards homemade lemonades and light refreshing drinks. Modern brunch bistros and select cafes are seeing a surge in the popularity of iced coffee variants and also cold brew – cold-extracted coffee, which offers a lighter and fruitier coffee profile for warm days.
Sales of homemade lemonades made from fruit and herbal syrups are growing at the expense of bottled soft drinks, and in many establishments they are the best-selling menu item after coffee. Businesses often use local sources and their own recipes to make lemonades.
“Our homemade lemonades, prepared by our chef colleague, definitely dominate among iced drinks,” said Lucie Přibylová from BiBistra Blansko. “We use fruit purees and concentrates from the family-run Tropico company in Olomouc. Another colleague from another company, Kohout na víne, prepares homemade ferments. We use apricot nectar for the Bellini cocktail and elderberry syrup for the Špalek Spritz, which are from the Špalek Winery in Nový Šaldorf.”
According to evidence from cafes and bistros, there is also a clear shift from alcoholic versions of drinks to their non-alcoholic form. “This year, people are drinking a lot of non-alcoholic versions of drinks that we offer in our bistro – non-alcoholic Aperol, non-alcoholic Hugo spritz or non-alcoholic Gin & tonic,” confirmed Barbora Pšenčíková from the Mikuláš bistro in Znojmo. “A lot of non-alcoholic beers are also being drunk now, especially wheat beers. Customers have become quite fond of non-alcoholic versions, which is why we are constantly expanding our range in this direction.”
The survey also confirmed the growing interest in drinks made from Japanese Matcha green tea. Although it has not yet reached the total sales of traditional coffee, demand is growing steadily. Businesses are experimenting with how it is served – as well as the popular variant with milk (matcha latte), innovative summer combinations are emerging, such as matcha with fruit syrup or refreshing matcha lemonades.
“Statistically, cappuccino is still leading, but our specials – specifically peach velvet matcha and strawberry matcha – follow right behind,” noted Jiří Mahr, who runs two establishments in Mikulov focused on matcha: the brunch bistro MOJI café and the MOMO café. “Then there is mango passion fruit lemonade and espresso tonic.”
As for the distribution of consumption during the day: brunch culture favors light drinks in the form of Mimosa (a combination of sparkling wine and freshly squeezed fruit juice), while evening and afternoon demand strongly reflects the cycling tourism of South Moravia. When it comes to alcohol, chilled beer and light wine spritzers are the mainstays.
