Happy Hour At Home On The Rise

More people are doing Happy Hour at home now instead of going to pricey bars and restaurants. Cheers!

Friday, July 16, 2010 1:09 GMT

According to market research by Mintel, 90 percent of alcohol drinkers say they consume booze at home, compared to 77 percent who drink elsewhere.

And the drinks sure do flow at stay-at-home Happy Hours.

Those who booze at home consume almost twice the amount as those who hit up bars – 10 versus 5.7 drinks to be exact.

Mintel experts credit the cocktail trend to the lousy economy.

In fact, the nearly $80 billion off-premise alcoholic beverage market has grown 21 percent since 2004 as more consumers cut back on eating out in light of tough financial times.

Meanwhile, 67 percent of at-home boozers are indulging in a glass of wine, 57 percent in distilled spirits, and 53 percent drink beer.

But to keep costs down, 28 percent admit they’ve switched to less expensive liquor brands and 50 percent say they’re influenced by whatever alcohol is on sale.