Alcohol-related Search Terms 1

Perhaps it’s quite apropos that I’ve had a homemade margarita in preparation to compose this article. It’s a standard and popular tequila-containing drink that’s a common unwinding tool after a long and productive day’s work.

Speaking of popular and common, it is quite an interesting undertaking to turn to Google to discover what’s hot and happening with people these days – especially in the realm of potent potables.
Alcohol, beer, wine – and Prosecco?

At the top of the list of popular liquor search terms appear those things you’d expect. Standard alcohol queries get nearly 500,000 monthly hits per month, but gaining on Champagne’s 100,000 searches is a foreign dark horse that might not be familiar to some.

That bubbly drink is Prosecco, an Italian variety and French sparkling wine rival that finds itself actually outselling Champagne for the first time in history. Expect the trend to continue into 2015, and if you want to appear cultured and smart, order a bottle the next time you’re dining out.

Moscato, of course

Why is Moscato so popular?

That’s a question that has been typed into the search-engine giant so often that Google offers it as its second suggestion. With more than 100,000 searches surrounding the sweet and sparking wine, the rise of Moscato has been attributed to its affinity with the hip-hop crowd. The pink and Bartenura versions of the wine receive the most seekers.

Cheap, dangerous and ordinary

Rounding out the majority of phrases of alcohol statistics are those extreme words that run the gamut between troublesome terms and everyday occurrences. Information about alcohol poisoning, binge drinking, withdrawal symptoms and alcoholism are mixed in with the more ordinary searches for data about wine and spirits.

Pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, pinot grigio, Bordeaux and Chianti are the famous types of wines topping the list, with the latter harkening back to that unforgettable scene in the movie Silence of the Lambs, wherein Anthony Hopkins’ character mentioned it as being a lovely pairing with fava beans and sinister offerings. At the very least, the creepy mention taught us all that it is a wine produced within the Chianti region of Tuscany.

Wine is fine, liquor is quicker – and gets more attention

While beer and wine run neck and neck for attention from Googlers – especially once you factor in specific queries for brands like Marsala wine, Riesling or Cristal Champagne – or categories like merlot and ale (which is also surging in trendiness) – we can’t negate the attention given to the harder stuff.

Gin, vodka and rum get nearly a quarter of a million monthly searches, especially when brand names like Grey Goose are factored into the mix. Kraken rum is no slouch, neither is Yuengling beer – a brewski that gets the same 74,000 monthly searches as the uber-popular Ciroc brand of vodka brought to the public by Sean “P Diddy” Combs, a man who built that brand into a $100 million franchise.

It’s amazing what you can learn about the desires of folks who turn to search engines to discover. Don’t you feel smarter just by reading the above results?