So-called 'designer alcoholic drinks' are driving the market through associations of quality and sophistication, according to a report by Datamonitor.

The report covered seven European countries and the US, and found a consistent trend across all eight countries to be the increased consumption of designer drinks (premium beers, high %abv beers and flavoured alcoholic drinks).

The growth of fashionable city bars and clubs, which encourage a 'stylish' clientele of 'opinions leaders' - young professional adults - has boosted the sales of designer drinks as an affirmation of wealth and status.

Neil Broome, Datamonitor drinks industry analyst, says rising consumer sophistication is driving the market: Consumers are becoming more adept at discerning which products are qualitatively better than others. They are also becoming quicker to abandon those which do not appeal to them.

This is increasing the impetus on producers to create products that are obviously better than others in a tangible way. Despite the importance of image, poor quality in the premium market is less tolerated among consumers now.