In the next 12 months, we’re anticipating new product launches and viral recipes that will refresh our beverage routines. We scanned trend reports and Google Trends data to find out what beverage trends to expect in 2025.
Experience the Best in Beverage Events
Imagine going to a concert where you could get a cocktail or a spirit-free drink for each album. What a great idea for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour! Imagine stepping into a themed bar decorated to celebrate a holiday, an old TV show or a movie series.
Google Trends from late 2024 suggest that multi-sensory and interactive drink experiences will be popular in 2025. Interest in the “pop-up” bar jumped by 150% in December, and interest in the “Integrative bar” also rose 54% compared to December 2023.
Lexi Parker is the lead bartender of Poka Lola in Denver, Colorado. She says that experiential beverage events are a lot of fun. We’ve done pop-ups in the bar for over 2 years. It’s an excellent way to get people who may not know us into the club.
Parker says that these themed experiences, which allow for creativity and keep menus fresh, are fun for both guests and staff. “It has been really exciting to pair our cocktails with an entire theme.” The owners of restaurants and bars are constantly trying to create new and exciting experiences for their customers. I believe this trend will continue and grow in the year 2025. “Pairing with soundscapes or concerts sounds cool to me!”
The Nostalgic Cocktails get a New Look.
In 2024, we asked our Test Kitchen to help celebrate the classics—the drinks our parents and grandparents loved and shared at supper clubs and around the holidays. If you’d like to take a trip down memory lane (or, more accurately, slurp your way through it), don’t forget our recipes for Hot Buttered Rum and Pink Squirrels.
Retro renaissance is not slowing down. In 2025, we will be adding a twist to the traditional. Employees Only New York is a trendy spot that consistently ranks among The World’s Best Bars. They’re embracing ingredients and drinks that pay homage to the 1990s. Fraise Sauvage is a sparkling drink made with Prosecco, Tahitian Vanilla, and gin. It’s reminiscent of a modern and bubbly strawberry Daiquiri, a cocktail which was originally developed in 1940 but had a renaissance during the 1990s.
Parker confirms that a twist on a classic cocktail, Painkiller, is one of the most popular items on the menu at the team’s newest pop-up bar.
Parker explains that “trying to give a fresh spin to those tried and true flavor profiles is a great way for bartenders to keep their creativity flowing, and to avoid getting bored with the same drinks,” Parker says.
This trend is likely to spread beyond cocktail culture. Think of Shirley Temple spiffups, Arnold Palmer-inspired options, and the introduction of previously retired sodas.
Soda options to continue to expand
Experts predict new flavours of soda, an explosion of floats and continued growth of the prebiotic space.
Google searches for “soda shop” increased by 36% between December 2023 and December 24. “Prebiotic soda” and “fiber soda”, however, grew by 79% and 40% respectively.
After being featured on “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” dirty sodas are now all over social media. This involves “customising the sodas with various add-ins.” Imagine it as the Cold Stone Creamery for sodas”, explains Andrew Freeman. He is the founder and co-founder of Carbonate, and the boutique marketing, public relations, and advertising firm af&co. Add cream, fruit or cookies to any soda. It can be a fun and interactive experience for any party. Soon, we expect to see bars and shops selling dirty sodas.
Sodas are not only fun, fizzy, and nostalgic, but they’re also nostalgic for my fellow ’90s children (remember Mello-Yello and Surge? ). They’re a great option for those who don’t drink alcohol.
Parker is looking forward to creating mixed drinks that showcase classic soda flavours such as root beer or Coke. We were probably ahead of the curve when we chose the Amalfi diet as the cocktail of 2024!
Join the chat with Miso-Spiked Cocktails and Coffee.
Freeman says that “many people love the combination of sweet and savory, just as some people like sweet and spicy combinations (hot honey), or sweet and salted (salted Maple).” It’s not surprising that coffee and mixed drinks are now incorporating savoury, nutty, and miso. Google searches for miso coffee increased by 101% between December 2023 and December 2024.
Freeman says that miso has been popular in desserts for at least a decade. Justine Doiron’s Burnt Miso Brown Butter Dark Chocolate Chip cookies are a favourite of ours. Now, drink makers are inventing new ways to add a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream to their drinks.
Freeman told BHG that “Miso Coffee is similar to a salted carmel latte but with miso in place of salt.“ We expect this trend to expand beyond miso and embrace other global flavours and ingredients (a sentiment that was echoed in Bacardi’s trend report for 2025). There are examples of a caramel butterscotch and gochujang latte. “Both, like the Miso latte offset the savory with sweet.”
Sparkling Tea Takes Over
Instacart’s Flavorful Forecast for 2025 revealed a dramatic increase in nonalcoholic drink sales in 2024. This included spirit-free cocktails (+404%), nonalcoholic spirits (+129%), nonalcoholic wine (+28%), and nonalcoholic beer (+17%).
Is this a category that is ripe for growth? Sparkling tea is a great alternative to sparkling wines.
Whole Foods Market’s 2025 food trends report confirms that the tea trend will be a big hit in the dessert aisle as well as in canned drinks, adult tea parties and wine-sized bottles.
Freeman says that “thanks to the sober curious movement, Gen Z’s behaviour and a changing public perception of alcohol’s health risks, more consumers are demanding lower-alcohol wine–and nonalcoholic alternatives.“ Sparkling tea is a favourite among those who are looking for nonalcoholic wine alternatives. The tea has the bitter tannins and complex aromas of wine without the alcohol. This is a great option for anyone looking for an alcohol-free, festive and refreshing celebration drink.”
The bubbles can also help mask any texture issues that arise due to the lack of alcohol.
Banana Cocktails are now even more appealing.
Move aside, banana daiquiris that are overly sweet and fruity. Freeman confirms that the new generation of banana cocktails is thoughtful and spirit-forward. Google searches in the US for “banana cocktail“ increased by 33% between November and December 2024.
We’ve also seen a Banana Bread Old Fashioned made with bourbon washed in brown butter, banana liqueur, and a variety of spirits, from rum to tequila, as well as coffee liquor. Freeman adds that he’s seen a Banana Bread Old Fashioned made with bourbon washed in brown butter, banana liqueur, and bitters like black walnut, chocolate, or brown sugar.
Freeman says that although many of these drinks are great for happy hour or after dinner, they are also popular at brunch, probably because coffee and bananas make a good breakfast.
This trend is already catching on from coast to coast. Are you ready for a sample? Visit Beauty & Essex, New York City, for The Elvis (peanut-butter bourbon with banana liqueur), Scoundrel, Greenville, South Carolina, for La Concorde, (rye whisky, espresso rum, creme de banana, and banana liqueur), or The Bartender’s Handshake, Des Moines, Iowa, for a Good Time Man, (bourbon with banana-infused vermouth and sherry),
