What’s on the Drinks Menu for 2026? Happy Hour, Hyper Luxury, and Dirty Martini Madness

By WineBottleMag
November 18, 2025
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It’s time once again to peer into the crystal ball and ponder what the year ahead might hold—at least, as pertains to drinks (who the heck knows where everything else will go). So, we checked in with forward-thinking experts for their best insights into where spirits, cocktails, and the bar industry are headed in 2026.

Spoiler alert: Some trends from the last year or so haven’t changed, though they certainly have evolved. Agave spirits and zero-proof drinks are still front of mind, for example. But the hype around tequila has fizzed around the edges as consumers are asking, okay, what’s next? Zero-proof drinks, on the other hand, have moved even further into the mainstream, showing tenacious staying power.

But new ideas and trends-to-be are bubbling to the surface, while we pontificate about what we’ll be drinking in 2026—as well as how and even when we’ll be consuming said drinks. Here’s what the pros and trend-watchers see on the horizon for the year ahead.

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1. The Hunt for ‘The Next Tequila’ Will Be ON

Tequila isn’t going anywhere—it’s one of the few spirits categories still experiencing growth, while the margarita remains a global cocktail superstar. Yet, signs of wear are showing on the agave spirits’s crown, and pundits are placing bets on what might be next.

Some consumers have become weary of flashy celebrity-owned tequilas, as well as a perceived lack of transparency about additives in the spirit, and are seeking more authentic alternatives.

To that effect, trend-watcher Mintel suggests sotol as a Gen Z draw: “Unlike many mainstream options, sotol traces its origins to the indigenous peoples of the Chihuahuan Desert and is crafted using more sustainable harvesting methods than agave-based spirits,” the data company says.

Meanwhile, food and drink market researcher Datassential predicts raicilla, an agave-based spirit from Jalisco, is poised for a moment. “It’s about that artisanal, hand-crafted, small batch, deeply regional…and bartenders like it because it has some funky notes, as well as floral, grassy [notes], and pairs really well with different savory cocktails,” says Robyn Long, director F&B solutions, describing raicilla as “tequila’s wilder cousin.”

Other options: lower-abv agave wine or American-grown agave spirits, as tariffs have pushed the price of tequila steadily higher.

2. Drink-flation Will Hit a Breaking Point

Drink prices have steadily risen over the past couple of years, threatening its status as “affordable luxury.” Drink-flation will finally hit a breaking point in 2026, the pros say.

“Everyone’s feeling the squeeze,” says Kevin Denton Rex, director of The Spirits Authority, a research organization that gathers data from bartenders. “The price sensitivity thing, there’s no way around it.”

The big question is: how will that manifest? Happy hours on steroids, for one. “Happy hour has become a new way of eating,” Freeman says. “It’s rising up again. You’ve heard of the ‘adult happy meal,’ martinis and French fries…. It’s a way to drive value and have fun.”

Bars may get creative as a way to deal with price sensitivity, such as building split-base drinks that divide the components of a drink between high-end and lower-priced bottles, potentially yielding a more complex sip. And when people are ready to open their wallets and celebrate, it’s about making sure they feel they’re getting their money’s worth. In other words.

3. More Will Be More

In 2026, those going out want it to be an experience to remember. That means big, bold flavors and high-drama presentations. Clarified cocktails and other streamlined serves aren’t going away, but overall, bar-goers are looking for bigger, brighter, brasher drinks.

“Sensory maximalism” is the new buzzword. It’s no longer enough for a drink to taste or look great. Bartenders are spritzing perfumes to engage the olfactory sense; adding garnishes that fizz, crunch, or pop (gummy garnishes! caviar sidecars! Pop Rocks glass rims!) for textural and even auditory effect.

“People are looking for an experience as well as a cocktail,” explains Mariena Mercer Boarini, Wynn Resorts’ Master Mixologist, North America. “People want to connect with it in a different way.” One of her solutions: drinks rimmed with buzz button-fueled “electric dust,” which creates a memorable, tongue-tingling effect.

Of note, F&B forecaster Tastewise sagely observes, “Maximalism can make price hikes easier to swallow.”

4. More Fruit-Forward Drinks – but Not the Usual Suspects

“Fruit forward is still the future of cocktails,” says Adrian Briggs, director of advocacy for Bacardi. The company surveyed bar pros for its newly-released 2026 Bacardi Cocktail Trends Report, which found that sweet and fruit-driven drinks outpace savory and spicy counterparts.

While citrus isn’t going away, many bar pros are thinking about ways to bring in other fruity flavors—particularly those with bold hues and flavors. Passion fruit, already starring in the uber-popular Porn Star Martini, is a potential contender. “Passion fruit may be the next ube,” bets Candace MacDonald, co-founder and managing director of hospitality trend-watcher Carbonate. “Passion fruit’s bright acidity walks the line between tart and sweet, adding lift and balance to cocktails without being cloying.”

Another potential: guava, popular across Latin America and Southeast Asia, with its “naturally floral sweet flavor” and vibrant pink hue.

5. Zero-Proof Sprawl Will Come for Drink Menus

Last year, we (correctly) predicted that no- and low-alcohol drinks would go fully mainstream. This year, we’re doubling down. Today, a zero-proof menu is mandatory—but it’s often a teensy section tacked on to the usual drink list. In 2025, roughly 25% of national drink menus include non-alc options, according to The Spirits Authority’s research, typically around three drinks or so.

That’s ripe to change. Denton Rex predicts “mirrored cocktail menus” in the year ahead, meaning every boozy drink offered on a drink menu would be matched with a zero-proof equivalent.

“People want inclusion without compromise,” he says. Expect that to climb in the year ahead: more menus offering zero-proofers, and more real estate on the menu for them too.

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6. Whiskey: Watch Out Below

2026 will be a year for American whiskey like none other—at least, not since Prohibition.

In 2025, U.S. whiskey production has fallen, according to data from the U.S. Treasury Department. In simplest terms, a number of producers have ratcheted down the amount of whiskey they make, to the lowest level since 2019. See: announcements from contract giant MGP and Diageo. The latter implemented cutbacks at Balcones in Texas and Cascade Hollow, which makes George Dickel, a Tennessee whiskey, and closures at a number of craft distilleries.

After years of record production, there’s now a glut of whiskey sitting in warehouses across the country. That’s not helped by the current tariff situation; notably, Canada’s boycott of American products has cut off the biggest export market for American whiskey.

The good news? A boom time to scoop up American whiskey overflow. “It’s the cheapest time ever to buy old stock,” Denton Rex says. “You’ll see a proliferation of American whiskey in the next year or two.

7. Dirty Martini Madness Goes Over the Top

If you like savory Bloody Marys piled high with wacky edible garnishes, you’re going to love where martini culture is headed next year. Bar pros will continue to pull inspiration from the kitchen, with culinary-inspired builds (caprese martinis, etc.), MSG-spiked quaffs, and garnishes galore.

“The year coming up is the year of the martini,” Wynn’s Mercer Boarini declares. She oversees multiple Las Vegas locations, each one showcasing a version of the “Hot & Dirty Martini,” a briny variation that layers on the heat, with ingredients such as sansho pepper, pepperoncini, and piri piri. “Our palates have evolved, we love spice and piquancy,” she adds.

Of note: even devotees of the stiff martini are seeking to find ways to adapt it to the low-alcohol moment, from mini martinis to 50-50s softened with extra vermouth. A farther flung variation Denton Rex points to is the martini highball: “At Tales of the Cocktail [a trade show for bartenders in New Orleans], I saw a lot of people taking the martini build and lengthening it with soda or tonic,” often giving it a savory accent with garnishes or splashes of brine. “It drives value and sessionability, that low-alcohol moment.”

8. ‘Premium’ Offerings Will Tempt Those Who Can Afford

Real talk: the current bifurcated market means the most affluent consumers have been insulated from market gyrations and pricing pressures. In the year ahead, expect to see more luxe collections (like limited-edition whiskeys and rums in jewel-box packaging, or rarefied martinis) aimed at that demographic.

“Premiumization is likely to continue,” predicts analyst Dale Stratton, of Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA). Much depends on how critical year-end holiday sales play out. But this is as close to a turnaround as we can get right now from Stratton’s dire prediction earlier this year that premiumization was “all but dead.” If 2025 holiday sales are strong, this might signal a degree of stabilization, and the possibility of a modest uptick in sales of spirits and other alcoholic drinks in the new year.

9. We’ll Keep an Eye on Kakigori

Japanese shaved ice is fun, refreshing, and memorable as an eye-catching, dessert-like treat that can be dressed up with flavorings, liqueurs, and garnishes. It also plays into America’s ongoing love affair with Japan’s bar culture. Often, a special manual or electric shaver is used to generate a fluffy mound of fine, snow-like shaved ice. Is it a drink, a dessert? Either way, this is an item Datassential calls out as a potential 2026 trend. Bonus: it’s often available only during warm-weather months, adding to its appeal as a limited-time-only treat. Look to fun, social media-worthy options, such as those seen at NYC’s L’Americana.

10. We’ll Say Hello (and Maybe Goodbye) to ‘Daycaps’

A confluence of Millennials with parenting responsibilities, Gen Z’ers who embrace earlier, lighter, more intentional drinking moments, and remote work/hybrid schedules across all demographics, the late afternoon hang might peak in the year ahead. Bacardi’s Briggs cheekily calls this a “daycap,” the daylight equivalent of a nightcap.

Yet, this is a trend that might fade away by the end of the year, Briggs also cautions. So enjoy those late-afternoon aperitivos while you can. “I’m going to be contrarian here, as I see legions being called back to office, three-quarters of the time or more,” he says. “I see the slow ‘back to office’ drumbeat, and happy hours will reflect that.

11. Vermouth Will Find Main Character Energy

Consumers are drinking less and looking for lower-alcohol alternatives. Enter vermouth, spotlighted in vermouth carts, as part of vermouth flights, and in a “vermouth service” with garnishes and fizzy mixers to customize a drink. It’s also a growing part of vermouth-forward cocktails.

Vermouth is “becoming the star of the beverage,” Datassential predicts, a trend that first emerged in 2024 and is poised to proliferate in the year ahead. “And it’s not just a splash in a martini or Negroni.”

Alex McCutchen, beverage director at The Patterson House in Nashville, agrees. “As people become more mindful about their drinking, the idea that every cocktail needs a base spirit is starting to fade,” he says. “Lighter, lower-abv drinks are having an extended moment, and ingredients that were once just supporting players, like liqueurs, bitters, aperitifs, and other flavoring agents are taking center stage.”

12: Wild Card: Bone Luge Shots Return

I’ll be the first to say: this is not just a wild card, it borders on unhinged. But hear me out. As 2025 winds down, bone marrow is booming, driven by protein-maxxers, beauty influencers touting it for skin health, and MAHA advocates seeking to avoid seed oils. Yet, when all that meaty goodness is scraped from the bone, it’s the perfect vessel for a bone luge shot. This ticks the boxes of so many other trends: it’s a savory, culinary-adjacent, experiential, in-the-moment spectacle—and it’s new to anyone under 30.