The mixology community is a major driver of alcoholic beverage sales. It plays a vital role in showcasing new categories of spirits and emerging craft distillers. Innovative cocktails also play an important role in driving demand for existing beverage categories. To get an update on the latest trends in mixology, we recently sat down with Brian Masilionis, Senior Director of Business Development at Southern Glazer’s and his team to discuss their take on the latest trends in mixology.

Southern Glazer Wines and Spiritsone of the world’s leading distributors of alcoholic beverages, has published the results of its study. Liquid Insights Tour 2024. The tour, a coast-to-coast educational initiative focused on exploring the key trends shaping the wine and spirits industry, focused on six key mixology markets: Tampa, Florida; Los Angeles, California; Austin, TX; Portland, Oregon; Denver, Colo.; and New York, New York. The survey included 45 casual, casual-fine, fine-dining restaurants and cocktail bars.

The 2024 tour identified ten new and emerging trends, “offering new insights from over 300 drinks tasted at both newer concepts and selected iconic venues.” In addition to Masilionis, the Southern Glazer team included: Debbi Peek, director of mixology, business development; Allen Katz, director of mixology and spirits education, New York; Mishka Bier, director of mixology, Southern California; and Florian Minier, brand development manager, Austin.

According to the team, the top ten wine and cocktail trends in 2024 are:

Botanical/vegetative drinks:

Botanical spirits pack a punch, with botanical ingredients adding lively botanical accents to cocktails, without overwhelming their overall flavor. These ingredients allow bartenders to introduce complex, slightly bitter flavors, giving customers a refreshing, layered experience.

Clarified and carbonated

Clarified cocktails and soft drinks provide customers with a cleaner, smoother drinking experience. These techniques allow the lighter flavors to shine, providing a refreshing, refined sip that encourages guests to come back for more.

The revival of the Martini

The martini is making a comeback, with bartenders experimenting by infusing traditional spirits with unique ingredients such as olive oil or savory flavorings. This reinvention adds exciting and unexpected twists to the classic cocktail, offering guests a new take on an old favorite.

Umami revealed

Umami flavors – the fifth primary taste – expand the cocktail repertoire, adding savory depth to drinks through ingredients like mushrooms, onions, fish, meat proteins and aged cheeses. These flavors linger on the palate, creating a tantalizing experience that elevates cocktails to something truly memorable.

Succulent lychee

Lychee is growing in popularity across markets, bringing a smooth, subtle sweetness and floral aroma to cocktails that complement the renewed martini craze. This fruit, along with other Asian ingredients, adds an exotic touch to drinks, creating balanced flavor profiles that appeal to a wide range of palates.

Minimalist/Maximalist: mixology as theater

Venues take a dual approach to creating elegant, garnished cocktails while incorporating at least one maximalist option that adds an element of theater. This approach allows bartenders to showcase both understated elegance and indulgent presentation, improving the overall guest experience.

Craft NoLo Cocktails

Low-alcohol (ABV) and non-alcoholic cocktails are more sophisticated than ever, with prices often climbing to be comparable to full-strength drinks and bartenders crafting drinks that offer depth and texture with less or no alcohol. These drinks are perfect for customers who want a craft experience without too much or no alcohol without compromising flavor.

White people of the world and alternative sparklers

Although Sauvignon Blanc remains very popular, there is growing interest in introducing customers to a wider variety of aromatic white wines from around the world. Some notable examples we have seen in the markets include Gruner Veltliner, Dry Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Vinho Verde and Falanghina.

Compared to the past, these wines now appear on menus at casual and fine dining restaurants almost as frequently as at the fine-dining establishments we visited, indicating that these styles have been growing in popularity. To meet the American preference for the dry Champagne style while offering more affordable options, operators frequently turned to Cava, which offered a comparable flavor profile at a lower price.

Fresh and natural Wines

There is a growing trend to offer fresh red wines and natural wines by the glass, often, but not always, from the Old World. These light, crisp wines offer a refreshing alternative to heavier selections, and their natural production processes resonate with customers looking for more sustainable choices with flavors that are often more mineral and earthy.

Small drinks

Smaller portions of cocktails and wine are becoming more popular, allowing customers to try more drinks without committing to a full serving. This trend allows bartenders to showcase diverse creations while maximizing profitability with higher margin percentage mini-serves.

This trend was highlighted at a Denver wine bar and restaurant offering sweet wines sold by the ounce, from a 2020 Chenin Blanc from Vouvray for $10 an ounce to a 1923 Tawny Port from the Barossa Valley in Australia for $30 an ounce.

These ten trends will shape the beverage market in 2025, as the industry adapts to the growth of NoLo consumers, the continued evolution of traditional brands, the challenges faced by innovative craft distillers, the emergence new beverage categories and persistent economic headwinds. See Southern Glazer’s Liquid Insights Tour 2024for detailed notes on some of the innovative new cocktails the group tasted.