We already know the macro trends driving alcohol forward: premiumization, craft and artisanal products, and sustainability, for example.
But how are these going to play out in 2025 when it comes to flavors, ingredients and cocktail creations?
We take a look at some of the most intriguing trends set to shake up alcohol in 2025 and beyond.
Savory serves
In the world of cocktails, Bacardi sees innovators taking inspiration from a new wave of culinary connoisseurship, with food becoming central to premium drinking experience.
The Bacardi Global Brand Ambassador Survey shows the popularity of savory and herbaceous flavors and ingredients on trade, with interest growing by 20% and 15% respectively in North America in 2024.
Interest in umami flavors is also trending, with miso, mushroom, fish sauce and sea vegetables on the rise.
But that’s not all.
“Now, the focus is shifting from food and drink pairings to fully-fledged translations, where the line between food and drink becomes increasingly blurred,” says Bacardi in its 2025 cocktail trends report.
Take, for example, Double Chicken Please. The New York bar - ranked in The World’s 50 Best Bars - offers imbibing takes on eatery classics. In classic menu style, serves are split into appetizers, mains and desserts. The Red Gravy Eye cocktail features TEELING Irish Whiskey, coffee butter corn, walnut, wild mushroom and coppa ham.
“Innovators aren’t just blurring the boundaries between food and drink but pushing them to extremes,” notes Bacardi. Take Funkytown in Bangkok, where cocktails are served a “funkiness” score for their complexity, and tangy, umami flavors reign supreme. Here, Som Tum – made with Bombay Sapphire gin, fish sauce caramel, som tum cordial, honeyed wine and dried shrimp – comprises all the flavors of the Thai soup classic.
Functional frontier: Protein cocktails and brothtails
In soft drinks, this year has been all about functionality. Can this trend spill over into alcohol?
Global drinks agency Sweet&Chilli sees protein cocktails and brothtails arriving on the scene.
“Cocktails that cater to modern wellness are a must on menus,” it notes. “From low ABV, to calorie conscious, to increased nutrition, drinkers are seeking indulgent and delicious food & drink that aligns to their lifestyle.
“Protein is the hero macro, and the huge range of improved formulations and flavours are a natural canvas for bartenders to play with. Think creamy, indulgent Protein Espresso Martinis or Clear Protein Isolate Margaritas.”
It’s the same story for brothtails: which take their inspiration from non-alcoholic bone broth drinks.
“The etymology of the word ‘cocktail’ is disputed - but one of the many theories put forward is that it is an evolution of the term ‘cock ale’, a heavily-spiced chicken broth featuring alcohol (wine or beer),” says Sweet&Chillli.
“With the recent rise in popularity of bone broth due to its much-hyped restorative properties, and savory cocktails trending upwards, we anticipate that serves capitalizing on this partnership of flavor and health will rise in popularity.
“The umami flavors of stock pair surprisingly well with nutty, creamy vodkas as well as the more intuitive spirit pairings of say bourbon or Scotch.”
Spicy and swicy
The popularity of the spicy flavor profile comes from across the wider food and beverage scene: with Latin and Tex-Mex overtaking Italian as America’s go-to food order. Over in the UK, supermarket Waitrose reports that 44% of shoppers now use hot sauces with everyday meals.
‘Swicy’, meanwhile, is a combination of the words ‘sweet’ and ‘spicy’: signifying a sweet heat and different profile to straight-forward spice. While many consumers are embracing spicy, some still find the flavor profile difficult to enjoy and ‘swicy’ offers a different take on the flavor. Again, its roots can be found in exotic cuisines – take, for example, Thai sweet chili or Mexican hot chocolate.
The desire for spicy and swicy ties in with a longer shift towards complex, flavor-forward profiles in beverages. And then there’s also a bonus pop of color: with vibrant red and orange garnishes offering an instantly Instagrammable drink.
Spicy has a natural fit in spirits and, in particular, cocktails: adding an extra dimension for exploration.
The classic margarita can be upgraded into a spicy margarita with the simple addition of jalapeno syrup. And tequila is ready for a kick up to the next level and a natural fit for spicy given its Mexican heritage.
Habanero, Aji Amarillo, and other Latin-inspired flavours are popular infusions for bartenders, with Italian chilli.
Pepperoncini, meanwhile, is experiencing a 53% growth in conversations in Australia.
And chilli is also a popular flavor enjoyed in various ways, with it the third fastest-growing flavor in the US (+36%).
Standing out: bold branding, retro designs
Dubbed ‘solo symbolics’ by design competition Pentawards in its trends forecast, this sees brands strip back complicated visuals and instead focus on bold, impactful designs.
“This trend has so far made a big impact across the beverages sector,” notes the report. “With re-use firmly on all of our minds, these stylish designs would also not look out of place proudly displayed in homes and reused for other purposes.”
Pentawards also identifies a trend for Art Deco style that’s carried across from interior design to the food and drink industry.
“The unmistakable striking geometric structures and opulent colors have brought a welcomed touch of glamor to the drinks sector in particular,” it notes.
Take for example the House of Gatsby by SERIESNEMO, which takes a contemporary attitude born from the roaring 1920s nostalgia. A synthesis of arches and symmetry creates an elevated experience, paired with a usage of modern and traditional materials, intricate ornamentation with geometric details, and bold contrasting colors.
Artistry also thrives in Absolut’s Andy Warhol bottle, which debuted this year.
In 1985, Andy Warhol became the first artist to create artwork based on the silhouette of Absolut’s apothecary-inspired bottle.
Now, a limited-edition bottle uses a multi-layered screen-printed design, combining both internal and external design components, bringing Warhol’s rediscovered Absolut ‘blue’ painting from 1985 to life ‘by the magnification of the Absolut Vodka within’.
Each shade of blue has been carefully extracted from the painting, put through the lens of the Absolut Vodka. The final details include an image of Warhol himself alongside his original signature.
Revolutionizing ingredients for the better
Sustainability is in the spotlight. So how can brewers, distillers and winemakers shape their practices to bring positive change to the world?
Brooklyn Brewery has taken on the mission in 2024 of promoting the West African grain fonio as a more sustainable option for brewing: teaming up with brewers from around the world including Carlsberg, Guinness and more.
Meanwhile, Deschutes Brewing and Patagonia Provisions are focusing on the potential of carbon sequestering Kernza and its role in a regenerative agriculture set-up.
Spirits, too, are are increasingly focusing on regenerative agriculture projects and upcycled ingredients.
Female spirit
Spirits – and in particular the dark spirits categories – have traditionally been consumed and led by men. But Sweet&Chilli, a global drinks agency, notices change happening.
“The figureheads of the spirit world have traditionally skewed male, but we’ve been observing a quiet revolution,” it notes.
“The proportion of female spirit consumers is growing, especially when it comes to premium products - with women willing to pay 13% more than men for the right brands.
“We’ve seen LVMH’s much-anticipated release of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter’s SirDavis whisky, Sofia Coppola & Elle Fanning’s collab for House of Suntory, and Cate Blanchett’s recent naming as creative director at Toku Saké.
“Bringing in a female lens allows for a widening of spirits reach into lifestyle - with the notable collab between architect Suchi Reddy and Mortlach which resulted in a range of homeware, including coasters that double as incense holders.”
This female front is also observed by Bacardi – a company which boasts four female maestros at the top of their game.
“The industry is waking up to the talent of skilled artisans – recognizing the influence and continued dominance of female distillers and blenders," it notes.
“Bacardi is proud to have four female Maestros shaping the future of the industry and its drinks – Stephanie Macleod, Master Blender, Dewar’s Scotch whisky; Anne Brock, Master Distiller, Bombay Sapphire gin; Nancy Duarte, Master Blender, Santa Teresa rum; and Agathe Boinot, Cellar Master, D’ussé Cognac, whose appointment made her the youngest female cellar master of the world’s major Cognac houses.
“In 2024, Macleod was named Master Blender of the Year by the International Whisky Competition for a sensational sixth consecutive time. The visibility of women at the top of drinks world is empowering the cohort industrywide.”
Exotic tastes
Hot on the heels of 2024’s sake explosion, the Asian wine market is due to explode, according to drinks design agency Sweet&Chilli in the UK.
“Chinese wines win more and more medals every year, and the low price, high flavor combo is a hard one for consumers to ignore. Big supermarkets like Sainsbury’s and Tesco have already taken up some of the more popular brands, selling Changyu’s Noble Dragon Red and Chateau Changyu Moser XV Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 respectively. This growth has been helped by the UK joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership in 2023, an Asia-Pacific trade bloc.”
The same desire for something exotic is seen in the US, where Mexican beer continues to thrive and tequila continues to boom. (The catch, of course, could be new tariffs in 2025).
From the Hugo Spritz to... what?
It’s been the summer of the spritz, and in particular the Hugo Spritz: a prosecco and elderflower drink. Google search data now puts the Hugo Spritz as the third most searched cocktail, after Pornstar Martini and Honey Deuce.
Bacardi credits the lighter, lower ABV as the reason for its success.
“Search volume for the category continues to grow year on year, with consumers now becoming more discerning with their spritz queries. Hugo Spritz searches surged 172% this year, while St-Germain Spritz rose by 52%, according to Google data in the UK, US and France.
“In Europe, the Spritz is dethroning Champagne as the drink of choice for getting together with friends, chosen by more than three quarters of respondents in Italy (77%), almost half in Germany (49%) and more than two fifths in Spain (41%), according to the Bacardi Global Consumer Survey.”
Expect the spritz to keep evolving: “As the category becomes a phenomenon in its own right – flavor experimentation and evolution are growing.”
Premium mixer brand Three Cents is already placing its bets for 2025’s summer spritz. “The Hugo has been the most notable but we’re also seeing drinks with more unconventional and complex flavors become a popular aperitivo option. In 2025 - as consumers get more adventurous - we have our eyes on a limoncello spritz becoming the go-to sundowner.”
Rethinking packaging
Spirits, wine and (to a lesser extent) beer have long been traditionally focused on glass bottles. But these are heavy, and come with associated transport emissions. And it takes a considerable amount of energy to make and recycle glass.
Expect lightweighting to be a big deal in 2025.
“While the traditional 750ml glass bottle has been the standardised receptacle for centuries, its weight (global average 550g) and its environmental impact, carbon footprint, production and handling are under continuous scrutiny and the whole industry is under pressure to bring down bottle weights for still wine,” says UK distributor Kingsland Drinks. ”Furthermore, last year, during the Sustainable Wine Round Table, an agreement was made by key UK wine retailers and supermarkets to reduce their average 750ml still wine bottle weight to less than 420g by the end of 2026.
“In 2024 there will be a considerable and visible push to make light-weighting glass bottles standard, and in turn we’ll start to see the topic of lighter bottles move into the consumer consciousness as all parties tune into the benefits; reducing the weight of the bottle just a little can have a significant impact on the wine’s carbon footprint, offer substantial energy savings, less raw material to name a few.”
Brands such as Johnnie Walker have already been pushing the boundaries and looking at how low you can go when it comes to glass bottles - coming in at just 180g for this experimental, luxury proposition.
“Lighter weight bottles are set to be become the norm, mainstream and accepted across the board as the push towards further sustainability and lower carbon emissions continues,” continues Kingsland Drinks.
“Many multiple retail chains across the UK and Europe are now specifying lighter weight bottles for wine and imposing weight limits on their suppliers.”
Beyond glass, innovators are keen to show that paper bottles can be a mass market proposition: even in categories that have traditionally been all about glass.
Paper bottle innovator Frugalpac is seeing its bottles used around the world in wine and spirits: with momentum driven by consumers who want to make sustainable choices, and companies that see they need to be able to offer them.
“The reality is that there is no need for 90% of the world’s wine to be in heavy, carbon intensive glass bottles as it’s consumed in less than a year,” explains CEO Malcolm Waugh.
“Many consumers will be unaware that glass bottles account for around 40% of wine’s carbon footprint. Switching to more sustainable lighter packaging is easy for consumers when the impact is understood. We’re already beginning to see more sustainable lighter packaging on shelves from aluminium cans, to bag in box and even bag out of box.”
Like Kingsland Drinks, Waugh believes such formats will become not just a trend but a necessity moving forward.
“A 2023 Institute of Grocery Distribution report found that a third of the total carbon impact in retail packaging comes from the beer, wine, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks category. To meet the industry’s commitment to halve the environmental impacts of their packaging systems by 2030 will require major changes.”
What next for low and no?
January is the month when the low and no category really has a chance to shine. Will 2025 be about alcohol-free beer, mocktails, low alcohol spirits or alcohol-free wine… or entirely new beverage creations?
Can edgier soft drinks such as kombucha find their place in the category and what about other tangy profiles? How big a deal is zebra-striping?
We’ve talked so much about how alcohol-free drinks need to get the taste and flavor right… but is the future of alcohol-free going to come down to which drinks offer a functional edge?
Watch this space when we’re back in January…
