What Cocktail, Wine and Spirit Trends Should Go in 2025?

Not all of this year’s drink trends—which included late-night Bloody Marys, Hot Dog Martinis and bars that boast their sound systems, laid-back attitudes or cool wine bar aesthetics—have what it takes to persevere into 2025. Which ones have true staying power? We asked a handful of experts for their takes. Here’s what they had to say.

The brunch staple is appearing on nighttime cocktail bar menus.

Rachel: Bloody Marys are extremely good. It’s frustrating, if you’re not a brunch person—as I am not—that you generally don’t get to drink them. Stay.

Jaya: More savory drink options at all times of the day!

Sarah: It’s the perfect savory aperitif to have with oysters or pâté.

Ramsey: Stay. Bloody Marys are kind of the perfect thing for a night out when you are in-between meals or spots with nosh.

Chloe: There’s no reason the Bloody Mary can’t break free from brunch, but I only want it if it’s also free from chunks of horseradish. A drink should never be chunky, imo.

David: Go. I vote that Bloody Marys become mini cocktails moving forward. Why are we drinking a pint of boozy tomato juice garnished with a chicken wing? 

Verdict: Stay

You know it when you see it: not-quite dive bars, not-quite fancy cocktail bars—the laid-back venues serving the classics and a beer-and-a-shot or two that popped up all over the country this year.

Chloe: I love a good bar that is not trying to be anything other than a good bar, but the quality really has to be there to work. If the drinks aren’t executed well, it instantly becomes mediocre.

David: Is this even a question? Maybe it’s a “regular” bar to you, but to me, it is a quintessential way to ensure that guests have an experience that feels safe, familiar and reliable. I vote that we get more of these bars.

Sarah: I love a regular bar. They aren’t trying to be anything, which is so refreshing and the drinks are usually really affordable and great. Hardcore stay.

Jaya: This is the only kind of bar I ever want to drink at. However, there is a caveat that a regular bar can’t be self-consciously regular. “Regular” is not a theme, it’s an ethos. Do not get twee about how normal you are, or you’ll ruin it.

Rachel: I like a place that is better than it has any right to be. The only caveat here is price: A laid-back “regular” bar that is priced exactly like an “event” bar is, for my purposes, kind of a bummer. 

Verdict: Stay, with some caveats

A beer-and-shot combo is nothing new. But boilermakers are now a part of cocktail menus (sometimes getting their own menu section), and often, the combination is as thought-out as the cocktails. 

Rachel: I do not have the alcohol tolerance for two drinks at a time.

Sarah: I love it. Never stop the boilermaker.

David: Love. This is for the non-cocktail drinker—the unsure yet curious. Boilermakers and handshakes are the way to entice a different crowd to dive into your cocktail bar. And for industry folks, it’s fab to have an option that isn’t a complex and nuanced riff on a Negroni.

Chloe: I’m generally not one for “pairings,” but I do love a good boilermaker. As someone who tends to have at least three drinks on the go at once, it works for me. Plus, it can be a nice distillation of a bar’s ethos and creativity.

Jaya: A boilermaker has never been my order, so I’m happy to let this one go.

Ramsey: I don’t know. I just don’t think they are that serious and they tend to be too gimmicky… If you love boilermakers [and have one on the menu], that better be the weirdest pairing (that works) that I have ever had. 

Verdict: Stay

Have you noticed that seemingly every city has a new bar with a heavy focus on its sound system? 

Mary: Was there a nationwide sale on speakers this year? It’s too much. The ones that are here can stay, but I think we’ve surpassed the need for new ones.

Ramsey: They can stay, but y’all better learn how to actually do this style of bar. As a vinyl DJ, there is nothing more disappointing than going to a “hi-fi” bar to just see a Pioneer mixer or an iPhone plugged in with a pair of Technics collecting dust.

Sarah: Go. I want to go have a drink, not go to a show. Also my drink is probably more expensive because that system is so expensive.

David: Stay. Music is fun—as long as it has Beyoncé on the playlist. Play her loudly and proudly.

Chloe: In my experience, many of the bars jumping on the hi-fi bandwagon are putting style over substance. The redeeming quality of this trend, however, would be more bars caring about the acoustics of their spaces. I’m tired of shouting.

Jaya: I mean, fine. I have no problem with this. Just don’t spend an hour explaining the specs to me.

Rachel: I feel guilty. I feel like an enemy of the arts. I respect the audio industry. I am related to at least one acoustical engineer! But: I do not care about the sound system of a bar, at all. It is lost on me. I would be fine with a boombox from eBay. All I want is to talk to my friends and have it not be weird.

Verdict: Go

Traditional Czech-style pours, served with a large head of foam on top, are making a splash at American taprooms. 

David: Go. So stupid.

Chloe: Beer foam > cocktail foam. I’m here for it.

Mary: I’m actually siding with cocktail foam on this one…

Rachel: “Creamy” is not a word or sensation I’d like to associate with beer.

Sarah: Stay. I’ll take a foam from a beer any day.

Jaya: Go. If it’s served with a side of Gas-X, sure.

Verdict: Go

It’s not just for Martinis anymore. Dirty Negronis, highballs and more are popping up, too.

Jaya: Go. I know I said more savory options before, but a girl can contain multitudes. A highball should be refreshing, not bubbly pickle juice.

Sarah: Our palates are blown out. Enough!

Ramsey: I love savory, so as long as it is done right and it doesn’t just taste like the olive brine in the jar in the back of the fridge, hell yeah. Stay.

David: I can’t. People, please. Dirty this, sloppy that. Just enjoy the drink, as is.

Mary: No thanks.

Verdict: Go

These are the anything-goes kinds of spaces, where DJs, food pop-ups, wine takeovers (or all three) take place on any given night. 

Ramsey: Stay. Let people have fun, especially if [wine bars] are typically thought of as not fun. Wine shouldn’t be pretentious or boring. Viticulture is so cool—why not let the spaces for it be just as cool and fun?

Jaya: Go. A theme night or pop-up every once in a while is fine, but I like knowing what I’m getting into when I go to a bar. If I show up thinking I’m going to be relaxing at a wine bar and there’s a DJ? Or the menu is—surprise!—completely different every night of the week? That’s exhausting.

Mary: These bars are supporting a lot of interesting food pop-ups from people underrepresented in the industry, and I like that.

Rachel: I like these places! Keep them. For social reasons, it’s nice to have an establishment where people caneat but don’t have to eat, and it’s also quite nice to feel as though you are on vacation in Spain. However, I will say, somewhat cautiously, that I think we have reached a saturation point, and we do not need any more of these places.

David: Stay. Wine, food and DJs on any given night sounds like the perfect recipe for a good time. I would never question the joy of this combo.

Verdict: Stay

This year, luxury ice prompted lots of conversation. 

Sarah: Fancy ice for life. I love it.

Ramsey: I mean, I get it—ice is such an important part of the finished product. But we also kind of need to start looking at the cost to the planet and the emissions used for this. Go.

Rachel: I am willing to sacrifice the absolute best ice for the continued (maybe) existence of polar ice caps.

Chloe: As much as I love nice things, I’m willing to let this one go for the gr good.

David: Shop local. There are so many local ice companies…

Mary: Go, and leave the icebergs where they are, please.

Verdict: Go

The N/A not-quite-beer, not-quite-seltzer is taking over.

Jaya: I’m all for more N/A options to be available so everyone can drink what they want, even if I don’t think I’ll ever go for this particular option.

Mary: I don’t reach for them, but I like that we have another ingredient to play with in N/A cocktails.

Ramsey: I have no business saying a nonalc option should go. I think adding to the flavor offerings for nondrinkers is paramount.

Chloe: In the torrent of new nonalcoholic products, hop water is among the least offensive from a taste and price POV. Fine by me. 

Verdict: Stay

A perfectly round citrus coin, a cleaved cherry, a circular jelly cutout perched atop a cube of ice—the geometric garnish style was everywhere this year. 

David: Hell yes. More precision and sharpness is always sleek and sexy. I love seeing more effort being put into how we present our drinks.

Chloe: An aromatic citrus coin on a large rock makes perfect sense to me. A half-grape or cherry tomato? Makes less sense, but as long as it’s not hitting me in the face with every sip, I’m fine with it.

Jaya: If the bartender feels like spending their one wild and precious life meticulously carving lemon rinds, who am I to stop them?

Sarah: Every 50 Best bar has these—is it actually adding anything to the drink other than an Instagram photo? I say go. 

Verdict: Stay

From the Super Vino Bros to Hannah Crosbie, wine education and criticism are becoming more online than ever.

Jaya: What happens on TikTok is none of my business, but I’m sure whatever these people are doing will trickle down into wine menus and I’ll eventually benefit, so good for them.

Ramsey: I think in general, influencers are kind of silly when it comes to stuff like wine, spirits and cocktails. Like, I can’t get a lot of the stuff they are talking about. I love fresh voices shaping the culture and moving the culture forward. I just think global influence is a funny thing when terroir, local produce availability, etc. are involved.

Chloe: Maybe try reading a book instead? Go.

David: Go. Make your own decisions. No need to watch TikTok to decide if the bodega wine you suddenly feel guilty about purchasing is actually worth it or not. Just try everything.

Verdict: Go

Between “Chicken Soup Margaritas” and “Al Pastor Daiquiris,” cocktail lists are reading more and more like dinner menus.

Rachel: This is exhausting and encourages annoying one-upsmanship, where every cocktail is more aggressively savory than the last one, and soon you’re drinking liquified pork tenderloin.

Sarah: For the love of god, GO. Just serve me an actual hot dog and cold gin and I’ll be happy.

Ramsey: [This trend is about] breaking down nostalgic flavors and creating new experiences. I have yet to see a hot dog Martini with actual hot dogs in it. It is all about nostalgia and taking this less seriously. So, stay, because I think a lot of people need to hear that.

Chloe: The food-as-drink trend has become a crutch and a hindrance to any other avenues of creativity. Even when a drink “succeeds” in tasting like a food, it’s not something I’ll ever crave. I don’t want to drink my BLT.

David: Go, because we don’t need to try so hard to make cocktails weirder and grosser. Hot dog water, pasta water and nitrogenized beef broth do not belong in cocktails.

Verdict: Go