COCKTAILMANAC
Your guide to today’s trends—and tomorrow’s.
Staying on top of the latest trends helps you stay on top of your game.
Trendsetters
Our network of popular, influential mixologists is teeming with innovative ideas and experiments. So we tapped into leading names to show us what’s coming up next.
Make savvier sips and craftier cocktails.
The Cocktailmanac is your source for the latest cocktail trends, modern mixology techniques, and craft cocktail inspiration, shaping how we drink today. We explore the flavors, formats, and creative movements defining today’s cocktail culture—where innovation meets artistry behind the bar. As cocktail trends continue to evolve, bartenders and brands are blending culinary techniques, craft spirits, global influences, and sustainable practices to create elevated drinking experiences. From inventive garnishes and immersive presentation to bold textures and reimagined classic cocktails, modern mixology is pushing boundaries with intention and creativity.
These aren’t short-term cocktail fads—they’re shaping the future of cocktail menus and bar programs worldwide. The Cocktailmanac spotlights the bartenders, spirits, and ideas leading the next era of craft cocktails, helping professionals and enthusiasts stay ahead of what’s trending in mixology.
Multi-Textured
The new frontier of mixology is texture. Where cocktails were once judged solely by flavor and balance, today’s bartenders are exploring how a drink feels just as much as how it tastes. Techniques like milk clarification, foams, gels, fat-washing, custom ice, and layered sip-evolution create cocktails that shift and transform as you enjoy them. These textural elements add dimension, prolong flavor, and give bartenders a new way to tell stories in the glass. Guests are no longer just sipping. They’re experiencing a sequence of sensations, from airy foam to velvety washes to crisp, clarified finishes.
This trend also aligns with the experience-driven culture of modern drinking. Multi-textured cocktails are inherently memorable, Instagrammable, and conversation-starting, while giving bars the chance to showcase craftsmanship and elevate familiar formats. Whether it’s a cloud-like topping that melts into the drink or a layered serve that evolves over time, texture-driven cocktails invite guests to slow down, savor, and appreciate the craft behind the bar.
Highbrow / Lowbrow
The highbrow/lowbrow movement embraces a playful duality: elevating beloved “guilty pleasure” drinks with premium spirits, thoughtful technique, and culinary precision. Think of it as nostalgia with nuance. These are the drinks from our college (21+) days, reimagined for modern palates. Bartenders are reclaiming classics like Long Islands, and sugary tropicals by rebuilding them from the ground up with clarified citrus, housemade syrups, and quality spirits. The result is a genre of cocktails that are both disarming and impressive. Cocktails that are fun to drink, but serious in construction.
This trend resonates because it bridges comfort and craft. Guests feel instantly connected to flavors they recognize yet delighted by the elevated versions that bars bring to the table. For bartenders, highbrow/lowbrow serves are opportunities to express creativity while keeping drinks approachable. For venues, they offer menu items that feel familiar and exciting at the same time. It’s truly the perfect blend for 2026’s curious, playful, experience-seeking drinker.
Culinary
Cocktails are increasingly reflecting the diversity and creativity of the culinary world. Global ingredients, techniques, and flavor combinations are showing up in modern cocktail programs: Japanese yuzu and shiso, Mexican aguachile bases, Caribbean cacao, Nordic herbs, Southeast Asian teas, Middle Eastern spices, and more. These influences expand the bartender’s pantry and allow drinks to express terroir and culture in new and meaningful ways. The boundary between kitchen and bar continues to blur, creating dynamic cocktails that feel layered, unexpected, and deeply flavorful.
This trend aligns with a broader shift toward intentional, cultural storytelling in hospitality. Guests are more curious and adventurous than ever, eager to try drinks that challenge traditional expectations and introduce them to new ingredients. By incorporating global traditions, whether through infusion, fresh juicing, spice blends, or culinary broths, bartenders are elevating cocktails into thoughtful explorations of flavor. It’s world travel in a glass, crafted with technique and respect.
Theatrical Garnishes
Showmanship is back in the cocktail world, and garnishes are becoming full-blown performances. From vapor bubbles that burst with aroma to glittering luster-dust martinis, jello-shot citrus wedges, and floating cotton-candy clouds, bartenders are transforming garnishes into sensory events. These touches don’t just decorate a drink — they activate sight, sound, aroma, and even touch, pulling guests into the experience the moment the cocktail hits the table.
Driven by the rise of social media and the demand for cocktails that deliver a moment of theater, a well-executed garnish can turn a simple build into a signature serve, creating instant shareability and brand identity. Bars that embrace theatrical garnishes stand out in a crowded market, offering guests something memorable long after the last sip. Spectacle isn’t gimmick anymore — it’s part of the craft.
Split-Base
Split-base cocktails are redefining how bartenders build structure, complexity, and depth. Instead of relying on a single spirit as the foundation, bartenders strategically blend two (or more) base spirits to create flavors that wouldn’t be possible otherwise. Pairings like bourbon and amaretto, gin and vodka, mezcal and tequila, or Scotch and shochu allow for delicate balancing acts: smoky yet bright, earthy yet crisp, rich yet lifted. The technique gives cocktails a layered backbone, allowing them to evolve across sips.
What makes this trend so compelling is its flexibility. Split base cocktails give bartenders a new creative lever. Think of it as a way to modernize classics without reinventing the wheel, or build entirely new profiles from the ground up. Guests experience drinks with more nuance and intrigue, noticing shifts in character as the spirits interact. In a world where innovation is key to standing out, split-base cocktails offer endless opportunities to craft deeply expressive, multidimensional serves.
Sustainable Sips
Sustainability in cocktails has moved far beyond a buzzword — it’s become a core philosophy in leading bar programs, and rightfully so. Zero-waste techniques like upcycling citrus peels into cordials, dehydrating produce scraps for garnishes, reusing spent botanicals, and incorporating ingredients that would otherwise be discarded are helping bartenders reduce waste while unlocking exciting new flavors. These methods don’t just benefit the planet; they enhance creativity and expand what’s possible behind the bar.
Today’s drinkers want to feel good about what they order, and sustainable cocktails offer both exceptional flavor and a compelling story. By highlighting eco-friendly practices, bars signal craftsmanship, responsibility, and innovation. These drinks are vibrant, efficient to produce, and cost-effective — a combination that sets operators up for long-term success. Sustainability isn’t a limitation; it’s one of the most inspiring avenues for creativity in modern mixology.
About Phillips Distilling
As one of the most innovative and enduring producers of distilled spirits in America, Phillips Distilling Company creates products for a variety of occasions and tastes. Beloved by consumers, our leading brands represent our passion for quality and craftsmanship.
