Umami-Rich Flavours, Spirit-Foccused Bars & More: The Alco-Bev Trends That Will Rule 2026

The past year saw significant shifts across the alco-bev landscape. Tequila and agave spirits had a major moment, with Picantes dominating cocktail menus across the country. Low-ABV and zero-proof drinks continued their upward climb, while bars increasingly turned to regional Indian ingredients for inspiration. Pre-batched cocktails became the norm, and mixologists experimented with unexpected elements like meat, seafood, and even insects.

Looking ahead, health-conscious drinking is set to remain in focus, alongside the rise of savoury cocktails and a renewed preference for spirit-forward drinks. I personally believe there’s also a growing return to the classics, as spirit enthusiasts are gravitating back to the OGs like the Martini, Negroni, and Old Fashioned. 

Ahead, industry experts share their predictions for the biggest alco-bev trends that will define 2026.

Yangdup Lama, Co-Founder, India Bartender Show

Cocktails Will Increasingly Reflect Their Origins

Bartenders will lean into regional stories, local traditions, and native ingredients, turning drinks into cultural narratives. Expect flavours inspired by local produce, heritage techniques, and terroir-driven ingredients. Cocktails will be more rooted, authentic, and deeply personal rather than generic and global.

Sweet And Sour Are Out; Umami-Rich, Savoury, And Spice-Forward Profiles Are In 

Ingredients such as fermented elements, mushrooms, kukum, curry leaves, chilli oils, black pepper, and warm spices will add depth and complexity. These layered flavours will appeal to more adventurous palates seeking structure, balance, and culinary crossover in their drinks.

Local And Indigenous Spirits Will Gain Visibility And Influence

Small producers will pave the way, spotlighting native grains, botanicals, and ancestral distillation methods. These spirits may not yet be mainstream, but they’ll serve as powerful cocktail bases offering bartenders new tools for storytelling, sustainability, and cultural preservation, and setting the stage for long-term growth.

Shatbhi Basu, Bar Consultant, Houdini 

Bold yet elegant drinks that bring a twinkle to the eye and a smile to the palate. Tequila and mezcal will continue to please. Mahua and rum will sneak in to play. I’m hoping vodka will make a comeback, with some really cool liquids on offer. Whisky from across the globe will stay strong.

Coffee will still play favourites – the Espresso Martini is here to stay. As will the Negroni, though they will definitely evolve and be seen in new avatars. I’m rooting for a renewed interest in wine, as there are so many layers of happy opportunities there.

Pankaj Balachandran, Co-Founder And CEO, Countertop India 

Radical Simplification 

This momentum is already real. Fewer ingredients, cleaner builds, sharper flavours. Bartenders are moving away from complexity-for-complexity’s sake and focusing on drinks that are instantly understandable and emotionally familiar, yet technically precise. In 2026, simplicity will be seen as confidence, drinks that are easy to order, easy to repeat, and hard to mess up.

Low-ABV, High Drinkability Formats

Low-ABV is no longer a compromise; it’s a choice. Easy highballs, spritz-style drinks, session cocktails, and long serves will rise because people want to drink longer, feel better, and stay social without overindulging. These drinks are also highly adaptable to local ingredients and climates, making them perfect for bars that care about pace, hospitality, and repeat visits rather than one-and-done experiences. 

Vikram Achanta, Founder & CEO of Tulleeho, and Co-Founder of 30BestBarsIndia and India Bartender Show

Casual Wine Spots

Wine is starting to feel a lot less formal. Casual wine bars are making the category more approachable and accessible by offering wine by the glass, paired with simple food. That ease is bringing a lot more people into wine who might otherwise have stayed away.

Immersive Tasting Formats Within Bars

More bars are creating small, focused tasting rooms or lab-style spaces within the main bar. Formats like The Bunker at Una Hacienda or The Director’s Room at PCO Delhi work because they slow the experience down and put technique and personalisation ahead of volume. You’re not drinking more, you’re understanding more.

Spirit-Focused Bars

Spirit-led bars are growing because people are happier spending time with one category now. Bars like Bar Outrigger, Quinta Cantina, Bandra Born or Margaret’s Eye let guests explore a spirit in different formats without jumping all over the menu. That depth makes experimentation feel natural rather than intimidating.

Shahrom Oshtori, Co-Founder, Sixteen33

The Picante Gets A Makeover

First, I genuinely believe Picante is going to boom in 2026. While many people are going slightly anti-spicy right now, I’m seeing a major shift in flavour preferences where Picante, as a drink, is becoming more about technique and balance rather than just heat. It’s already one of the most popular cocktails, and I think its popularity will only increase with time this year.

As more people start caring about balance, cleaner ingredients, and drinks they can actually enjoy, the Picante is moving far beyond its old nuance of “let’s see how hot this gets” to “what can I couple this drink with?” Today, it’s less about shock value and more about smart technique. Bartenders are working with better chilli infusions, clarified citrus, and smoother tequila or mezcal bases, so the heat feels integrated instead of aggressive. 

You’ll even see playful, fruit-forward twists popping up like coconut Picantes that feel almost tropical, or guava Picantes that balance sweetness with that familiar kick. The result? A drink that’s spicy but also layered, refreshing, and surprisingly easy to sip.

The Negroni’s Gender-Neutral Comeback

The Negroni’s return isn’t just about nostalgia anymore, but it reflects changing perceptions around who drinks what. Once considered a larger strong, masculine cocktail, the Negroni is now being embraced by more female groups than before who prefer bold, bitter, spirit-forward drinks rather than sweeter-toned cocktails. This shift is influencing menu design, bar storytelling, and even glassware and service styles. The modern Negroni drinker is less about stereotypes but more about confidence and layering of flavour, making the cocktail a symbol of a more gender-neutral drinking culture.

Community First Drinking

A trend that is now emerging is also community drinking, where people like to mingle while they drink. It’s about familiarity and spaces that feel less like a night out and more like coming home. Intimate rooms naturally encourage conversation, where guests don’t just sit with their own groups but begin to engage with those around them. Over time, this builds a culture of like-minded people sharing stories, music, and moments, turning a bar into a social living room of sorts. It’s easy, unpretentious, and deeply human, and that will become a new trend in 2026 as well. In cities craving genuine connection over high-decibel nightlife, these spaces are becoming modern community hubs rather than just places to drink.

Fay Barretto, Director of Bar - DU Hospitality

Tea Theory

Tea is emerging as an exciting and experimental ingredient behind the bar. Bartenders are exploring their use in brines, ferments, wines, and infusions, brewing traditional rice teas, experimenting with regional varieties, and incorporating them into cocktails. At Gigi Ferries Landing, the use of Lapsang Souchong highlights this potential. While still niche, tea-based techniques clearly have room to grow.

Natural and House-Made Sodas

As consumers become more ingredient-conscious, there is a growing interest in naturally flavoured, house-made sodas. These offer freshness, transparency, and versatility, working just as well in low-ABV and zero-proof cocktails as they do in classic highballs.

Bringing Whisky Back

While tequila continues to dominate global trends, whisky is poised for a strong resurgence. Its versatility across styles and regions makes it ripe for reinvention in cocktails. Murakami’s Mirage from Gigi Boats highlights this revival, presenting a wide spectrum of whisky-based cocktails that appeal to both traditionalists and modern drinkers.

Rehan Guha, Founder, Oxymorons

Less About Excess, More About Intention

There’s a clear fatigue around overbuilt cocktails — guests are responding to clarity, confidence, and letting one flavour lead without apology. Drinks don’t need defending anymore. When a flavour arrives clearly and stays present, people trust it. Clarity is the new luxury. An example of this on our menu would be Random Order with banana, soy, Okinawa sugar, and dark rum. It sounds wrong, but tastes like pure magic!

Shift From Rare Ingredients To Emotional Familiarity

Post-pandemic sophistication isn’t about showing off, it’s about flavours that feel personal. Broth, masala, tropical fruits, and dairy textures: these trigger memory, comfort, and cultural nostalgia. In 2026, nostalgia isn’t casual; it’s curated. For instance, our cocktail Loud Whisper is where vodka meets WAI WAI masala along with chicken broth. It takes me back to my hostel days!

Texture Is As Important As Flavour

Foam, fat-washing, oils, dairy, air — these are moving from novelty to intention. The question is no longer ‘what does this taste like?’ but ‘how does it feel?’ Creamy, oily, airy, and silky textures change how a drink is remembered and make even challenging flavours feel approachable. Our Passive Aggressive cocktail has vodka with an avocado-jalapeño cheese cordial, finished with a guac-topped cheese cracker. It’s creamy and very cheeky.

Rohit Hegde, Partner at The Daily, Tsuki, The Second House, Cafe Lento

Modern Techniques, Quiet Aesthetics

Advanced methods such as milk clarification, fat-washing, infusions, carbonation, and batching are now essential tools behind the bar. However, their application is becoming more intentional. Technique is no longer about spectacle; it exists only to improve mouthfeel, balance, and consistency.

Cocktails may appear minimal, but they are built with precision and polish, following a clear less-is-more philosophy.

The trend is emerging due to two reasons. One, consumers are prioritising taste and texture over theatrics, and two, high-volume, premium bars are focusing on speed, efficiency, and consistency.