Top Bar Trends for 2026
Last updated on Sep 18, 2025Corrinn McCauleyFrom enjoying a craft beer and playing cornhole at a brewery to dressing up and sipping a craft cocktail for a celebratory night on the town, the diverse types of bars in our communities help people build connections and create memories. While consumers' desire for socialization and recreation remains the same, the flavors and experiences they crave are evolving. Gen Z is choosing to drink less or avoid alcohol altogether. Bar operators should see this not as a problem, but as an opportunity to evolve and update their menus and bar supplies. From the sober renaissance to trending flavors and glassware, get ahead of the bar trends coming in 2026.
Functional Garnishes
Functional cocktail garnishes not only enhance the visual appeal of cocktails but also contribute unique flavors and textures that complement the overall flavor. Sensational options like buzz button flowers add a citrusy flavor and aroma, along with an electrifying, effervescent sensation and slight numbing effect when consumed. The delicate leaves of oyster plants provide an elegant aesthetic to dry martinis and impart a subtle briny note that enhances their savory undertones. Bartenders are opting for dried fruit garnishes for a shelf-stable option that adds a sweet touch. Edible hibiscus flowers in syrup offer a floral twist with hints of berry and rhubarb for a visually and flavorfully memorable experience. Lotus root, with its natural, mesmerizing pattern, is a standout addition to cocktails.
Crafted Ice
More than just a chilling tool, cocktail ice affects dilution rate, serving temperature, and visual presentation, making it the foundation of exceptional drinks. From the theatrical touch of a dry ice cocktail to the infusion of flavors with fruit and herb ice cubes, bars are pushing the boundaries of traditional ice service. Expect craft cocktails served inside stunning hollow ice spheres in 2026, adding a touch of sophistication and whimsy to the drinking experience. Ice embossed with logos or designs adds a personalized touch to drinks; think ice decorated with a honeycomb pattern for a Bee's Knees cocktail. Alternatively, imprinting your logo onto ice can become an integral part of your bar’s branding efforts, advertising your bar when customers post photos of your drinks on social media.
Botanical Flavors
In 2026, botanical flavors will dominate the bar scene, with elderflower emerging as the flavor of the year. The elderflower-based liqueur, Hugo Spritz, gained significant traction, amassing 290 million views on TikTok last year, and renowned figures like Sophia Turner have embraced this trend, collaborating with St Germain. From elderflower liqueur to elderflower syrup and elderflower-infused gin, this floral and fragrant note adds a sophisticated touch to cocktails like our limoncello spritz recipe. Additionally, other emerging botanicals like fennel, mint, lavender, Grains of Paradise, and orris root are also gaining popularity for their unique and aromatic profiles.
Savory Flavors
Mixologists are turning to unconventional ingredients and techniques to infuse cocktails with rich, umami-packed profiles. One technique that has gained popularity is fat washing, infusing spirits with fats such as bacon, butter, or olive oil to impart a velvety texture and a complex flavor profile. Pickle juice, once relegated to the realm of hangover cures, has been reimagined as a cocktail ingredient that brings a tangy, briny element to drinks. For those looking to add a spicy kick to their cocktails, serrano chiles and pepperoncini brine are becoming popular choices. Miso, a traditional Japanese seasoning made from fermented soybeans, adds a savory, earthy note to cocktails.
Sober Renaissance
The hashtag #Sobertok has gained a significant following with 345.2k posts, showcasing the strong online engagement amongst those exploring sober living. The sober lifestyle trend offers bar owners a unique opportunity to serve a growing segment of consumers who opt not to drink alcohol. To appeal to this demographic, bars can offer a variety of non-alcoholic options such as mocktails, zero-proof drinks, hop water, CBD-infused drinks, and kava beverages to attract customers seeking flavorful and sophisticated alcohol-free drinks. Hosting events like trivia nights, salsa dancing lessons, or karaoke creates a community aspect that is appealing to both drinkers and non-drinkers. Games like shuffleboard, Jenga, or ladder toss can also help foster a social environment.
Adaptogen Drinks
In 2026, bars can cater to a health-conscious clientele by offering mocktails infused with adaptogens. Adaptogens, such as ashwagandha, Schisandra Berry, ginseng, and Rhodiola, are natural substances that help the body adapt to stress and promote overall well-being. Bars can either create their own mocktails by pairing adaptogens with other healthful ingredients like teas, kombucha, and coconut water. If bar operators don't want to develop their own recipes, they can stock ready-to-drink (RTD) adaptogenic mocktails that are offered by many reputable brands. This makes it easy for bars to stay on-trend with the latest bar offerings. Not just for mocktails, you can incorporate these healthful ingredients into your craft cocktails, particularly already trendy drinks like our matcha gin fizz recipe.
Colored Glassware
As consumer and FDA demands eliminate food colorings, bars are turning to colored glassware as a creative way to tint their cocktails without using artificial food dyes. Blue glassware enhances tropical blue curacao drinks, while green glassware complements grasshopper and Midori-based cocktails. Another trend driving colored glassware is consumers' desire for “dopamine colors”, aka hues known to elicit positive emotions and a feeling of excitement and pleasure. Ranging from vibrant oranges and confident reds to joyful yellows and fresh greens, dopamine colored glassware creates a vivacious atmosphere. A revival of Tiki culture, driven by a growing desire for craft cocktails, fruit-forward flavors, and nostalgia, will bring colorful tiki glasses back into play.
Vintage Glassware
Bars are rediscovering the charm and sophistication vintage glassware brings to their drink presentations. Dimensional patterns, such as hobnail and cut glass designs, offer unique textures that add a touch of old-world elegance and provide tactile experiences for customers. While these patterns were once developed by hand-cutting the glass, modern manufacturing has automated this process, making intricately cut glassware more accessible. Another sought-after vintage glass style making a comeback is the coup glass. Originally crafted for champagne, coup glasses are being used in place of traditional martini glasses both for their vintage appeal and their practical benefits. The coupe's wider bowl and shorter stem make it less prone to breakage, helping reduce glassware replacements.
Now that you know what trends will be shaping the nightlife industry in 2026, integrate them into your business to attract and retain customers. Trendy is great; safe and supportive are even better. Check out our resource on angel shots to protect your customers and our guide to mental health in the hospitality industry to support your staff as they work long hours with high exposure to addictive substances.
