Key trends for boosting cocktail sales in 2026

Insights from the seventh annual Bacardi Cocktail Trends Report revealed consumers are increasingly seeking connection, with pubs well placed to capitalise on this trend.

The report highlighted growing demand for “third spaces” - venues that sit outside of work and home but where guests feel they genuinely belong.

This trend is particularly important to younger drinkers, who are actively choosing outlets that offer shared experiences rather than purely transactional visits.

In the UK, 41.6% of Gen Z and 44.8% of Millennials said they were drawn to venues offering social experiences, compared with just 26.2% of those aged 60 and over.

Repeat visits

Activities such as quiz or trivia nights, board games, bingo, live music, karaoke and singalongs were identified as key drivers of footfall, dwell time, increased spend per head and repeat visits.

Bacardi’s on-trade excellence director Lauren Mote told The Morning Advertiser (The MA) pubs are uniquely positioned to respond to this shift.

“The UK culture invented this trend. 84% of consumers say technology has made their social interactions feel less personal, it’s not that technology is bad, we just need to adapt to this new normal,” she said.

“We want to get more bums on seats, more people spending longer periods of time in establishments, and the way to do that is to create more analogue moments where they can

Mote added curated experiences offer operators an amazing opportunity to exceed guest expectations.

She continued: “Maybe they thought they were coming in just to have a catch up with a friend and a drink and all of a sudden, they’ve been hit with incredible activities that are entertaining and delighting them in ways they hadn’t even thought about.”

More intentional

Among Gen Z, 34.1% plan to enjoy more early evening drinks in 2026 compared with 2025, rising to 39% of Millennials, compared with just 8.9% of consumers aged 60-plus. The trend is strongest in London (35.3%) and the North East (34%).

This shift is driving demand for longer, lighter serves, with spritz cocktails standing out. Gen Z ranks the spritz as its number one cocktail for 2026, with 38.9% preferring to enjoy one at lunch, compared with 24.6% of over-60s.

The report also noted almost half of Gen Z Brits would rather finish a meal with an espresso martini than an espresso, while ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails continue to resonate with this demographic.

Mote said: “Pubs are staples in the community and are typically open all day…your local pub will always be able to support you and that is pretty cool.

“We originally thought Gen Z weren’t drinking, but that’s not the case…they’re just drinking differently and being more intentional with where they’re going and when.”