\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n This year\u2019s drink trends run the gamut, from debatably unhinged (<\/span>giant Martinis<\/span><\/a> served with a dozen olives and straws) to extremely <\/span>controversial<\/span><\/a> (cocktail bars <\/span>operating without ice<\/span><\/a>). Will these new developments continue on into 2026, or will they remain a blip? To find out, I asked a handful of experts for their takes. Here\u2019s what they had to say.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n Some say<\/span><\/a> the classic glass is out, and bartenders are opting for alternatives.<\/span><\/p>\n Brian Evans<\/b> is the director of bars for <\/span>Sunday Hospitality Group<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Kenzo Han<\/b> is the bar director of <\/span>Firstborn<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Jesse Hedberg<\/b> is the owner of <\/span>Club Frills<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Ben Hopkins-Prager<\/b> is the beverage director of <\/span>Pitt\u2019s<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Agi\u2019s Counter<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Courtney Iseman<\/b> is a <\/span>freelance drinks writer<\/span><\/a> and Punch contributor.<\/span><\/p>\n Emma Janzen<\/b> is a journalist and co-author of the upcoming book <\/span>The Classic Cocktail Sessions<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Kathryn \u201cPepper\u201d Stashek<\/b> is the creative bartender at <\/span>Kabawa<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Bar Kabawa<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Ben:<\/b> Nick & Noras are the essential Manhattan glass. Frankly, do not serve me a Manhattan in another glass.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jesse:<\/b> Nick & Noras are definitely a little boring at this point but are fine for a classic stirred, brown spirit cocktail. Don\u2019t you dare put a Martini in a Nick & Nora though! Thank god the <\/span>V-Glass<\/span><\/a> made a comeback.<\/span><\/p>\n Courtney:<\/b> Nick & Noras, in my opinion, combine the best elements of other glassware options.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Kenzo: <\/b>I\u2019m always more interested in new shapes and designs. I never like flashy garnishes for cocktails, but a beautiful and unexpected glass is always nice.<\/span><\/p>\n Brian: <\/b>Certain glassware icons never go out of style, but the Instagram Hive Mind of cocktail porn could always use a refreshing face.<\/span><\/p>\n Emma:<\/b> The Nick & Nora is the sexiest glass on earth. I\u2019m a fan of any and all versions of the vessel.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n The move<\/span><\/a> where bartenders transfer your half-consumed Martini into a fresh, frosted glass is everywhere from Hillstone to cocktail bars in Chicago, New York City and beyond.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jesse:<\/b> I think this trend is a little silly honestly, but it shows commitment to hospitality and attention to the guest experience. If your bartender is being that attentive to the guests\u2019 needs, I\u2019m all for it!<\/span><\/p>\n Courtney:<\/b> More of this, please. It\u2019s the kind of personalized, above-and-beyond service that seems like a natural fit with our sophisticated, often very pricey Martinis. My husband makes a mean Martini and has started doing the \u201crefrost\u201d for me at home.<\/span><\/p>\n Brian: <\/b>It\u2019s the ultimate warm hug of hospitality, in chilled drink form.<\/span><\/p>\n Emma:<\/b> I\u2019m on the fence about this one because a warm Martini is a shitty Martini, so anything that can be done to prolong an icy chill is a good thing. When executed without fanfare, it can be a nice gesture of hospitality. That said, the sustainability-minded part of me gets irritated at the thought of the bar having to wash two glasses for one cocktail. I\u2019m going to say this should stay, but bonus points for programs where the bartender asks if the refresh is something I\u2019d like for them to do or not. I want the choice.<\/span><\/p>\n Ben:<\/b> A Martini has never seen me long enough for this to be necessary, but a lot of my guests at Pitt\u2019s are more patient, and this touch is always a nice one.<\/span><\/p>\n Pepper: <\/b>I\u2019m open to being persuaded that this is a superior method to a sidecar in a dish of crushed ice, but so far no one has been able to make a convincing case to me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Kenzo:<\/b> As someone who works at a bar that A) doesn\u2019t have sidecars, B) has a glass freezer, and C) isn\u2019t the most chatty and outgoing bartender, this is literally my favorite service step.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n Obviously the bar takeover isn\u2019t new, but it’s reached a fever pitch that <\/span>some argue is overdone<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Pepper:<\/b> I\u2019ve done pop-ups in the past and I\u2019ll do more in the future, but for me they\u2019re largely about having fun and getting a chance to work alongside friends than they are about promoting myself, my bar, or my brand. That being said, they can be time-consuming, and there is a pressure to go to all kinds of different pop-ups and events to network and stay relevant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Jesse:<\/b> Bar takeovers are fun. It\u2019s a great way to share your brand, and it mixes things up for your regular customers. Also the drinks are usually priced affordably because there is often brand support involved.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Courtney: <\/b>Ninety-five percent of the time, I don’t get who\u2019s even benefiting from this. As important as vibes are, I also like the bars I like because of their drinks, and it\u2019s frankly just annoying to not be able to get them, especially when the drinks being served up by the visiting bartenders can come across like showy stunts caught up in the moment of a Big Event. At the end of the night, I don’t feel like I actually got to know the visiting bar, nor did I get to experience my hometown bar I usually appreciate.<\/span><\/p>\n Kenzo:<\/b> I love doing bar pop-ups. They\u2019re a great way to connect with old coworkers who you might never work together with again and to connect with bartenders from across the globe.\u00a0 However\u2014and this may be an LA thing\u2014people are so horny for pop-ups but will never go to a bar, restaurant or caf\u00e9’s normal service, which is always better than the pop-ups. I also don’t love that international bar pop-ups always have to be sponsored by one of the big corporate liquor companies.<\/span><\/p>\n Brian:<\/b> We\u2019ve hit peak \u201cguest shift\u201d mania and these programs have simply lost their luster. The bars are blurring their own hard-earned identities along the way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ben: <\/b>These can stay, but bars that are basically show rooms for single-brand groups are bad and boring, and usually make awful cocktails.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n Bartenders have been <\/span>turning to the stout<\/span><\/a> for frothy, chocolatey flavor in their drinks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Brian: <\/b>YES PLEASE. The flavors of stout unlock so much pairing potential with spirits and cocktail modifiers. I\u2019m surprised this isn\u2019t utilized even more.<\/span><\/p>\n Courtney:<\/b> Beer is an undervalued cocktail ingredient finally being taken more seriously.<\/span><\/p>\n Jesse:<\/b> Guinness is too good to be adulterated. I wouldn\u2019t use grand cru Champagne in a French 75, either!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Pepper:<\/b> If the end result tastes good, let\u2019s keep it. I\u2019m hard-pressed to think of any ingredient that I\u2019d say shouldn\u2019t be used just out of principle. (Well, except maybe activated charcoal.) <\/span>The Split Ends<\/span><\/a> at Bar Snack is a personal favorite example of this trend.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The glass that helped define the cocktail renaissance is on the outs. Here\u2019s what bartenders are using instead.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n Prix fixe<\/span><\/a> isn\u2019t just for chef\u2019s tables anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n Pepper:<\/b> Creating a really good cocktail pairing is hard! When it\u2019s done well, it can be an incredible experience, but it\u2019s so rare to find a pairing where the food and the cocktails really enhance each other. I\u2019d be much more interested in seeing somms, servers and bartenders work together to create a variety of suggestions for a la carte pairing, be it wine, cocktails or neat spirits.<\/span><\/p>\n Jesse: <\/b>I\u2019m the kind of drinker that wants to try everything, so I say this one should stay. But leave the food pairings to wine.<\/span><\/p>\n Kenzo: <\/b>I love try-hard things, and what\u2019s more try-hard than a tasting menu?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Brian: <\/b>If this is your bar\u2019s model, I\u2019d say, \u201cGood luck.\u201d I don\u2019t see a future in it, especially with rising costs of goods and the labor involved towards expediting something this precious. From my experience, there are too many imbibers out there who will absolutely not branch out further than two or three different spirit categories for their own enjoyment. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n The <\/span>latest beer-and-shot combo<\/span><\/a> (in which one is N\/A) is like microdosing, but for alcohol.<\/span><\/p>\n Jesse:<\/b> There is no shame in a boozy shot and a N\/A beer chaser. N\/A beers have come a long way and are actually great. At my age I need all the help I can get to make it through a long night of drinks. But please tell me nobody\u2019s taking shots of N\/A whiskey and chasing it with an IPA.<\/span><\/p>\n Courtney:<\/b> Look, you gotta do you when it comes to your beverage choices, especially if you\u2019re creating the combination that personally works for you when it comes to balance and moderation. But as someone who doesn\u2019t appreciate shots to begin with, this is a head-scratcher to me. If you want to drink but only a little, why not just have the beer sans shot, or a nice low-ABV spritz?<\/span><\/p>\n Pepper:<\/b> Drink what you want!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Brian:<\/b> Sure, why not. I\u2019ve been known to have a pour of whisky in one hand and an N\/A Guinness in the other. Make the nights last longer and your mornings hurt less.<\/span><\/p>\n Ben:<\/b> Yes, oh my god YES. This is something I offer at Pitt\u2019s almost daily to guests, and it is always well received. Make anything available N\/A. You can catch me having this exact combo at <\/span>Sunny\u2019s<\/span><\/a> in Red Hook almost every time I go.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\n Margaritas, Garibaldis and aperitifs were <\/span>Creamsicle-inspired<\/span><\/a> this year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ben:<\/b> Orange juice is probably the most wasted juice in bars. It just isn\u2019t very good in most cocktails\u2014and if people are finding ways to make it work, more power to them.<\/span><\/p>\n Courtney: <\/b>Personally, it\u2019s a big \u201cNo, thank you\u201d from me on this trend. The thought of anything vanilla- or marshmallow-sweet in my drink makes me gag a little, even when it\u2019s cut by citrusy acidity. But I\u2019m sure when done well, this profile offers a nice balance.<\/span><\/p>\n Pepper: <\/b>It\u2019s not a flavor that I really enjoy myself, but if other people want cocktails with this flavor, let them. And, if I\u2019m going to be fully honest, I\u2019m currently developing a cocktail for the <\/span>Kabawa<\/span><\/a> menu that is Creamsicle-adjacent, so I\u2019m definitely part of the trend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Brian: <\/b>While there\u2019s some cool, creative opportunity with this type of nostalgia, this flavor combo is personally my \u201ccilantro allergy.\u201d I\u2019ve never been a fan of orange juice in cocktails, anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/section>\nExperts Featured<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"Yolanda](\"https:\/\/punchdrink.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Social-Bring-Back-Yolanda-Martini-Cocktail-Recipe.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nThe Nick & Nora Is So 2009<\/span><\/h3>\n