Drinks Menus
Trends, Inspiration, and Recipes
Drinks are instrumental in forming customers’ first impressions of a venue, so having a quality bar menu to complement your food is essential.
We’ve pulled together everything you need to know about drink trends for 2025/2026, from food and drink pairing to some exciting recipes to try out (hit the green ‘Download’ button at the top of the page to save a copy of our recipe book!)
Top 5 Drinks Trends 2025/2026
Industry Wide Trends
When creating a drinks menu, operators should be conscious of ongoing industry-wide trends, and how these can impact beverages. For example, with more people returning to office work, Grab & Go options are becoming increasingly popular. To appeal to customers on the go, venues may want to add takeaway cups for coffees and juices. Our Grace Tropical Rhythms, Bigga Soda, and Nurishment Original milk drinks all benefit from screw-cap lids, so consumers can reseal to enjoy on the move. Fusion flavours, international inspiration, and health-conscious trends can also impact a bar menu.
Functional Drinks
Linked to health-conscious dining is an increasing demand for functional drinks. These beverages have been designed with a specific goal in mind, such as cleansing juices, protein shakes, and CBD-infused drinks to promote relaxation.
These are all extreme examples, so operators that merely want to dip their toe in may be better starting with something like our Nurishment Original milk drinks. Having quickly become the UK’s number 1 nutritionally enriched milk drink*, Nurishment is the perfect base for a function-focused smoothies, shakes, and coffees. Bartenders can choose from Vanilla, Strawberry, Banana, or Chocolate flavours for maximum versatility.
*SOURCE: Circana (IRI) – UK Retail Sales, Period: MAT 52w/e: 19th April 2025
Low and No Alcohol
A by-product of the trend for health-conscious menu options, low and no alcohol has also become extremely popular – the UK market practically doubling in size between 2023 and 2024, according to IWSR. These can encompass specially made alternatives to spirits, wines, and beer, but also includes soft drinks and mocktails. A YouGov survey at the start of 2025 revealed that over 1/3rd of Brits were regularly opting for low and non-alcoholic options.
To tap into this demand, operators should ensure they have a good selection of traditional alcoholic beverages, and an exciting soft drinks selection. Venues that feature cocktail menus should also be mindful of mocktails, as these are excellent options for guests wanting to feel included if friends are drinking and can reflect premium prices for greater profit margins.
Fresh, Fruity Flavours
Beyond the standard apple and orange juice, consumers are looking for bold fruity flavours. This can often link to the demand for international food and drink, with exotic options such as guava, mango, and grapefruit proving popular.
That doesn’t mean classic sodas are off the menu completely – just that offering a broader selection of flavours that go beyond cola can help differentiate bar menus. Jarritos can help operators bridge this gap. Made and bottled in Mexico since 1950, our range includes eight vibrant flavours to choose from.
Experiential Drinks
With consumers feeling the pinch of the ever-increasing cost of living crisis, dining has become much more of a treat. Customers are trading up – going out less often but splashing out more when they do. As such, they want food and drinks that warrant this indulgence. Props like special glassware, sparklers, dry ice, candyfloss, etc are all great ways to achieve this.
To lean into the ‘experience’ side of things, bars could offer cocktail making masterclasses for consumers to get behind to bar for a hands-on approach. Alternatively, teams could serve ‘deconstructed’ cocktails that consumers must assemble themselves (hint: this is a great option for Halloween, where bars can proposition it as a ‘potion’!). On a simpler scale, operators could create a special themed menu for a limited time to drum up interest and keep customers returning for more.
Food and Drink Pairings
Food and drink pairings can seem daunting, often bringing images of gourmet food and premium wines to mind. However, they provide an excellent opportunity to upsell to customers, and there are a few easy ways to incorporate this value-added offer onto your menu.
To start with, operators should lean into their speciality and look at best sellers. For example, a bottle of Italian wine with a pizza, a flight of craft American beers with a BBQ dish, or a different flavoured margarita with each course of a Mexicana-themed set menu.
To make the chosen food and drink pairing is a success, operators should ensure they have properly advertised the concept – whether that involves social media marketing, or a temporary print-out to slip inside menus. Another way to drum up interest is to make the offer more accessible by including a non-alcoholic option – think mocktails with tapas, smoothies with brunch, or milkshakes and burgers. These are also great for children’s menus.
With the common connotation of food and drink pairings being a premium experience, most of these events take place in the evening, meaning the brunch and lunch occasion are often overlooked.
Beyond the traditional tea or coffee and breakfast roll combo, operators could tap into demand for fresh, fruity flavours with the addition of fruit juice and smoothies on morning food and drink pairing deals. Classic cocktails such as mimosas and Bloody Mary’s are a popular option for more indulgent deals, but bartenders should be mindful of how they can give these icons a refresh to stand out from competitors. For example, operators could substitute standard orange juice in a mimosa for our Jarritos Mandarin to layer bubbles together for a lively drink. Try it with strawberry Jarritos or pineapple for a fun flavour twist.
On a much simpler scale, operators should also be wary of their drink menu complementing their food offering, even if not creating specific pairings. For example, Mexican menus can be served with Jarritos, while Caribbean food is better paired with Grace Tropical Rhythms or Bigga Soda to create a cohesive experience.
Top tip: Our Grace Tropical Rhythms is also available as a 1 litre pack for greater portion control – whether you want to serve it as it comes, as a splash in a smoothie to enhance the taste, or a dash in a cocktail. Or, for something a bit livelier, why not try our bubbling Grace Tropical Rhythms Sparkling? Perfect for summer menus!
Recipes
Hit the green ‘Download’ button at the top of our page to save our free drinks recipe booklet for all the inspiration you need or keep scrolling for a couple of our favourites!
Recipe 1: Grace Tropical Rhythms Fruit Punch
Ingredients:
- 475ml Grace Tropical Rhythms Fruit Punch
- 475ml Grace Tropical Rhythms Pineapple Ginger
- 475ml Grace Tropical Rhythms Mango Carrot
- 1x Can of Grace Ginger Beer
- 1 Litre of Water
Method: Simply combine all the ingredients in a punch bowl or pitcher with chopped fruit and ice, et voila!
Optional: Add a splash of white rum to make this an alcoholic option.
This super simple punch recipe is a great choice for venues gearing up to host large events, or simply to pre-mix ahead of a busy weekend (but hold the ice if you’re serving it this way so it doesn’t water it down!).
Recipe 2: Nurishment Peanut Butter Shake
Ingredients:
- 50ml Nurishment Banana
- 50ml Nurishment Vanilla
- 25ml Appleton Signature
- 15ml Tia Maria
- 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter
- ¼ Banana
Method: Simply add all ingredients to a blender and blitz until smooth, then pour into a glass.
This option is great for appealing to function-focused diners, while remaining fun!
Recipe 3: Jarritos Fire and Lime
Ingredients:
- Jalapeño
- 50ml White Tequila
- Lime Jarritos
- Lime Juice
Method: Muddle chopped jalapeño in a glass and add ice. Add 50ml of white tequila and squeeze half a lime in the glass. Shake the contents for about 15-30 seconds. Pour into a martini glass and top with Jarritos lime. Garnish with a fire roasted jalapeño.
This fiery drink is a great way to stand out from competition, and the tequila and jalapeño complement Mexican meals perfectly. To make it more ‘experiential’, you could rename it on special themed menus. Think ‘Green with Envy’ for Valentine’s Day, or ‘The Grinch’ on Christmas menus!
Need more drinks menu inspiration? Get in touch with the friendly Funnybones customer service team!
Phone: 01707 321 234
Email: info@gkco.com