What Drink Trends Should Disappear in 2026?

This year’s drink trends run the gamut, from debatably unhinged (giant Martinis served with a dozen olives and straws) to extremely controversial (cocktail bars operating without ice). 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’s what they had to say.

Some say the classic glass is out, and bartenders are opting for alternatives.

Ben: Nick & Noras are the essential Manhattan glass. Frankly, do not serve me a Manhattan in another glass. 

Jesse: Nick & Noras are definitely a little boring at this point but are fine for a classic stirred, brown spirit cocktail. Don’t you dare put a Martini in a Nick & Nora though! Thank god the V-Glass made a comeback.

Courtney: Nick & Noras, in my opinion, combine the best elements of other glassware options. 

Kenzo: I’m always more interested in new shapes and designs. I never like flashy garnishes for cocktails, but a beautiful and unexpected glass is always nice.

Brian: Certain glassware icons never go out of style, but the Instagram Hive Mind of cocktail porn could always use a refreshing face.

Emma: The Nick & Nora is the sexiest glass on earth. I’m a fan of any and all versions of the vessel.

The move 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. 

Jesse: 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’ needs, I’m all for it!

Courtney: More of this, please. It’s 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 “refrost” for me at home.

Brian: It’s the ultimate warm hug of hospitality, in chilled drink form.

Emma: I’m 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’m going to say this should stay, but bonus points for programs where the bartender asks if the refresh is something I’d like for them to do or not. I want the choice.

Ben: A Martini has never seen me long enough for this to be necessary, but a lot of my guests at Pitt’s are more patient, and this touch is always a nice one.

Pepper: I’m 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. 

Kenzo: As someone who works at a bar that A) doesn’t have sidecars, B) has a glass freezer, and C) isn’t the most chatty and outgoing bartender, this is literally my favorite service step.

Obviously the bar takeover isn’t new, but it’s reached a fever pitch that some argue is overdone.

Pepper: I’ve done pop-ups in the past and I’ll do more in the future, but for me they’re 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. 

Jesse: Bar takeovers are fun. It’s 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. 

Courtney: Ninety-five percent of the time, I don’t get who’s even benefiting from this. As important as vibes are, I also like the bars I like because of their drinks, and it’s 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.

Kenzo: I love doing bar pop-ups. They’re 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.  However—and this may be an LA thing—people are so horny for pop-ups but will never go to a bar, restaurant or café’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.

Brian: We’ve hit peak “guest shift” mania and these programs have simply lost their luster. The bars are blurring their own hard-earned identities along the way. 

Ben: These can stay, but bars that are basically show rooms for single-brand groups are bad and boring, and usually make awful cocktails.

Bartenders have been turning to the stout for frothy, chocolatey flavor in their drinks. 

Brian: YES PLEASE. The flavors of stout unlock so much pairing potential with spirits and cocktail modifiers. I’m surprised this isn’t utilized even more.

Courtney: Beer is an undervalued cocktail ingredient finally being taken more seriously.

Jesse: Guinness is too good to be adulterated. I wouldn’t use grand cru Champagne in a French 75, either! 

Pepper: If the end result tastes good, let’s keep it. I’m hard-pressed to think of any ingredient that I’d say shouldn’t be used just out of principle. (Well, except maybe activated charcoal.) The Split Ends at Bar Snack is a personal favorite example of this trend.