Gen Z want spicy alcohol, matcha and pickles, report reveals
Spicy alcoholic drinks, functional beverages and matcha are having a moment, according to a Tastewise report composed of billions of data points sourced from April 2023 to April 2025.
In Summer F&B Playbook, food insights platform Tastewise analysed billions of data points from social conversations, recipes, menus and foodservice to identify what food and drink was trending and why.
The report marked a growing fervour for bold, playful and decadent drinks that encouraged consumers to experiment. Consumer interest in spicy alcoholic beverages has shot up by 6% YoY. Drinks like the ‘Spicy Sauvy B’ (white wine blended with jalapenos) spiking palettes, with ‘Spicy Margs’, riffs on the Mexican tequila-and-lime classic, booming online. Producers are capitalising on the trend: Moth Spicy Margarita launched in Sainsbury’s in spring, and London-based establishments like Cavita and Corrochio’s are serving up the drink.
When it comes to non-alcoholic drinks, the summer of 2025 has also championed casual drinks packed with feel-good benefits, with 77% of consumers seeking functional benefits in beverages. Celebs have spearheaded the trend. Snoop Dogg, for one, has invested in a partnership to launch a range of cannabis and functional drinks, Iconic Tonics, with the functional bev industry expected to reach US$200 billion globally by 2030.
Functional first
For instance, mushroom drinks have seen 11% YoY growth in consumer interest, with reishi and lion’s mane entering the mainstream, with a 14% uptick in menu mentions. Prebiotics drinks have also seen 29% growth in interest, and hormone-support beverages a 19% rise, according to the Tastewise manual.
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People are also searching for nostalgia when it comes to what they drink, fuelled by burgeoning interest in soda fountain drinks and retro flavours. But on the other hand, consumers are searching for novelty. Pickle lemonade, for instance, has skyrocketed by a staggering 239% in consumer discussions, with pickle flavour up 19% in non-alcoholic drinks.
Matcha is also having a moment, with 43% YoY growth in interest, with a growing place on menus and social media. Mixed flavour combos see matcha stirred with strawberry, ube, salted honey and pistachio, and the cultural movement of seeking a “little treat” continues to gain traction.
What do Gen Z want?
The report also revealed that Gen Z were increasingly fascinated by high protein food and beverage, with 27% growth.
“Gen Z is tricky – we don’t know what they want, or how they consume drinks. Maybe they don’t even know what they want.” This is what Caroline Benetti, who heads up export communication at Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence (CIVP), told the drinks business when discussing a new campaign for Provence rosé aimed at millennials.
But research shows it’s just the drink itself that matters to the younger gen, but the ‘experience’ of drinking it. Whereas 50% of all consumers say that they will visit a venue that offers an ‘experience’, be it live music or screening sport, 54% of Generation Z are more likely to gravitate to venues with these kinds of offerings, CGA data revealed. Some drinks brands are already using unusual experiences to generate publicity.
