Fruity serves and Tequila: the cocktail trends that shaped summer for London’s bars
At London’s cocktail bars, fresh serves, fruity flavours and fortified wines were key trends during summer – flagged as the country’s hottest on record – bartenders told db. Looking forward, Tequila is expected to maintain its reign.
The drinks business caught up with some of the capital’s best bartenders on the cocktail trends that defined the summer, as well as flavours falling out of fashion and forecasts for the coming months.
Pietro Collina, bar director for Thesleff Group, London
“While refreshing drinks like margaritas and palomas continue to dominate sales, we’ve also seen a strong surge in tropical rum-based cocktails, along with a notable resurgence of whisky-stirred classics.
“Margarita variations remain category leaders, increasingly distinguished by exotic adaptations featuring tropical fruits, rare chilli varieties and fresh herbs. Consumer curiosity for bold yet balanced flavour profiles has driven the popularity of tropical and spice-forward interpretations.
“In contrast to the winter season, when stirred and bitter serves typically dominate, this summer has seen a decline in orders for both mezcal Negronis and the classic Negroni.
“The resurgence of stirred whisky-based cocktails marks a notable shift, with Old Fashioneds and Manhattan variations firmly back in rotation. This trend highlights a renewed consumer appetite for timeless, spirit-forward serves.
“Tequila and mezcal continue to dominate, complemented by a resurgence of whisky sour–style cocktails and tropical rum-serve. Consumers are exploring not only classic molasses-based aged rums but also agricole rums, particularly from Martinique, which deliver a fresher, more herbal profile reminiscent of agave spirits such as Tequila. Interest is also growing in rums from Mexico and other agave-inspired spirits produced beyond Mexico, reflecting a strong appetite for discovery across new categories and flavour profiles.
“Another defining trend is curiosity. Guests are increasingly seeking out unfamiliar ingredients and value the narratives behind each serve. Provenance, flavour pairings and cultural context are becoming as significant to the drinking experience as flavour itself.”
Chris Tanner, co-founder of Dram Bar, Soho, London
“One of the biggest trends we’ve seen this summer has been the rise of fortified wines and aperitif-style spritzes. Both bartenders and guests are really embracing them — they offer balance, versatility, and a refreshing profile that fits perfectly with the season. These drinks work beautifully as a lighter option for warm weather, while still bringing a lot of character and complexity to the glass.
“This summer, guests are gravitating toward drinks that showcase clean, refreshing flavors — think fortified wines, aperitif-style spritzes, and bright citrus-driven profiles. What we’re noticing is that there’s definitely less patience for overly complex gimmicks. People want drinks that are approachable, balanced, and versatile rather than overly fussy.
“What’s surprised me most is how consistent the appetite has been for spice and herbaceous notes. Even through the summer months, when you might expect palates to shift fully toward lighter, fruitier profiles, guests are still reaching for that kick. It shows just how much people enjoy those layers of complexity and the way spice and herbs can elevate a drink.
“As we look toward the rest of 2025, I think fortified wines are poised to become much bigger. Disaronno’s recent investment in Florio Marsala is a great sign — it feels like the start of a wider revival for categories like sherry and marsala. These are ingredients bartenders have been craving for a long time, and they bring so much depth, versatility, and character to drinks. It feels well overdue for fortifieds to step back into the spotlight.”
Kelvin McCabe, wine director of the Adam Handling Collection
“This summer, we have seen a real swing towards flavour profiles of cocktails over choosing the base spirits for the cocktails as a drink choice. Guests have been loving our summer flavours. It’s been a hot summer; the best sellers in Eve Bar in Covent Garden being our Apricot, Blueberry and Gooseberry and in Ugly Butterfly 2.0 in Newquay, Peach and Coconut, Watermelon Sherbet and Solero (yes, based on the ice lolly).
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“Unsurprisingly there has been less of a drinking habit for higher-ABV-style drinks. This seems to be a trend in general over the past couple of years, but adding to this a hot summer – it’s been prevalent.
“Even in a warmer summer, it seems that guests don’t get tired of a twist on a Negroni, which is very closely behind our summer flavour cocktails. Ugly Butterfly’s Rhubarb Negroni and Eve’s Raspberry Negroni have been really popular.
“[As we move through 2025], I see smart whisky-based cocktails getting stronger, there are a lot of softer styles on the market with less aging but still using great casks from sherry and wine which are a lot of fun to create cocktails with, flavour and texture wise.”
Emer Landgraf, head sommelier of The Clove Club and Bar Valette, London
“There has obviously been a big push for no and low cocktails as guests are becoming more aware of alcohol intake. The use of non alcoholic ingredients in mocktails but also cocktails has become really prevalent. At The Clove Club, we love the use of tea alongside food, we offer an Ambient Tea Pairing to work alongside the tasting menu. But recently, we started to incorporate some of these teas into our cocktails and our non-alcohol cocktails. Lapsang Souchong is an amazing tea to use, as it has so much flavour, and truly reminiscent of Whiskey (another love of The Clove Club)! We have added it to our Strawberry Soda, to give a smoky and deeper, warmer element to the drink.
“Our top drinks this Summer have been a take on a Spicy Margarita – Rare Citrus and Espelette. Using Tapatío Blanco Tequila (a staff favourite) and Piment d’Espelette, a beautiful variety of chilli grown in the Basque Country of France. Every year we get beautiful ‘rare citrus’ from the Todolí Citrus Farm in Valencia, created by Vincente Todolí (former President of the Tate Modern), who set out to save rare varieties of citrus that were at risk of being wiped out. The end result is a fresh cocktail, which has depth, and the perfect amount of spice that lingers.
“People are veering away from excessively sweet cocktails and non-alcoholic options. People want to feel like when they’re choosing a non-alcoholic option, it is still a serious drink, unlike a sweet juice driven mocktail with an umbrella in it, something from the 90’s. This is why texture and depth of flavour is so important for non-alcoholic cocktails.
“I’ll always be surprised that people still ask for Espresso Martini’s! No shade on the drink, but there are so many other really great coffee-focused cocktails that are worth trying before revisiting an old faithful. At The Clove Club, we are serving a Café Caleta – inspired by the Bar Manager, Luke’s, many summers in Ibiza. Our take includes a mixture of English White Rum, Guyanese Dark Rum, and Darroze 8yo Armagnac. Using the two types of Rum, gives the drink a great blend of fruit flavours but also deeper caramel tones, so a deeper overall flavour.
Edgars Zavoronkovs, bars manager of Kimpton Fitzroy, Bloomsbury, London
“This summer, patrons are still going after light and refreshing serves. There’s nothing fundamentally new versus last year, it’s just a bit heavy on Mezcal everything, but this started before the summer
“Palomas and Spritzes from classic serves, together with Margaritas and variations, are top picks. Old Fashioned and Negroni are still selling strong, and Ramos Gin Fizz and twists of it have their renaissance.
“There’s a very low share of no-low category drinkers versus a year ago – demand for these options gone down.
“Throughout the rest of 2025, I predict more spirit forward and Tequila-based cocktails becoming more popular. Gin might have another wave, since new celebrity-backed gins are on the market. Overall, guests are very into trying new things and open for suggestions. They’re not only sticking to old classics.”
Linden Price, co-owner of Dante NYC, currently collaborating with Claridge’s, Mayfair, London
“Fruit driven cocktails have been hugely popular for us this summer at Dante. Fluffy pineapple margarita and our take on the Honey Deuce with fluffy honey dew melon, alongside clarified juice from ingredients such watermelon and raspberry – thirst-quenching drinks to ride the London heatwave.
“I’ve been surprised by the popularity of dessert and after dinner drinks – The Grasshopper, Nonnas Alexander and espresso martinis. We’re also seeing people order drinks that were popular in the ‘90’s and early 2000’s, but made with higher quality ingredients and dairy alternatives.”
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