{"id":507259,"date":"2026-01-10T23:49:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T23:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/507259\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T23:49:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T23:49:26","slug":"what-is-the-drink-of-2026-phoenix-bar-pros-predict","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/507259\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the drink of 2026? Phoenix bar pros predict"},"content":{"rendered":"

If there was one drink on every bar patron\u2019s lips in 2025, it was a martini. Be it crisp and classic, dirty or espresso, martinis captivated Phoenix drinkers and kept bartenders busy behind the well.<\/p>\n

These tipples have been trending upward over the last few years. Are we reaching peak \u2018tini or have we just touched the tip of the stem? We checked in with six local bartenders and proprietors to find out what they predict will be the drink of the year in 2026.<\/p>\n

\"\"Steve Pearson crafts a tiramisu martini at Bitter & Twisted. Bartenders predict espresso martinis aren\u2019t going anywhere in 2026. <\/p>\n

\u2018Endlessly variable\u2019 espresso martinis<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maxwell Berlin, the barman behind the inventive, recently shuttered Quartz<\/a>, didn\u2019t beat around the bush when it came to summing up the drink of 2025.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure every single bartender could tell you the exact same drink. That was definitely the espresso martini,\u201d he says. \u201cMartinis in general have just been so hot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ruben Fernadez, III<\/a>, lead bartender at the downtown hidden martini bar Filthy,<\/a> calls espresso martinis a \u201csafe space\u201d for some drinkers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like almost an upgraded vodka-Red Bull, if you will,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Aaron DeFeo, a local bar icon and co-owner of the award-winning hotel bar Little Rituals<\/a>, calls the cocktail a global phenomenon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s literally everywhere,\u201d he says of the drink. \u201cI\u2019m sure there\u2019s a Circle K in town that has an espresso martini machine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean every bar makes its caffeinated cocktail the same way. This second wave of the espresso martini has yet to crest because \u201cit\u2019s endlessly variable,\u201d says Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour<\/a> bartender Vance Haywood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The traditional vodka base can be swapped for rum or an agave spirit, he notes, or it can be made decadent with the addition of cream or chocolate. Bitter & Twisted\u2019s take uses reposado tequila and adds cacao liqueur and mascarpone cheese to evoke the flavors of tiramisu. At Filthy, the drink is a hybrid between a carajillo and a classic espresso martini, made with tequila and Licor 43.<\/p>\n

Berlin has designed cocktails for two recently opened Phoenix restaurants and he put riffs on espresso martinis on both menus, aiming to tell two different stories. At Noor Mediterranean<\/a>, Berlin leans into the restaurant\u2019s Levantine cuisine, adding Turkish coffee, cardamom and black fig cream. At Tandy\u2019s<\/a>, Berlin pays homage to chef and owner Tandy Peterson<\/a>\u2019s confectionery brand, Embers Chocolate. The Tandy\u2019s mocha \u2018tini is a rich riff that uses the restaurant\u2019s drinking chocolate. It\u2019s served with a cocoa whip and chocolate curls.<\/p>\n

\"AThe Pornstar Martini is among Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour\u2019s most popular drinks.<\/p>\n

More martini madness<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not all about coffee. Bartenders noticed that drinkers branched out beyond espresso martinis in the last year, returning to some tried and true classics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always done martinis and had a martini on our menu,\u201d DeFeo says. \u201cOur martini sales have probably doubled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Little Rituals\u2019 Crisp Marini is a gin tipple \u201cchilled to perfection,\u201d per its menu, and served with a Castelvetrano olive, kimchi-spiced pearl onion and house-pickled grape. Luxe versions<\/a> of classic and dirty martinis proliferated around town, often garnished with a cracker or chip bearing a bump of caviar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fernandez remembers a year ago, when drier martinis didn\u2019t always appeal to drinkers, recalling a caprese-inspired martini made for the Arcadia rooftop restaurant, Thea, that \u201cnobody really ordered.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

At Filthy, he\u2019s seen the opposite, with patrons clamoring for the cocktail lounge\u2019s signature Cleaverman Martini. This riff on a classic martini is subtle. Drinkers can choose from celery-infused vodka or gin, which is paired with a house vermouth and sherry blend, lemongrass and orange bitters.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople order it multiple times or come back and get it,\u201d Fernandez says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sweeter martinis are in, too.\u00a0Berlin has seen a resurgence of the once-popular appletini. Bitter & Twisted\u2019s pornstar martini remains its signature sip after more than a decade in business. Haywood estimates one of every four drinks he makes at the bar is this passion fruit-spiked vanilla vodka sipper, which comes with a sidecar of bubbly. His colleague Steve Pearson calls the drink \u201cthe best modern-classic cocktail.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fernandez has taken more and more orders for French martinis, which are made with vodka, pineapple and raspberry liqueur. He rounds the drink out with lemon juice and house vanilla syrup. It can be a go-to order for people who prefer sweeter cocktails, Fernandez says, so he\u2019s considering adding it to Filthy\u2019s menu.<\/p>\n

Martinis of all stripes have staying power because \u201cthey\u2019re kind of build-your-own cocktail(s),\u201d Ashley Cibor<\/a> says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

She\u2019s tended bar at tiki haven UnderTow and led the cocktail team at the Scottsdale speakeasy Tell Your Friends. Cibor doesn\u2019t see the martini going anywhere.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think the martini will always be at the forefront just because it\u2019s so classic, but now you can make it in so many different ways, and so many bars have their own spin,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\"AScottsdale restaurant Pinyon\u2019s bar menu features several spritzes, including the popular Hugo Spritz. <\/p>\n

\u2018Indulgent, delicious and intentional\u2019 spritzes<\/p>\n

DeFeo admittedly laughed off the Hugo Spritz craze<\/a>. The St-Germain elderflower liqueur, sparkling wine and club soda cocktail piggybacked off the Aperol spritz mania and took off on social media with a boost from an ad campaign led by star Sophie Turner.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely saw that drink come around for the first time (this year) and had to start ordering elderflower liqueur again,\u201d DeFeo says.<\/p>\n

Though most people visit Little Rituals for its uniquely crafted cocktails, the bar hosts a daily aperitivo hour serving $12 spritzes, negronis and martinis, along with other food and drink specials.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pearson, the Bitter & Twisted bartender, predicts more people will thirst for spritzes than martinis. In an era where people are more interested in no- and low-alcohol sips, he sees an opening for the bubbly refreshers, which are typically lower ABV.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe spritz, especially, bridges a gap of imbibing and elegance,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s indulgent, delicious and intentional without being over the top.\u201d<\/p>\n

Longtime favorites and culinary-driven cocktails\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Berlin and Cibor note that the culinary influence on cocktailing, with bartenders borrowing ingredients and techniques from chefs and global cuisines, will continue this year.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to start seeing all sorts of really fun drinks with a little international spin to them,\u201d Berlin says.<\/p>\n

Cibor has seen an increase in the use of complex, flavorful Asian ingredients in cocktails. Behind the bar at Glai Baan, Berlin infused Thai ingredients into the storied restaurant\u2019s tipples.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, when I write menus, I\u2019m always trying to tell a story,\u201d he says. \u201cThe first place I always start is on the streets of where that country is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amid all that creativity, an interest in the past usually emerges, too.<\/p>\n

A few times a week, Bitter & Twisted bartender Haywood will hear an order for a penicillin or paper plane. He credits social media and cocktail influencers for bringing these sips back to the forefront by showcasing them online.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m loving it,\u201d he says of the renewed interest in lesser-known classics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Both DeFeo and Pearson say that the stalwart margarita, in all of its riffability, has earned its place in glasses next to the martini.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe margarita has kind of always been the most popular cocktail in America,\u201d DeFeo says. \u201cI don\u2019t see that dying out. It\u2019s too simple, too easy to make and too universally beloved for it to go away.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Little Rituals is known for its creative and skillfully crafted cocktails.<\/p>\n

A \u2018return to value\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a city where cocktails can crest $20, bartenders acknowledge that customers are feeling the squeeze. Berlin and DeFeo both noted that value is on the minds of bar operators.<\/p>\n

How bars bring prices down will vary. Some may move away from boutique brands while others will simplify ingredients in drinks.\u00a0There\u2019s a sense that bars \u201chave been pushing the boundaries maybe a little too far, where they\u2019re alienating people both conceptually but also just pricewise,\u201d Berlin says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think a lot of people are talking about how to bring back value where you can still create beautiful and delicious cocktails but maybe a little simpler and a little bit cheaper,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That may also be what\u2019s driving people to more spirit-forward sips like martinis and other classic cocktails, DeFeo says.\u00a0Making good on that value, from a guest\u2019s experience to the price on the bill, could make or break bars around the Valley in 2026, the Little Rituals co-owner adds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are going to have to really focus on their service and the quality of what they\u2019re putting out in order to succeed,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause I just don\u2019t know that there\u2019s room for mediocrity.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If there was one drink on every bar patron\u2019s lips in 2025, it was a martini. Be it…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":507260,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5131],"tags":[5229,5643,1587,12080,1589,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-507259","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-arizona","10":"tag-az","11":"tag-cocktails","12":"tag-phoenix","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-united-states-of-america","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115873485127204159","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507259\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/507260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=507259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=507259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}