2024 was an interesting year for flavour. Consumers got bolder with the variety of tastes they were willing to try. Yet, they also slipped back into familiar profiles. What were the four most popular palates, and will they continue into 2025?
Umami and savoury sips
Admittedly, we’ve already covered this one. But it would be amiss not to mention the massive popularity of umami and savoury tastes in 2024.
According to the Waitrose Food and Drink Report 2024-2025, umami flavours defined drinks in 2024 and continue to be on the rise into 2025.
Drinks platform The Mixer, owned by The Campari Group, points to the popularity of the Parmesan Espresso Martini and the Kimchi Bloody Mary.
Diageo’s Bar Academy’s 2024 Top Bar Industry Trends blog notes flavours tahini, mushroom, miso and seaweed as successful.
This trend was most popular in the on trade in 2024 but began to break through into the off trade too. New releases in 2024 included: James May’s mushroom infused California Dreamgin and Warrendale’s Wagyu fat-washed Wa-Gyn. 2023 also saw Whitebox Cocktails release Tiny Tee’s Dirty Martini with olive brine. We can expect savoury sips to continue to trickle down to mainstream drinking as 2025 unfolds.
Light and spritzy
In a year where many consumers hoped to reduce their abv, it’s perhaps no surprise that spritzes saw success in 2024. According to Google Trends, the Hugo Spritz experienced a boom in searches in summer 2024 in the UK, reaching a peak in July.
The Bacardi 2025 Cocktail Trends Report says Hugo Spritz searches increased 172% over the whole year according to Google Trends in the UK, US and France. Bacardi likewise names Spritz number three on the top 10 cocktails list for 2024.
Online supermarket Ocado also mentions Sake Spritz Cocktails from brand Shima as one of its top food and drink items of the year.
In the off-trade, St Germain promoted its Elderflower Liqueur as the ideal base for a Spritz. The brand hired actress Sophie Turner as the face of the Spritz in summer 2024.
Other off trade releases in 2024 included: Citizen Spritz’ RTD range, Bolney’s English Garden Spritz, Asda’s Pica Pica Cassis & Sparkling Wine Spritz and Elderflower & Mine Wine Spritz plus Bottlegreen’s Vodka Spritz range. As we move into 2025, we expect the Spritz to continue to evolve and feature ever-more experimental bases.
Spicy sensations
Along with savoury flavours, 2024 was the year for spice.
According to Waitrose, this is true of both cupboard shortcuts, such as Gochujang paste, and drinks like the Spicy Martini.
Ocado similarly notes the popularity of products such as Umami Chilli MSG, while the Bacardi report names spicy as one of its top flavour picks of the year.
2024 also saw the popularity of the term ‘swicy’ online. A mix of sweet and spicy, the off trade jumped on the trend with products like the Hot Honey Margarita, created in RTD format by Tom Savano.
Other off trade releases in 2024 included: Artisan’s Spicy Ginger Soda, Pimentae’s Spicy Margarita in a can, which launched at Waitrose this year, and Smirnoff’s Spicy Taramind vodka. Spicy food trends will help propel spicy drinks over the next 12 months.
Sweet and sickly
Despite spicy and savoury thriving, there has still been a taste for all things sweet.
In its 2025-2026 trend report, flavour manufacturer Synergy lists lime, lemon, orange, raspberry, mango and passion fruit as mainstream flavours in 2024.
Bacardi also says that Piña Colada was number four on the top 10 cocktails list for 2024.
Synergy explains that going into 2025, it expects a rise in more sickly-sweet options inspired by nostalgia, such as sweetshop and dessert drinks.
Sweet fruity drinks launches in 2024 included: Soopa Hooch’s Blue Raspberry Cola, Bellamie’s Cherry Liqueur and Borecha’s Fiji Fruit Punch.
Sweet dessert inspired drinks included: VK Chocolate Orange, Gather Cocktails Salted Caramel Banana Colada, Funkin Deluxe Dessert Cocktails and Bailey’s Birthday Cake.
As we head into 2025, we expect staples such as citrus and berry fruits to stick around, but innovation is likely to come from more exotic or nostalgic options.
