Bartenders Tell Us What Consumers Want Most Right Now and It Isn’t Just Great Cocktails
Every year, the beverage industry publishes reports forecasting what’s next behind the bar. New spirits. New ingredients. New flavors. New drinking habits. But if you really want to know what’s happening, ask the people pouring the drinks.
We recently turned to the Chilled Bartender Ambassador Network, asking one simple question: What do you think consumers are most interested in right now?
The poll results offered a snapshot of today’s drinking culture. Zero-proof and non-alcoholic options led the way, followed by Instagram-worthy presentations and exceptionally executed classic cocktails. Low-ABV drinks, premium spirits and globally inspired flavors rounded out the conversation.
But once the voting ended, something unexpected happened.
The discussion shifted away from what guests are ordering and toward why they’re coming back in the first place. It wasn’t about a cocktail. It was about hospitality.
According to our bartenders, hospitality is the ultimate luxury.
One comment after another echoed the same sentiment: while great drinks may get people through the door, exceptional service is what keeps them coming back. “Anyone can make a good cocktail,” commented Chilled Ambassador, Austin, Texas bar manager, Jules Comtois. “Being able to make the guest feel seen, special and truly cared for is an art form.”
Tony, bartender in NYC agreed. “The places that can provide great products, but also really take into account the hospitality element, those are the special places.”
He added that he’d rather spend an evening at a neighborhood bar with welcoming staff than a celebrated cocktail destination where guests feel like an inconvenience.
In an era where consumers have more choices than ever, bartenders believe genuine hospitality has become one of the industry’s biggest competitive advantages.
Zero-proof is really about inclusion.
While non-alcoholic cocktails topped the poll, bartenders were quick to explain that the category is no longer just another menu trend. For many, it’s become part of creating a more welcoming bar experience.
Bartender Sophia Greathouse says, “I love seeing bartenders at the forefront of zero proof. We’re really modeling healthy behavior and normalizing a wide range of choices when it comes to alcohol consumption.”
Another bartender shares, “Zero proof gives those guests a seat at the table instead of making them feel like an afterthought.”
The classics still matter.
Despite the rise of mindful drinking, bartenders made one thing equally clear: beautifully executed classics aren’t going anywhere.
The Martini. The Old Fashioned. The Negroni.
Consumers continue to seek familiar cocktails made with precision, quality ingredients and attention to detail. Sometimes innovation isn’t about reinventing the drink. It’s about making the classics better than ever.
Bottom line.
If this conversation taught us anything, it’s that today’s guests want more than great cocktails.
They want thoughtful options. And perhaps more than anything else, they want to feel welcomed. The best bars understand that what’s in the glass matters but how someone feels while they’re drinking it matters even more.
Chilled Ambassador Poll Results: What Consumers Want Right Now
Zero-Proof / Non-Alcoholic Options
Instagram-Worthy Presentation and Experience
Classic Cocktails Done Exceptionally Well
Low-ABV Cocktails and Mindful Drinking
Premium Spirits and Sipping Experiences
Unique Flavors and Global Ingredients
RTDs and Convenience-Driven Beverages
Source: Chilled Magazine Bartender Ambassador Network
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