Wellness drinks

Cruisers have given way to hard seltzers and alcoholic ginger beers and lemonade. Now those chasing the fashion-conscious youth are talking up rather inadvisably coined ‘wellness drinks’. Think protein-spiked seltzers with added collagen, hard coconut water and hard purified water with added fruit juice.

Cult favourite flavours

Lemon myrtle and pepperberry are outstripping matcha. This is not from an Aussie flavour census, but the results from a UK survey. Matcha seems well on the way out, with Asian flavours like ube, pandan and hojicha set to overtake it. Fruit flavours like melon, mandarin and plum are also claimed to be on the rise in a number of 2026 drinks trends predictions. Pink grapefruit and pineapple are on the wane, unless it’s tepache – a fermented drink made from pineapple peel and brown sugar. Jalapeño is also hot right now, whether as a liquid, powder or infusion.

High-fibre cocktails

Resist the desire to roll your eyes. Save that for this new trend. The madness of our current protein obsession is giving way to what’s called ‘fibre-maxxing’. This is the desire to improve gut health by upping fibre intake. This could present in drinks at Christmas parties via the addition of soluble fibre that conveniently dissolves into liquid with the addition of ingredients like oats, chia or ground flaxseeds, or fresh-blitzed apples or pears. A gin, rosemary and fresh pear spritz would do the job.

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Frozen slushies

From chilli to chilly. While the frosé might be condemned to the trend trash can, the frozen margarita and frozen daiquiri are still on the menu as low-cost slushie machines that can keep them chilling come in for as little as $55 for a basic one at Kmart. Something a little more serious will cost you upwards of $500.

Mexican distilled spirits

That jalapeño gets even cooler if it’s served in a drink based on raicilla, a far lesser-known cousin of tequila and mezcal. If you want to pour a drink that no one else knows about, this could be the one, but raicilla will set you back $100 or more a bottle.

The new spritz

It’s the drink that everyone was talking about during the European summer. The Hugo spritz has racked up hundreds of millions of views on TikTok, and was being advertised on Euro blackboards outside every beer garden and quay side bar. Rather than Aperol, this is usually based around an elderflower liqueur called St-Germain, but cash-conscious hosts might consider using a quality elderflower cordial. The other trending spritz – but on a far lower level of excitement – is the limoncello spritz, which at least gives me an idea of what to do with that unloved bottle of lolly water I’ve got in my drinks cabinet.

Non-alcoholic drinks

Remember that an increasing number of guests will be alcohol free. Never ask why; just ensure these legends are looked after, whether it’s with one of the new generation of quality zero-alcohol beers, kombuchas served in sleek cocktail glasses or temperance cocktails.

The right drinks

Remember to match the drinks you offer to fit with the event. Serving dry martinis or absinthe Sazeracs over a three-hour event is a recipe for disaster. Far more responsible are jugs of long drinks where the booze is more diluted. And leave the hot-lap rounds for F1.

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