In bars from San Francisco to New York, from Tokyo to Melbourne, something strange, savory, and delicious is bubbling up. Fermentation, a long backstage player in food (think kimchi, miso, kombucha), is moving center stage in cocktail culture. It’s adding funk, depth, and texture in ways that classic spirits and mixers alone could never achieve. What was once niche is fast becoming one of the fastest-growing trends in mixology.
The hottest trend in cocktails right now
The rise of fermented cocktails isn’t just about novelty. It’s about pushing flavor boundaries, telling stories, embracing sustainability, and satisfying a palate increasingly hungry for complexity.
Beverage Director Sebastian Tollius of Clemente Bar, New York, has become one of the foremost proponents of fermentation in craft drinks, particularly in his recent work with miso syrups, umami-rich flavor profiles, and even vegan “milk-punch–style” clarification techniques. In VinePair’s “Fermentation for Flavor & Opulence,” Tollius describes how using miso, lactic acid, and plant-based milks lets them build savory depth without the heaviness, “where every sip … arrives in perfect harmony — the richness of the cheese foam giving way to the subtle acidity and sweetness … with a rich, umami-driven mid-palate.”
At the same time, bartenders are awakening to fermentation as part flavor tool, part sustainability practice. Using fermented or brined fruits, house-made misos or koji, even barrel aging or wild yeasts, they are creating cocktails that taste “of place” — ingredients with cultural, regional, even microbial heritage. For drinkers tired of sweet-standard cocktail tropes, it’s a welcome shift.
Bartender/mixologist Rick Munro of Malpractice in Portland, whose experimental cocktail pop-up/bar uses fermentation, brine, and vinegar reductions on his menu, told Eater, “We wanted guests to taste something they’d never tasted before — the kind of flavors that make you pause and think, ‘What is that?’” he says. “The moment you start having that point of view, well, that’s kind of what your little niche in the world is.”
Ingredients shaking up bar menus
What exactly are bar teams fermenting, brining, culturing, or otherwise letting tickle their funky side?
- Miso syrups / koji / tempeh – Tollius’ work at Clemente uses coconut miso, barley miso, and koji to build syrups that bring savory and umami richness.
- Lactic acid / sour fermentation – Think fermented citrus, lactofermented fruit, or even shrubs and vinegars that contribute acidity and tang beyond the usual sour row.
- Brines, pickles, and house culture – Ingredients like house-made brined banana purée or fermented brined fruits show up in daiquiri riffs or twisty takes on classics.
- Barrel aging / wild yeast / natural fermentations – Some bars age cocktails or ingredients in barrels, or use spontaneous fermentations (yeasts from the air, fruit skins) to give a variable, funky character.
- Non-traditional “milk-punch” / plant milks clarified via fermentation or acid washes – Tollius in VinePair describes clarifying a drink made with plant-based milk via lactic acid, then combining that with miso syrup and other rich components to get creaminess without dairy.
These ingredients are not just gimmicks; they’re reshaping frameworks: the sweet/sour/bitter/strong balance gets reimagined when fermentives add umami, funk, acidity, texture, or unexpected savory backbone.
Where to find fermented cocktails
If you’re itching to try one of these drinks, here are a few places and bars worth keeping on your radar:
- Fermentation Lab – San Francisco: With a name like that, they don’t shy away from fermentation. Their menu explicitly foregrounds fermented beverages alongside cocktails.
- Clemente Bar – New York City: Sebastian Tollius’ home base for many of the fermentive drinks described in VinePair. If opulent, savory, miso-tinged cocktails are your thing, this is a must.
Also, international hotspots and cocktail festivals are increasingly featuring fermentation-driven programs. Melbourne, Sydney, London, Tokyo – bars in culinary cities are often early adopters. The Latch (Australia) has already featured articles on fermented cocktails as part of bar-trend coverage.
Beyond that, smaller bars with kitchen crossover, bars that emphasize house-made syrups, and those that define themselves as “culinary cocktail bars” are fertile ground. Ask your local craft cocktail bar whether they do fermented syrups, shrubs, or barrel-aging — you might be surprised.
How to experiment with fermentation at home
Want to tap into this world without needing a full-on mixology lab? Here are practical ideas, with safety and flavor in mind.
Start small: Begin with something simple, like a fermented citrus. For example, lactoferment lemons or limes, or ferment citrus peels to create an acid component richer than plain juice.
Ferment fruit / sugar mixtures: Fruit + sugar + water = a “wild ferment” opportunity. Let strawberries or berries sit (ideally with yeasts present, some covered loosely), then strain off liquid for a syrup or flavoring.
Use cultured ingredients: Miso, koji, kimchi, sauerkraut brine, kombucha — all of these can be sources of flavor. Perhaps you mix a bit of miso into a syrup, or use kimchi brine in place of a salty component, or dilute kombucha (without over-carbonation) into a tall drink.
Clarify and texture tricks: If you’re using plant milks or even dairy, explore milk-washing or acid clarification. Tollius’ work demonstrates how clarifying plant-based milks with lactic acid can yield a creamy texture without the heavier mouthfeel of full dairy.
Balance is everything: Funk is powerful. You’ll need to rethink sweet, sour, bitter, and alcohol strength to make sure you don’t overwhelm. For many fermented cocktails, acidity (such as vinegar, lactic acid, or sour ferments) plays a larger role than in classic sours; umami or salt components can serve in small doses to enhance flavors rather than dominate.
Sanitation & monitoring: Fermentation means live microbes. Use clean equipment, keep fermenting jars covered (but allowing gas to escape), monitor temperature, and taste frequently. If mold (especially fuzzy, colored patches) appears, or smells really bad (not pleasantly funky), discard.
Time & patience: Some fermentations take days, others weeks or months. Tollius noted that certain misos (especially barley miso) can take up to two months to reach the desired flavor profile.
The future is funky
Fermentation is rewriting cocktail culture in at least three ways: by broadening flavor profiles to include savory and umami; by connecting cocktails to food culture, terroir, and identity; and by making drinks more sustainable (re-using fruit, brines, cultures, etc.). For drinkers, that means unexpected experiences, more nuanced sips, and cocktails that do more than just sweet-and-spirit.
If you like your cocktails bold, complex, maybe even a little strange, embrace the funk. Because fermentation isn’t just a trend. It’s becoming a foundation.
