Tales of the Cocktail has come and gone in 2025 and left us with a clearer portrait of the state of mixology. The latest cocktail trends change on a dime but this annual gathering in New Orleans tends to reveal some of the biggest themes in the game. While we might be able to officially say goodbye to the espresso Martini, at least for now, we can also embrace a few other emerging factors.
TOTC’s annual competition is called the Spirited Awards. Winners this year spanned the country as well as various niches within the industry at large. It was the 19th installment of the awards, put on by the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation and considered to be The Oscars of the bar world.
Categories include everything from international bartender of the year (Lorenzo Antinori of Bar Leone in Hong Kong) to best U.S. brand ambassador (Natasha Sofia of Mijenta Tequila). Winners are selected by a panel of more than 250 industry insiders. Here are some major takeaways from the 2025 Spirited Awards, which help explain the current state of mixology.
Spain as an epicenter
The best new International bar went to one in Madrid, a reflection of the elevated scene there and a renewed interest in things like vermouth. But it goes deeper than that. The Spanish lifestyle has become more popular in the States and has a way of weaving into our cocktail and culinary cultures, whether that’s tinned fish for dinner or a mixed drink made with cava or some other Spanish wine. We’ve even seen a renaissance of sorts in the Sangria category, with bartenders making more complex versions that taste like way more than just fruited wine.
Tropical flavors
The best new spirit award went to a coconut rum, a telling tale about the prominence of tropical flavors right now. Retro tiki drinks are enjoying a resurgence, courtesy of a renewed interest in rum as well as house-made inputs like orgeat. The pineapple cocktail trend continues to roll and things like National Mai Tai Day, perhaps a gimmick years ago, are now taken pretty seriously by from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Hotel bars also continue to get a lot of attention at TOTC and that speaks to not only elevated programs across the globe, but a fondness for drinks that conjure up faraway, often tropical places. A brightly-flavored and well-made cocktail in London in the winter can evoke a beach near the equator. It just takes a skilled staff and trending ingredients like guava and yuzu.
Women breaking through
Many top awards went to women as the industry continues to diversify for the better. Examples include Christine Kim of Service Bar in Washington D.C. She was named U.S. bartender of the year by TOTC. The best new book on drinks culture, history, or spirits went to The Cocktail Parlor: How Women Brought the Cocktail Home by Nicola Nice. Beloved mixologist Lynette Marrero, perhaps most famous for creating Speed Rack, the planet’s first all-female speed bartending competition, took home the Tales Visionary Award for 2025. And, increasingly, the faces behind many of the winning bars are those of women.
Domination of Trick Dog
The storied San Francisco bar wins yet again. How do they keep chalking up victories? By reinventing the wheel over and over again. The place remains a sanctuary for good drinks, clever enough to satisfy the cocktail nerd while approachable enough to lure in the regular. There are so, so many great San Francisco bars and for Trick Dog to stand out so perennially is no easy feat.
We were also pleased to see some cities besides NYC, London, Mexico City, and the like get some love. Edinburgh is home to Panda & Sons, which was awarded the best international bar team. Phoenix score points too, being home to the Courtyard by Marriott and hotel bar Little Rituals, deemed best U.S. hotel bar.
Sip & Guzzle won Best New Cocktail Bar at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail. The head bartender, Steve. Schneider, appreciates how TOTC doesn’t just focus on the big cities. “I think TOTC is a good gauge because the committees are equally disbursed in the US between regions (East, Central, West). This helps make sure there are no major biases and gives smaller markets a chance to shine on a big stage,” he says.
What trends will emerge after next year’s event? Who knows. Perhaps we’ll start seeing more awards for things like non-alcoholic menus or bars with significant community involvement. Perhaps the next big ingredient will be gooseberry. Perhaps a long-forgotten cocktail like the Yellow Parrot, a mashup of Absinthe, apricot liqueur, and Yellow Chartreuse, will come roaring back.
Time will tell. This writer is predicting a sharp turn towards savory at some point, just not sure when. It’ll be fun to see what unfolds behind the bar.
