The 2025 Martini Madness competition revealed a notable trend towards savory cocktails, moving away from the sweet flavors of the early '00s. Creative bartenders showcased unique drinks like Sour Cream & Onion and garlic bread-inspired variations, highlighting the increasing popularity of umami and salty profiles. Additionally, alt brines and vegetable components are becoming standard in innovative Martini recipes. This year's contest was marked by unexpected surprises and an overall shift in cocktail culture towards familiar food-inspired drinks, emphasizing evolving preferences among cocktail enthusiasts.
When Martini-mania first swept the nation in the '90s and early aughts, its countless riffs came in the form of sweet, fruity flavors like the notorious Appletini. This time around, bartenders are opting for more savory takes on the drink, with profiles leaning into salty, umami, smoky, or even vegetal territory.
We saw this concept play out across a number of this year's competitors including the trendy Sour Cream & Onion at The Corner Store, San Sabino's garlic bread-inspired riff, the veggie-forward Mirepoix Gibson at Sip & Guzzle, Manhatta's very NYC-influenced take made with everything bagel seasoning and capers.
The idea of the savory Martini also ties in with a larger, industry-wide trend of crafting cocktails that resemble familiar foods, which offers a novel experience for cocktail lovers.
We also noticed a number of salty, seaweed-spiked expressions, and alt brines, including feta brine and pepperoncini brine for riffs on the classic Dirty Martini.
Collection
[
|
...
]