Mezcal searches in Georgia grew 28% in March. Sparkling wine from lesser-known regions are in the spotlight. Ingredients that used to live exclusively in the kitchen are showing up on featured cocktail specs. The trend data and operator behavior are pointing in the same direction.
Here are the specific regions, formats, and ingredients moving fastest right now, and what each means for your program.
The Mezcal Cocktail Formats Gaining Ground
The category is past the education phase. Your guests know what mezcal is. The formats below give your team something interesting to build with it.
The Mezcal Negroni
This is the easiest entry point for guests who already drink classic Negronis. Swap gin for mezcal, keep the Campari and sweet vermouth. The structure holds. The smoke adds complexity. Build cost runs $3.50–4.50 depending on your mezcal pour. At a $15–17 price point, pour cost lands at 21–26%. Guests who order one almost always come back to it.
The Umami Mezcal Build
The sharper trend is savory. Bartenders are pairing mezcal with mushroom tinctures, miso washes, and savory modifiers. The result sits closer to a cocktail snack than a refreshing drink. These work best as a featured cocktail rather than a permanent addition. Build cost can run $5–7 depending on ingredients. Price accordingly at $18–20 minimum.
Sparkling Wine Regions Worth Knowing in 2026
The Champagne surge is real. The better opportunity is in the emerging sparkling regions sitting just below it on the price ladder. Guests who know wine are already asking for these. Guests who don't will try them on a confident recommendation.
Etna (Sicily)
Etna sparkling wines are built on Nerello Mascalese and Carricante grown on volcanic soil. The result is mineral-driven, high-acid, and unlike anything else in the sparkling category. Pour cost runs $18–28 wholesale, competitive with mid-tier Champagne. The origin story sells itself at the table.
Etna Spumante production more than doubled between 2019 and 2025, reaching nearly 200,000 bottles. These wines used to be nearly impossible to find outside of specialty retail. They're widely available now.
New Zealand
New Zealand Méthode Traditionnelle is no longer a quiet story. In 2026, buyers are treating these wines as legitimate rivals to Champagne and Franciacorta.
Across 1,600km, the styles are genuinely distinct. You have real options depending on what your list needs.
Wholesale runs $20–35 across the range. They sit comfortably above Prosecco and below Champagne on a tiered list. Pick the style that fills the gap you're trying to fill, and give your staff one regional detail to anchor the recommendation.
Corsica
Corsica is not just a rosé island. In 2026, it's one of the most interesting sparkling regions in France. Genuinely useful for a beverage program as the story sells itself.
Right now, winemakers are moving away from international varieties toward 100% indigenous sparklers. They're leaning into what the island actually has. Ancient varieties, wild herbal scrubland, high-altitude granite and schist vineyards, and an isolation that reads more like creative freedom than limitation. The result is sparkling wine that tastes like nowhere else.
Two grapes are driving the category.
- Vermentinu brings natural salinity and a sea-spray character that makes these wines immediately refreshing and distinct from anything in a standard sparkling lineup
- Sciaccarellu is used for high-end sparkling rosés and Blanc de Noirs — peppery, red-berry, with a crunch that has nothing in common with Pinot Noir
The styles range from Pét-Nat to Méthode Traditionnelle. The best wines lean into the herbal, wild character of the Corsican scrubland, not the yeasty toastiness guests expect from traditional method wines.
Cocktail Ingredients Worth Stocking Before Everyone Else Does
Yuzu Kosho and Pandan
Both are moving from kitchen prep to bar programs faster than most operators realize. Pandan, sometimes called the vanilla of Southeast Asia, brings a sweet, floral, slightly nutty profile that pairs cleanly with gin, vodka, and light rum. Yuzu kosho is fermented citrus paste with heat and funk. It works as a rim treatment, a modifier, or a garnish drop on savory builds. Neither is expensive to source.
Guajillo, Tamarind, and Prickly Pear
These are the most versatile flavors on this list. Guajillo adds dried chile warmth without direct heat. Tamarind brings a sweet-sour depth that works from Margarita riffs to whiskey builds. Prickly pear is the easiest of the three. Syrup is widely available, the color is dramatic, and guests recognize it immediately. Any of these can be added to a featured spec with minimal additional inventory.
MSG and Saline Solutions
Bartenders are using MSG and saline solutions to finish cocktails the way a chef seasons a dish. Both belong on your mezcal and spirit-forward specs specifically. A 20:1 saline solution added in 2–3 drop increments rounds out bitterness in Negroni variations and adds depth to savory builds. MSG as a rim treatment or stir-in is powering the savory martini and coastal Negroni formats. Neither costs more than a few cents per serve. Both are worth testing before your guests start noticing the difference at the place down the street.
Coconut Water as a Primary Mixer
Coconut water is moving into primary mixer territory for vodka and tequila builds, particularly in markets where guests are choosing lighter options. The math works. Wholesale runs $1.50–2.50 per serving. A featured coconut water highball priced at $12–14 delivers 15–20% pour cost and serves a growing segment of guests who feel better about what they're ordering.
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