Every January, someone in a nice blazer publishes a "trends report". It says things like "consumers are seeking elevated moments". I read it, I nod, and then I go and serve a man from Ilkley who just wants a lager that doesn't taste like a wet Tuesday.
So here's a different kind of trends report. No blazer. Just what people are actually putting in their baskets at our taproom in Otley, and what they're asking me about across the counter.
I've ranked them by how hard I rolled my eyes. Some of these are brilliant. One involves mushrooms.
The short answer
The biggest non-alcoholic drinks trends in 2026 are sparkling tea instead of wine, grown-up canned cocktails, agave and smoky spirit alternatives, beers sold for after a run, shrubs (drinking vinegars, stay with me) and zebra striping going mainstream. The trend that's fading is the sad lime and soda. Good riddance.
If you want the deeper stuff, I've written separately about how alcohol-free drinks are made and where they're heading, and about which posh bottles are worth paying more for. This one is just: what's flying off the shelf right now.
1. Sparkling tea is taking wine's seat at the table
Eye-roll rating: 0/10. This one's the real deal.
People who used to have a bottle of rosé with dinner are swapping in sparkling tea. Not a sad teabag in fizzy water. Proper blends of fine teas, made to drink like wine. Copenhagen Sparkling Tea LYSERØD is the driest of the range: red berries, red apple, oolong and hibiscus, with a lightly bitter finish. It's the alcohol-free swap for rosé I wish I'd had in my wine-drinking days.
As a former big wine drinker, I find this trend personally very validating. Like Rocky finally getting the rematch.
2. Canned cocktails have grown up
Eye-roll rating: 2/10. Points off for the ones that taste like melted ice lollies. Not these, though.
Ready-to-drink cocktails used to be sticky things you'd find in a petrol station. Now they're properly built. The Savyll Paloma uses real pink grapefruit and lime juice. The Mocktails Espress0% Martini comes in a nitro can and forms a crema when you pour it cold. It's basically a magic trick for people who can't be bothered to shake anything.
The whole range lives in pre-mixed cocktails, for when you want the cocktail but not the washing up.
3. Agave and smoke: the ex-spirits crowd want flavour
Eye-roll rating: 1/10.
The early alcohol-free spirits were mostly gin-ish. Now the tequila and whisky fans have turned up, and they're not here for cucumber. Seven Giants Blanco is made with organic blue agave, with vanilla, floral notes and a hint of smoke. It's built for margaritas and palomas.
And for anyone who loved a peaty Islay (in a previous life, I was that man), Glen Dochus Island brings peat smoke, sea spray and a bit of tar. Mix it one to three with water or a mixer. It's not for sipping neat, and it'll tell you so.
4. Beer for after your run
Eye-roll rating: 6/10. Not at the beer. At the people.
Isotonic alcohol-free beers are everywhere now. Cold Bath ISO is a helles lager from Harrogate that actually went to a lab and came back with the paperwork to prove it's isotonic. Very Harrogate. Goxoa IPA was built by triathletes, which tells you everything.
The beers are great. My eye-roll is for the trend that comes with them. You know the type: swapped hangovers for a five-hour run at dawn, now posts their splits on Instagram, and is somehow still out of the game by Saturday night, just for different reasons. I'll be on the sofa. With a lager.
5. Shrubs: yes, it's vinegar, no, don't leave
Eye-roll rating: 3/10. Mostly because explaining it takes a while.
A shrub is a drinking vinegar: fruit, sugar and vinegar, ready to top up with something fizzy. It sounds like something your nan used to clean windows with. It tastes brilliant. Treguddick Garden Rhubarb uses British rhubarb and is sharp, sweet and sour all at once. Top it up with sparkling water or alcohol-free fizz and you've got a drink with real bite.
6. Zebra striping goes mainstream
Eye-roll rating: 0/10. I love this one.
More people are alternating, one alcoholic drink, one alcohol-free, rather than going all or nothing. Even the NHS's tips on cutting down suggest swapping in non-alcoholic drinks. It's easy, it's sociable, and nobody has to make an announcement. Here's my page on zebra striping if you want to try it.
7. "Functional" everything
Eye-roll rating: 10/10. Get the eye drops.
Adaptogens. Nootropics. Mushrooms that promise to "unlock your flow state". That's a banned word, by the way. I've put a pound in the jar. Some of these drinks taste great, and some makers are honest about what's in them. But plenty of labels lean on buzzwords so hard they've forgotten to make the drink taste nice.
My rule: buy it because you love the taste. If it does anything else, that's a bonus, not a reason. A drink can't do the job of sleep, a walk and a decent dinner. Believe me, I run a drinks shop. I've checked.
Want to see the new stuff?
My mate Andy and I sat down and opened 20-odd of the newest drinks on camera. You can watch us pull faces in new alcohol-free drinks, unboxed. Some are winners. Some, less so. You'll be able to tell from my eyebrows.
The serious bit
Drinks up to 0.5% ABV count as alcohol-free in the UK, but that isn't 0.0%, so check the label if you need zero. Some drinks in this post contain caffeine or added ingredients, so if you're pregnant or on medication, check with your GP first. If you're worried about your drinking, Drinkaware and the NHS have free support.
Kombucha Kev, Functional Drinks Club
