Spirits Trends to Watch: Bar Convent Brooklyn 2025
Published 19 June 2025
Spirits trade show Bar Convent Brooklyn (June 10-11) presented an industry in flux, adapting to marked shifts in drinking patterns and preferences. We highlight brands embracing the booming categories of ready-to-drink cocktails, low- or no-alcohol beverages and lighter, more easy-drinking fare, alongside a crop of distinctive heritage-inspired products.
The RTD Revolution
Lighter Sips for Realigned Drinking Patterns
Leaning Into Low/No
Remaking Heritage-Inspired Recipes
Ready-to-drink (RTD) is an industry hotspot, aligned with the trend towards more casual consumption (see Lighter Sips for Realigned Drinking Patterns, below). American research giant NielsenIQ has declared RTD to be alcohol’s “new fourth mega-category” (alongside beer, wine and spirits), and globally, RTD consumption grew in 16 of the top 20 markets last year (IWSR, 2025).
Ready-to-drink (RTD) is an industry hotspot, aligned with the trend towards more casual consumption (see Lighter Sips for Realigned Drinking Patterns, below). American research giant NielsenIQ has declared RTD to be alcohol’s “new fourth mega-category” (alongside beer, wine and spirits), and globally, RTD consumption grew in 16 of the top 20 markets last year (IWSR, 2025).
‘Occasion shifts’ represent a key opportunity, as highlighted by Adam Rogers, North American research director for London-based alcohol industry research group IWSR. “Consumption is shifting from late-night to daytime and early evening […] People are going out earlier, drinking less and choosing lighter or lower-ABV options,” Rogers said.
With moderation now the defining approach for many drinkers, a diverse range of low- and no-ABV beverages represented a robust niche at the show. The IWSR’s Rogers framed moderation as a key trend reshaping the market, with no-alcohol (NA) categories now outpacing their full-strength counterparts in growth.
A wave of founders are reconceptualising recipes from their roots for the contemporary market – playing to consumers increasingly intrigued by traditional foodways and less familiar formulas and flavours (see America’s New Global Palate).
Spirits Trends to Watch: Bar Convent Brooklyn 2025
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