ATLANTA, Georgia—Kimpton, part of IHG Hotels & Resorts’ luxury and lifestyle portfolio, released its annual Culinary + Cocktail Trend Forecast, which shares predictions from its global restaurant and beverage team. From salted egg yolks and chili crunch fusions to mushroom-infused teas and freeze-dried fruit powder garnishes, Kimpton’s team shares the ingredients, menu items, and techniques that will come to the table in 2025.
“Kimpton’s in-house culinary and beverage experts are delivering innovative and memorable experiences while keeping a pulse on the ingredients and influences that will set the tone for what’s trending in the kitchen and behind the bar,” said Scott Gingerich, vice president of restaurants, bars, and events, Luxury & Lifestyle Americas, IHG Hotels & Resorts. “Through expansive experiences that inspire our guests paired with the ambiance of the space and the food on the plate, we’re setting new standards for the industry and creating truly spectacular moments for all who enter our restaurants and bars.”
Below are findings from the Culinary + Cocktail Trend Forecast for 2025.
2025 Culinary Trends
Ingredients on the Rise
- Takes On Tahini: Known for its richer and toastier flavor, black tahini will be on menus with versatility ranging from black tahini noodles and black tahini ice cream to tahini lattes and cocktails on the beverage side.
- Chili Crunch Fusions: Chefs will blend ingredients like fennel seeds, peppercorn, oregano, and Marcona almonds for new fusions of chili crunch, combining its roots with global flavors to create variation, including Italian styles for topping seafood dishes like crudo and octopus or pizza.
- A Twist on Black Limes: Made by blanching limes in brine and sun-drying them, these limes have a combination of sweet and sour flavors and can be eaten sliced, whole, or ground in dishes like soup, stew,s or in seasoning for a finish.
Salted Egg Yolk
This ingredient has been a staple in traditional Chinese dishes, offering a umami flavor and saltiness for items like a pasta or topping a Caesar salad.
Elevated Snacking
Tapas and shareable boards will evolve in new directions such as Middle Eastern-inspired mezze platters; a greater seafood focus with ingredients like Tempura Fine de Claire oysters, red prawn tartare, and seared foie gras; and vegan cheese boards.
Dishes that Soothe the Seoul
As third generation chefs infuse their cultural roots with new techniques, Korean cuisine will continue to embed itself in U.S. comfort foods with dishes like Kimchi Eggs Benedict.
Southeast Asia on a Plate
Ingredients, dishes, and flavors from this region, particularly Filipino, Burmese, and Indonesian cuisine, will inspire menus across the country from breakfast basics to traditional pasta dishes to coffee.
Get Smart on Oil
Consumers are turning their attention to the qualities and applications of oils. Chefs and home cooks will further explore the flavors of cooking, salad, and finishing oils such as toasted sesame, coconut, and avocado oil to bring out the dimensions of each dish.
2025 Cocktail/Beverage Trends
Ingredients on the Rise
- Super Juice: Acid correction is a technique that allows bartenders to sustainably mimic flavors not locally available, such as using acid-corrected local citruses in Roatán in the Caribbean to replace lemons in cocktails.
- Vegan Clarified and Fermented Milks: From almond milk-based cocktails with bourbon, cinnamon., and nutmeg to coconut milk with tequila and amaretto, clarified non-dairy milks will bring a creamy texture to beverages. Fermented milks like Kefir and goat’s milk with clarified lime will further bring a combination of salty, sour, and umami.
- Freeze-Dried Fruit and Veggie Powders: Freeze drying fruits or vegetables enhances both flavor and texture in beverages. This zero waste cooking technique will also allow chefs and bartenders to repurpose leftover produce.
Transformative Techniques
Bartenders are experimenting with the foundations of a cocktail by using techniques like sous vide for prep and serving, forced carbonation for effervescence, and clarified citrus to augment beverages before they even reach the mixing stage. These techniques allow for combinations like homemade sparkling coconut water or salted plum syrup.
Reimagining the Classics
The top four beverages dominating cocktail menus in 2025:
- Classic Martini: Martinis will continue evolving with ingredients like pickle brine, wasabi, and seasonal ingredients such as vanilla, amaretto, and cinnamon.
- Midori Sour: The lightly-sweetened Japanese melon liquor will make a comeback with a cocktail option with a sweet and tangy taste.
- Highball Variations: Simple cocktails with minimal ingredients will be popular 2025, and a highball is an adaptable solution with options including Japanese whiskey, tequila, or gin.
- Carajillos: This Latin-American inspired beverage uses espresso and Licor 43.
Spiced Fruit Leather Gets Garnished
Spiced fruit leather made from mangos, strawberries, apricots, peaches, and plums, mixed with chili or habanero, offers a garnish options that can enhance the flavor notes of its paired spirit while offering a way to use leftover or overripe fruit.
Functional Teas and Coffees
A focus on functional uses of tea and coffee will come to light with mushrooms including ashwagandha, reishi, and damiana used for their nutritional powers in coffee and adaptogens and teas with intention like herbal for after dinner or green teas for energy.
Embracing Non-Alcohol Culture
The dedication to non-alcohol culture while maintaining the integrity and spirit of the drink will be featured across cocktail menus, leaning into well drinks that have non-alcoholic distilled ingredients, like botanicals, herbs, and roots, rather than processed alternatives.
2025 Dining Trends
Embracing Newstalgia
Chefs and mixologists will lean into ‘newstalgia’ by adding twists on classic dishes. From pairing comfort foods like corn dogs with toppings including lobster, truffles, or caviar, to incorporating childhood visuals like an edible toy garnish on beverages, restaurant and bar teams will embrace retro.
Sound Immersion
Experts predict a focus on infusing auditory and sound immersion into the dining experience to enhance the journey in new ways, from curated playlists with upbeat sounds for brunch to relaxed tunes that invite guests to linger longer over dinner and cozier tracks for the winter season.
