Bar Pantry: Hot Ingredients Used in the World’s Best Bars

You know that moment mid-shift, when you’re restocking your station and wondering what’s next for our craft? Same. So I took some time to dig through menus from the world’s best bars and scroll through articles from Punch, Imbibe, and The Spirits Business, looking for the ingredients that are quietly (or loudly) shaping the cocktail world right now.

From koji pineapple at Double Chicken Please (NYC) to shiso and clarified cereal milk at Handshake Speakeasy (Mexico City), and mushroom distillates at Sips (Barcelona), these are the flavors bartenders are playing with, whether they’re already on your mise en place or something you’ve never poured before. Some have been in rotation for years in certain regions, while others are just starting to pop up on menus; either way, they’re worth a closer look if you want to stay sharp, inspired, and one step ahead of your next menu refresh.

This isn’t just trend-chasing; it’s a behind-the-bar pantry check for 2025–2026. What are we experimenting with? What are guests responding to? And what’s making bartenders around the world excited again? Let’s go through it, one hot ingredient at a time.

1. Tomato Water

Not new, but newly respected — bringing clarity and umami to the martini era.

Origin: Mediterranean

Why it’s hot: Clear, savory, and elegant; acidity without pulp

Usage: Martini riffs, clarified Bloody Marys, highballs, cordials.

Seen at: Paradiso (Barcelona) — “Atlantide” uses redistilled bergamot and tomato water

2. Mushroom (Porcini, Shiitake, Enoki)

From garnish to base note — mushroom is the quiet hero of umami.

Origin: Global

Why it’s hot: Deep savory complexity, part of the kitchen-bar crossover

Usage: Base infusions, mushroom distillates, tinctures, garnish

Seen at: Handshake Speakeasy (Mexico City) — “Butter Mushroom Old Fashioned”

3. Coconut Water

Hydration meets hedonism — a natural bridge between flavor and function.

Origin: Southeast Asia, Brazil

Why it’s hot: Low-sugar, clean texture, healthy perception

Usage: Highballs, espresso martinis, non-alc bases, sour agents, dillution.

Seen at: Everywhere — Acidified Coconut Water already replacing alternative sour agents on menus globaly.

4. Shiso

That aromatic green leaf popping up in half the world’s martinis right now.

Origin: Japan/Korea

Why it’s hot: Fragrant, mint-basil hybrid that bridges savory and floral

Usage: Oleo-saccharums, tinctures, infused gins, liqueurs.

Seen at: Seed Library (London) — Purple Shiso Martini.

5. Matcha

Vivid, vegetal, and utterly Instagrammable.

Origin: Japan

Why it’s hot: Umami and caffeine in one; bridges wellness and flavor

Usage: Slushy, foams, clarified matcha punches.

Seen at: Almost every social media account.

6. Pandan

The “green vanilla” of Southeast Asia now has a passport.

Origin: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand

Why it’s hot: Tropical aroma with nostalgia and color

Usage: Clarified milk punches, syrups, liqueurs, garnishes.

Seen at: Featured in World’s 50 Best article “Why pandan is the hottest cocktail ingredient right now.”

7. Amaro + Agave Pairings

The M&M - IYKYK

Origin: Italy + Mexico

Why it’s hot: Bitter and smoke balance; bartenders love its flexibility

Usage: Mezcal-Amaro Negronis, tequila-bitter spritzes, NAKED & FAMOUS

Seen at: Covered by Punch as a global “bartender handshake” combo.

8. Koji

The bartender’s new favorite ferment — umami magic in small doses.

Origin: Japan

Why it’s hot: Sweet-salty depth from fermentation; part of the “kitchen lab” movement

Usage: Cordials, syrups, ferments

Seen at: Double Chicken Please (NYC) — Koji Cucumbers on food menu; Seed Library in the undying Lyan classic - Koji Hardshake

9. Seaweed / Kelp / Saline Tinctures

When your martini smells like the sea — in a good way.

Origin: Japan / Nordic coasts

Why it’s hot: Adds minerality and precision to otherwise neutral drinks

Usage: Saline tinctures, kelp vermouths, oceanic martinis, sour agents.

Seen at: Himkok (Oslo) — house vermouth with kelp.

10. Toasted Grains & Cereal Infusions

Breakfast meets backbar — toasted, infused, and clarified.

Origin: Global — driven by the kitchen-bar crossover

Why it’s hot: Toasted grains (corn, oat, rice) bring nostalgic warmth, creamy texture, and a malty backbone to modern cocktails.

Usage: Toasted corn–infused tequila; oat-soda highballs; puffed-rice syrup; cereal-milk cordials; grain-based clarifications that give body without dairy.

Seen at: Thunderbolt (LA) — Oat Soda cocktail combines oat-infused spirits and carbonation for silky texture.

11. Tea Champagne / Sparkling Tea

Fizz without booze — for when bubbles meet botanicals.

Origin: Global

Why it’s hot: Sophisticated low-ABV alternative

Usage: Carbonated tea cordials, tea “champagne” service

Seen at: Handshake Speakeasy (Mexico City) — “Tea Champagne” category on menu

12. Tamarind

Sweet, sour, earthy — the quiet power player from Mexico to Mumbai.

Origin: Africa / India / Latin America

Why it’s hot: Funky acidity; pairs perfectly with agave and rum

Usage: Sours, punches, clarified cordial bases

Seen at: Licorería Limantour (Mexico City) — uses tamarind syrup in several house classics.

13. Guava Leaf

Floral, green, and modern-tropical — the new “tiki” without the clichés.

Origin: Caribbean / Southeast Asia

Why it’s hot: Aromatic complexity and terroir-driven identity

Usage: Infused cordials, tea reductions, long tropical builds

Seen at: Little Red Door (Paris) — “Grounded Ingredients” menu includes guava leaf infusions.

14. Whey — The Sustainable Secret Weapon

Once a by-product, now a backbone of clarity and texture.

Origin: Global — revived from traditional milk-punch methods

Why it’s hot: Bar teams and chefs alike are finding ways to repurpose leftover yogurt or milk curds into clarified bases. Whey adds gentle acidity, natural sweetness, and a soft body without the heaviness of cream.

Usage: Yogurt-whey clarifications; milk-punch-style filtration for fruit or coffee cocktails; kombucha-whey hybrids; whey cordials extending juice shelf life.

Seen at: Little Red Door (Paris) — experiments with yogurt-whey clarifications in seasonal menus.

15. Hoja Santa (Peper-leaf)

That fragrant Central-American herb your chef talks about — time to bring it to the bar.

Origin: Mexico (Coahuila, Karankawa tribes)

Why it’s hot: Aromatic notes of licorice, mint, tarragon, eucalyptus; unique flavour profile

Usage: Muddled in mezcal cocktails, used as garnish, in syrup form, or as an herbaceous infusion

Seen at: Selva (Oaxaca) — hoja santa is measured, rolled and used with mezcal, lemon, agave and poblano chili liquor. WIRED

16. Hōjicha (Roasted Japanese Green Tea)

If matcha got all the hype, hola hōjicha — roasted, nutty, lower-caffeine and full of potential.

Origin: Japan (Kyoto region; roasted green tea leaves)

Why it’s hot: Roasted nuts, caramel, light smoke; lower caffeine; strong wellness story

Usage: In syrups, foams, shaken cocktails, even milk-punches or non-alc variants; works with whisky, rum, cream, citrus

Sources: Trend piece “Hōjicha: The Roasted Green Tea Trend on the Rise.” Nu Products Seasoning Company

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From global staples like shiso, koji, and pandan to quieter stars like Hoja Santa, Hōjicha, and even Black Lime, bartenders are borrowing more than ever from the kitchen, and chefs are starting to look our way, too.

Some of these ingredients are already part of your prep routine; others might still be hiding in a chef’s pantry or a tea shop. Either way, they all remind us that great drinks start with flavor exploration.

So whether you’re clarifying mushroom stock, steeping roasted tea, or finally giving Hoja Santa a try, remember: the bar pantry has never been more inspiring.

Here’s to the next experiment, and the stories waiting to be poured.