Fruits are a workhorse behind the bar, and when the weather warms up fruits often take center stage on drinks menus. As a flavor category, fruit is broad—it can be sweet, tart, acidic, and more—lending itself to versatility in mixology. Most fruit flavors are approachable and easy to anticipate, making them familiar and comfortable for bar guests, but fruit can also add complexity and interesting flavor combinations, creating both sophisticated and accessible drinks, depending on how they’re used. Bartenders around the country lean into fruit for spring and summer menus, a trend that’s embraced widely.
“People love fruit-forward cocktails—they create a feeling of freshness and connection to the seasons,” says John David Hammond, the general manager of Acre, a southern-influenced restaurant in Auburn, Alabama. “Fruit is a vehicle, it can add freshness, depth, brightness, and juiciness. Fruit-forward cocktails do extremely well during the spring and summer, when people want to enjoy the warmer weather and the fresher produce that comes along with it.”
Acre offers fruity cocktails year-round but ramps up the selection for warmer seasons. The venue often debuts themed menus in spring and summer that are centered around a particular fruit. Its Peach Bar, usually open in May, boasts several cocktails made with fresh peaches and hasbecome a guest favorite. To usher in spring this year, Acre introduced the Foxtail ($14), made with strawberry-infused Beefeater gin, lemon juice, Disaronno amaretto, orgeat syrup, and egg white, and the Sunday Bloody Sunday ($14), mixing fresh-squeezed blood orange juice with Corazón Blanco Tequila, Aperol, ginger, lemon, and cucumber.
“Both drinks are indicative of springtime,” Hammond says. “They’re fresh, bright, and juicy, but still balanced with enough depth of flavor to stand up to crisp spring evenings. We try to create drinks that offer more than one note and that can be dressed up or down depending on what mood the guest is in.”
In Las Vegas, fruit shines at Amaya Modern Mexican, a restaurant in The Cosmopolitan resort on The Strip. Bartender Nikki Inthavong says the venue is leaning into exotic and tropical fruits this spring, especially lychee and pear, and she adds that the bar plays with fruit in a variety of mediums, from purées and juices to syrups, shrubs, and infusions. Fruity drinks make up a significant portion of the cocktail menu at Amaya, and the bar continues to add more fruit-forward drinks in response to guest demand.
Fruit features heavily in the venue’s Margaritas, which are perennial top-sellers. The concept’s most popular drinks include the Flor de la Pasión ($22), made with Espolòn Blanco Tequila, St-Germain Elderflower and Cointreau liqueurs, blueberry purée, lemon juice, and lavender syrup. “Fruit-forward cocktails have become a defining part of our drinks program,” Inthavong says. “They’re consistently among our best sellers because they’re approachable, flavorful, and visually inviting. These drinks create a vibrant, immersive moment for our guests.”
Chicago bar The Bamboo Room emphasizes tropical drinks—a realm where fruit is critical—and one of its recent features centers around banana. The Jamaican Ten Speed ($19) combines cacao butter and banana-washed Probitas rum, house-made banana cordial, lime and pineapple juices, and honeydew melon shaved ice for a modern take on a classic tropical drink. “Tropical cocktails are fundamentally fruit-forward and are meant to highlight fresh fruits, but with that they’re traditionally known for their strength (in alcohol), and the use of juices helps subdue that, making a more palatable, enjoyable drinks experience,” says bar manager Tyler MacLellan. “We’re always exploring new flavors and fruits. People love fruit-forward drinks.”