When it comes to cocktail trends Drinks International is an authority. For almost 20 years we’ve collected data from the world’s top bars to track their bestselling classic cocktails. In 2023 this became its own supplement called the Cocktail Report, centred around a list of the 50 bestselling classic cocktails in the world’s best bars.

The current top nine (Negroni, Old Fashioned, Margarita, Espresso Martini, Daiquiri, Whiskey Sour, Dry Martini, Aperol Spritz, Paloma) were the same as in 2024, which highlights the consistency of classic cocktail trends. However, there were anomalies and up 20 places to 11th was the Pornstar Martini – or Passionfruit Martini as The Portman Group would like to point out.

In volume terms, the Passionfruit Martini is a major player globally and this sudden surge up the top 50 suggests it’s becoming a more serious drink, shaking off its ‘guilty pleasure’ label which the Piña Colada and White Russian similarly suffer. Born in the early 2000s under Douglas Ankrah at London’s Townhouse bar, the cocktail was originally dubbed the Maverick Martini before adopting the more hedonistic title. The drink was also originally served with champagne, which Ankrah believed added a touch of glamour to the otherwise tropical serve before it was replaced with prosecco – a likely cost-cutting move by brands and bar groups as the drink turned mainstream.

A few years ago, Julian de Feral spoke with Ankrah about the cocktail’s origin. “People drink with their eyes, and I wanted to make a drink that was immediately recognisable and stuck out in a busy bar,” said Ankrah.

De Feral states that Ankrah’s original ritual of the drink was to first eat the seeds from the passion fruit with a spoon, then drink the drink, alternating with sips of champagne.

Seldom do you see a Passionfruit Martini served with a spoon today, nor does it come with champagne, and often the passion fruit garnish is used as a float for the prosecco shot. Whether this is an upgrade is up for debate, but it certainly involves less faff for consumers while still maintaining an element of theatre.

Over the subsequent 20 years bartenders have pre-batched, clarified, frozen and probably set fire to a Passionfruit Martini, while others have replaced ingredients and swapped garnish. But the backbone of the drink remains consistent – vodka, passion fruit, vanilla.

And while some bars pre-batch for consistency and time saving, brands have invested in their own ready-to-drink serves. As chair for this section in the International Spirits Challenge, the three biggest entries of classics are Margaritas, Espressos and Passionfruit Martinis. Back in 2016 when the section was introduced, a bottled or canned Passionfruit Martini was largely a luminous orange with intense vanilla, but now they’re consistently good.

De Kuyper’s 0% version earned Double Gold in 2024 while the Passion Star Martini Cocktail by Marks & Spencer has also been a regular head-turner. What once were just train drinks have become genuine ambassadors for the Passionfruit Martini brand.

Mai Tai

At the other end of the spectrum is the Mai Tai, which dropped 19 places to land at 38 in the top 50 this year. The history of the drink dates back more than 80 years to when Victor Jules Bergeron (Trader Vic) made it with 17-year-old Wray & Nephew, orange curaçao, orgeat, rock candy (double strength) syrup and lime juice – essentially, a Daiquiri with fancy bits.

But if the Daiquiri is as popular as ever in top bars, why is the Mai Tai struggling? Well, a Mai Tai is generally sweeter than a Daiquiri given the addition of curaçao, orgeat and more sugar, and sweet drinks aren’t in right now. It also uses crushed ice, straws and often a big garnish, which also ‘aren’t in’.

Based on the Isle of Man is Kiki Lounge, a UK Top 50 Cocktail Bar and member of the Pinnacle Guide. The venue has an unapologetic tiki theme and therefore a menu featuring all the traditional tiki drinks, including a Mai Tai.

“While we’ve noticed a shift in aesthetic over the past few years towards clean, minimal drinks served crystal clear over a single cube, often ungarnished; the Mai Tai is still a firm favourite at Kiki Lounge,” says co-owner Jamie Lewis.

Jamie Lewis

“Perhaps that’s to be expected from a tropical bar as the Mai Tai is the litmus test of any self-respecting one anyway. Ours is built on a traditional structure, using a blend of St Lucian Chairman’s Reserve Legacy, Martinique’s Clément Ambré, Hurricane Overproof Manx Rum from local distillers Outlier, apricot brandy and the requisite lime and orgeat.”

In reference to the Mai Tai’s drop in the Cocktail Report, Lewis adds: “Part of the reason the Mai Tai might have slipped down the rankings is how far it’s been pulled from those traditional roots that we try to honour.

The Kiki's Mai Tai

“In some bars, the recipe’s been bastardised beyond recognition, drenched in fruit juice, drowned in sugar, made with cheap rum – and the end result is a drink that barely resembles what it should be.

“Guests try one once, decide it’s cloying and unbalanced, and write it off entirely. At Kiki’s, we try to strike a balance. If the drink itself is clean and simple, we let the garnish do the heavy lifting – colourful, kitsch, maybe a bit over the top. We like our drinks to look as fun as they taste. It’s our way of keeping the colour, camp and tropical flamboyance alive, without compromising on technique or flavour.

“So while it’s no surprise to see the Mai Tai fall out of step with the current wave of minimalism, we’re not losing sleep over it. We might be an outlier, but we’re more than happy to hold the line, and if trends have taught us anything, it’s that what drops off today tends to swing back around soon enough.”