The headline news for this year’s Brands Report is the success of Fords gin. Never before has a brand debuted in Bartenders’ Choice at the top of the ranking. Despite being made in south London, the brand is thriving in the US under the leadership of Brown-Forman, but this latest achievement can be attributed to its recent engagement in Europe – including the opening of a branded Martini bar at its own Thames Distillery.

It’s important to note that the Bartenders’ Choice section is opinion based rather than data led. We simply ask each participating bar to list three brands they’ve enjoyed working with the most over the previous 12 months. Of the bars polled, Fords was declared a top-three favourite by 16%, just ahead of regular member Tanqueray.

Diageo’s flagship gin has topped the Bartenders’ Choice league in precisely 50% of the 17 Brands Report editions, while Michter’s, Ocho, Fortaleza, Boatyard, Hendrick’s and Johnnie Walker have all been regulars. Aside from Fords, the other standouts were the debut inclusions of Italian vodka Altamura and mezcal The Lost Explorer, two brands which have consistently engaged with the top end of the bar trade for the past few years.

The key observation from last year’s edition was the dominance of gin and agave in Bartenders’ Choice. This theme continues into 2026, with the top three dominated by gin brands and the combined categories making up seven of the top 10. Once again, there’s no room for rum, a sector which once frequented this ranking.

How we did it

The Brands Report has been released every January for the past 16 years and aims to provide data analytics into the buying habits of consumers in the world’s best bars.

To collect the data, we first curate a sample of industry-acclaimed bars from a combination of The World’s 50 Best Bars and its regional North America and Asia lists.

In order to ensure the best global coverage, about 5% of the poll were ‘editor’s picks’ – highly rated bars in regions less represented to assure a truly global data pool reflective of the current bar industry. Each year the panel rotates to ensure a fair and accurate set of results.

As part of the survey, we ask each bar owner or head bartender to dig out their sales spreadsheets and rank the three bestselling products in each spirits category, as well as beer, champagne and mixers. The bestselling list is based on hard data, while top trending is more subjective – the brand which isn’t necessarily shifting big volumes but is seen as in vogue by each bar. Often, the brands that figure highly in the trending list move on to the bestselling list the following year, as curiosity and excitement transition to weight of sales.

We also ask our poll to declare the house pour in some of the world’s bestselling classic cocktails. The drinks are chosen to specifically represent major spirits categories and are generally big hitters in the Cocktail Report’s list of the 50 bestselling classic cocktails, due to launch in spring.

To view the page-turner edition of the Brands Report click here.

The Brands Report will be serialised on drinksint.com throughout January.