Vermouth and soda with olives is the order bartenders have been hoping to hear all summer. It is quiet, low-ABV and pulled straight from the European aperitivo hour. The bartenders who track what’s next are already pouring it, and American bars are catching up fast.
Alexandria Bowler, lead bartender at Emeril’s in New Orleans, named it her pick for the drink of this summer in a recent industry survey. It’s a simple pour, a lightly fortified wine topped with sparkling water and finished with a few good olives, and it carries the kind of confidence that comes from knowing something before everyone else does. It’s arriving on menus at exactly the right moment.
Aperitifs beat spirits at the bar
The numbers back this up. A 2026 drinks industry report found that cordials, aperitifs and amari now outpace gin, vodka, whiskey and rum at bars surveyed across London and Paris. Southern Glazer’s, the world’s largest beverage alcohol distributor, led the research. When their team calls a trend, American bars tend to follow. Vermouth is at the center of that move.
The low-ABV crowd grows fast
More people are choosing lighter drinks. A recent beverage report found 51% of consumers now want low-ABV cocktails. That’s a majority. And a 2026 cocktail trends report found 34% of younger US consumers are drinking earlier in the evening, a habit the report calls the “daycap,” straight from European aperitivo culture. Vermouth and soda was made for exactly that moment.
What makes vermouth different
Most people think vermouth is just a cocktail mixer. It’s not. It’s a wine base infused with botanicals, herbs, roots and spices, bottled between 15 and 18% ABV, and meant to be sipped on its own. Small-production bottles from producers like Dolin, Lo-Fi Aperitifs and Mancino bring a complexity that mass-market bottles don’t. Add cold soda water, a handful of olives and pour it over ice. Bowler noted in the recent bartender survey it pairs perfectly with tinned fish, good butter, pickles and crusty bread, the kind of spread showing up on bar tables everywhere right now.
This is just the beginning
Consumer interest in fortified wine cocktails sits at 46%, according to the same beverage report. That means a large share of drinkers haven’t discovered this category yet. Industry cocktail forecasters predict Italian aperitif-forward pours will push the Aperol Spritz aside this season. Vermouth and soda is the easiest way in. No technique required, no obscure bottle to track down. Just a pour that tastes like a summer afternoon in Barcelona.
Jennifer Allen is a retired professional chef and long-time writer. Her work appears in dozens of publications, including MSN, Yahoo, The Washington Post and The Seattle Times. These days, she’s busy in the kitchen developing recipes and traveling the world, and you can find all her best creations at Cook What You Love.