Drink trends
The small Carlton cafe selling 6500 Mont Blanc coffees per week
Good food isn’t enough to draw a crowd in 2026. We take a look at what else Melbourne venues do to get your attention, and keep it.
- Emma Breheny
Latest
Sparkling wine spiders are the new-yet-nostalgic summer drink you never knew you needed
Turn sparkling red wine into liquid dessert with this adults-only twist on the classic ice-cream float.
- Katie Spain
Who is drinking all the pornstar martinis?
More Aussies look up the recipe for this noughties-era drink than a Daiquiri. Here’s why it’s back and why you may be drinking it without even knowing.
- Erina Starkey
- Opinion
- Best of
Raise your pornstar martinis to the most popular recipe search trends of the year
Google’s most searched recipes of the year are like 2025 itself: silly, salty and a bit of a rip-off
- Andrea McGinniss
From tacky to trendy: The Appletini cocktail is back to shake things up this summer
It’s bobbing up on drinks lists everywhere from pubs to hatted fine diners – but not quite as you may remember it. Plus, how to make your own at home.
- Fred Siggins
NSW has turned its back on local wine. It’s time that changed, say industry leaders
We’re more likely to order a NZ sauv blanc than anything from NSW, even though winemakers are shaking things up. “We’re not that any more, this is why, let us show you.”
- Bianca Hrovat
Spring’s best wines and spritzes for $30 or less (including Aldi’s super-cheap riesling)
What’s in your glass should reflect the vibrant, playful nature of the season. It’s out with winter’s hearty reds, and in with crisp whites, rosés and fizz.
- Katie Spain
- Opinion
- US Open
The $61 takeaway lunch that just proves lobster is overrated
The price tag didn’t seem to deter the punters eagerly lining up for it at the US Open. But I want my money back.
- Michael Koziol
Jalapenos in sauvignon blanc? It might be the next drink of the summer
The trend of jazzing up white wine with a slice of spice gained popularity on TikTok. It hit New York City bars in spring; now it might be coming to a pub near you.
- Michael Koziol
‘Cheese tea’, bubble and not a tea bag in sight: The new-wave tea shops worth queuing for
Specialty tea shops, many originating in Taiwan and China, have exploded in Australia in the last five years. What’s behind their popularity in a coffee-loving country?
- Annie Hariharan