The following categories are seeing tremendous increases in menu incidence, according to Technomic’s research:
- Specialty teas
- Lemonade-and-iced-tea blends
- Restaurant originals such as house-made soft drinks
- Smoothies beyond fruit, featuring surprising ingredients ranging from kale to peanut butter.
Chefs surveyed for the National Restaurant Association’s 2015 “What’s Hot” Culinary Forecast chose many of the drinks listed above as well as organic coffee and coconut water as top trends among non-alcoholic beverages.