Well, here we go folks. The 2025 Boothby Top 50 Drinks of the Year are right here.
This is the fourth instalment of the annual awards program, and there’s nothing like it elsewhere in the industry. The Drink of the Year awards recognise the great drinks — and the bartenders behind them — that go out over the bar, night after night. This ain’t no regular cocktail competition — this is about the drinks that sell in the country’s best bars.
Over the last month, bartenders from around Australia have submitted their drinks, with over 250 entries this year. Those drinks have been assessed by the Boothby team and some trusted palates, to give us this year’s Top 50 — congratulations to the bartenders whose drinks make up the list this year.
Next begins the work of determining the ranking of the list, from number 50 all the way down to the number one Drink of the Year presented by Bacardí, which will be revealed at the exclusive Drink of the Year Awards Party on Monday 1 December in Sydney. Everyone with a drink on the Top 50 is invited — keep an eye out for your invites.
Today’s announcement also means that voting is open for the People’s Drink of the Year presented by Club Suntory. All you need to do is take a look at the great drinks on the list, and click the vote button below them to have your say. The winner will be revealed at the Drink of the Year Awards party on December 1.
It’s at the awards in Sydney where we will also reveal the winners of the Bartender of the Year presented by Glenfiddich, the Breakout Bartender of 2025 presented by Hendrick’s Gin, and the Drinks List of the Year presented by Perrier.
There are some impressive drinks on the Top 50 this year, and from a look at the entries, below we’ve got a few takeaways about the way we drink in bars right now.
Sam Bygrave
What do the best drinks of 2025 cost?
We ask everyone for the listed price of the cocktail they’ve entered, and this year across the Top 50, the average price of a cocktail is $24.96, whilst the median cocktail price was $25. That’s a result that largely conforms with our recent cocktail list research from Victoria, which you can find here.
Lychee is back
Across all the entries we saw, a common ingredient was lychee. If lychee was back last year — and it was in a big way — it’s sticking around this year, too.
But the fruit that we think is really making its presence known in drinks is mango, thanks to its versatility and freshness — it’s been a common ingredient in drinks that lean towards a Southeast Asian palate, too.
When two drinks collide
And in 2025, you’re more likely than ever to encounter a Miami Vice riff, with a number of entries this year either paying close homage to, or adapting the format — see Ben Hardy’s Calippo at Black Pearl, and the Miami Weiss at The Rover, both which made this year’s Top 50.
Post-peak Milk Punch
And perhaps we complained a little too loudly last year, but the result was evident in this year’s entries. We may have passed peak Milk Punch last year. In 2024, close to half of all entries were Milk Punches in some shape or form; this year they accounted for less than 15 percent of the entries.
Okay, the top 50 Drinks of the Year are now live — hit the link below to see which drinks made the cut, and to cast your vote for the People’s Drink of the Year presented by Club Suntory.
Sam Bygrave
