A low-ABV, aperitif-style cocktail that dates back to the 1890s is making waves again in some of the finest drinking establishments in the world. It’s an unexpected trend recently reported in the Drinks International 2026 Cocktail Report, an annual survey of the best-selling drinks at the world’s best bars.
The Cocktail Report draws on a poll of bars that was conducted in late 2025. The venues were asked to name their best-selling classic cocktails and spirits, with the participating 100 bars drawn from the recent editions of The World’s 50 Best Bars, Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Awards and some regional rankings.
That’s how I learned about the Bamboo, which shot up the ranking this year to the 17th most popular classic cocktail out of the top 50 after not placing in the 2025 report. Here’s how Drinks International describes it:
This cocktail is a late 19th-century classic that reflects the growing influence of fortified wines in early mixology. The Bamboo is commonly attributed to Louis Eppinger, who is said to have created the drink while working in Yokohama, Japan, during the 1890s. Built around dry sherry and dry vermouth, the Bamboo offers a lighter, lower-abv alternative to spirit-forward cocktails of the era.
First documented in print in the early 20th century, the drink gained modest but enduring recognition as a refined aperitif-style serve. Bitters and citrus twist variations were later introduced to enhance structure and aroma, reinforcing its balance-driven profile.
You can find a particularly good variation of the Bamboo in Signature Cocktails, a 2023 drinks tome by InsideHook contributor Amanda Schuster. We also tried one at New York’s Death and Co. earlier this week, and while I’m not usually a vermouth-forward kind of drinker, it was excellent and a wonderfully balanced low-ABV tipple.
“It’s a totally underrated drink,” says D&C bartender Seth Hiravy. “And you can enjoy three to four of these if you’re in it for the long haul.”
One Cocktail With a Literary Pedigree Is Gaining in Popularity
Have you ever tried a Fitzgerald?Some other key findings from the report:
- The Negroni remains in the top spot for the fourth year in a row, followed by the Margarita, Old Fashioned and ascending dry Martini. According to the report, just under a quarter of respondents ranked the Negroni as their number-one cocktail, and 86% of the bars polled featured it in their top 10.
- The Gin Basil Smash was the biggest riser (up 15 places to #27), while the Naked & Famous fell 23 places down to #50, the biggest loss (excluding the drinks that fell completely off the list).
- There were eight re-entries and five new entries, the latter of which was highlighted by the Negroni Sbagliato (#36).
- Gin-based cocktails accounted for 13 of the 50 entries, the highest among spirits (whiskey had 10).
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