The latest beverage trend data shows one thing clearly, younger consumers are no longer choosing drinks purely for refreshment.
For Gen Z and Gen Alpha, beverages have become part of self-expression, social experiences and everyday indulgences. Consumers are actively seeking bold flavours, colourful creations and drinks that feel exciting enough to share online.
This creates a huge opportunity for dessert parlours, ice cream shops, cafés and beverage brands and here at Bling Ingredients we can help you stay ahead on this trend!
Drinks Are Becoming More Experiential
According to Keurig Dr Pepper’s 2026 State of Beverages Trend Report, younger consumers are constantly rotating between drink categories, exploring new flavours and choosing beverages that match moods, occasions and lifestyles.
The biggest flavour trends include:
- Fruity & juicy flavours
- Sweet and indulgent profiles
- Citrus flavours
- Bold flavour combinations
- Dessert-inspired drinks
- Flavoured coffees
Consumers are increasingly looking for drinks that feel customised, visually exciting and packed with texture.
That’s where inclusions and flavoured sugars can completely transform a menu.
Turning Drinks Into Shareable Experiences
Modern drinks aren’t just consumed — they’re photographed, filmed and shared.
Adding texture, colour and visual impact is becoming just as important as flavour.
At Bling Ingredients, we’re seeing more businesses use inclusions to elevate:
- Milkshakes
- Iced coffees
- Bubble teas
- Frozen lemonades
- Frappes
- Protein shakes
- Mocktails
- Dessert cocktails
- Smoothies
Simple additions like flavoured sugar pearls, popping candy, biscuit crumbs or fruity inclusions can instantly create a more premium and social-media-friendly drink.
Fruity Flavours Continue to Dominate
The report found that over 80% of younger consumers prefer fruity and juicy flavours.
This aligns perfectly with the growing demand for vibrant, refreshing and layered drink experiences.
Ingredients such as:
- Strawberry sugar pearls
- Raspberry freeze dried crunchies
- Sour apple sugar blends
- Citrus-inspired toppings such as fruit jellies
- Pomegranate biscuit crumb
Can help businesses create limited-edition drinks that feel trend-led and seasonal without overcomplicating operations.
Dessert-Inspired Drinks Are Growing Fast
Dessert-inspired beverages are becoming a major category driver, especially among younger audiences seeking indulgent treats and “little luxuries”.
This creates opportunities to incorporate:
- Cookie dough pieces
- Biscoff Biscuit crumbs
- Chocolate inclusions
- Honeycomb toppings
- Baklava-inspired blends
into and on top of shakes, iced drinks and speciality coffees.
Texture is becoming a huge part of the experience. Consumers want crunch, chew, fizz and layered flavours that make drinks feel unique.
The Rise of Customisation
Consumers increasingly want drinks that feel personal.
Offering topping stations, mix-and-match inclusions or signature seasonal drink builds can help businesses encourage repeat visits while increasing average order value.
Even small additions can create perceived premium value:
- Coloured sugar rims
- Flavoured sprinkles
- Crunchy toppings
- Fruity sugar pearls
- Decorative inclusions
These details help drinks feel more curated and experience-led.
Why This Matters for Dessert Businesses
For dessert parlours and cafés, beverage innovation offers a major growth opportunity.
Drinks are:
- High margin
- Highly customisable
- Seasonal
- Social-media friendly
- Easy to refresh with new flavours and toppings
Using inclusions such as those offered by Bling Ingredients, creatively allows businesses to launch “new” products quickly without changing core equipment or processes.
A new flavoured sugar, crunchy topping or fruity inclusion can completely refresh a menu for summer, Halloween, Christmas or trending flavour moments.
The Future Is Flavour-First
The biggest takeaway from the report is that younger consumers are actively seeking excitement, novelty and individuality in what they drink.
Bold flavours, vibrant visuals and indulgent textures are no longer optional extras, they’re becoming expectations.
For businesses looking to stay ahead, inclusions and flavoured toppings are one of the easiest ways to tap into this shift and create drinks consumers genuinely want to share.
