Ground Signal’s Menu Insights series tracks cocktail menu presence across the On-Premise to reveal which brands and cocktails are featured — and how that’s changing over time. This edition analyzes 8,300+ independent accounts across California with active cocktail menus, covering Q1 2026 versus the prior year. The data spans six spirits categories — Vodka, Tequila, Rum, Whiskey, Gin, and Liqueur — tracking brand-level menu share and the cocktail trends shaping operator decisions across the state’s independent venue landscape.
Key Findings Include:
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Tequila remains California independents’ most-featured spirits category, with the Margarita appearing on 68% of Tequila cocktail menus — but the real momentum is in premium expressions: Código 1530 and Lalo posted +91% and +53% menu share gains year-over-year respectively, signaling growing operator appetite for ultra-premium Tequila placements.
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The Espresso Martini is consolidating its position as a cross-category force, posting significant menu share gains in Vodka (+17%), Tequila (+32%), Whiskey (+44%), and Liqueur (+19%) simultaneously — one of the clearest signals of a cocktail format that operators across California are actively building into their programs.
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In Liqueur, Giffard and De Kuyper posted the category’s largest year-over-year gains at +357% and +229% menu share respectively — though both are growing from a modest base (5.5% and 6.2% menu share), pointing to emerging operator interest rather than established dominance.
