The 2026 edition is based on a survey of 155 premium bars across 18 cities, a 24% increase in participating bars from last year, with respondents including bar owners, head bartenders, and beverage leads. Collectively, respondents mentioned 527 brands across 21 categories of alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks and mixers. 166 were Indian homegrown brands.
This year's findings point to a market where established global brands continue to hold strong positions, while more Indian brands are entering the top 10 across categories. Cocktail preferences are showing a growing appetite for bold, distinctive flavours, with Picante emerging as India's most popular cocktail in the new national cocktail ranking. It is the top-selling cocktail in most surveyed cities.
Appended are one key insight from each category:
Category
One Standout Insight
Gin
Hapusa has risen to #5, leading a strong Indian contingent that also includes Greater Than, Jaisalmer and Stranger & Sons in the top 10.
Agave
Don Julio retains the #1 position, while Indian agave brand Pistola ranks #6 as the only homegrown representative, showing that agave interest is expanding beyond established Mexican names.
Vodka
Grey Goose remains India's #1 vodka, while Smoke Lab enters the top 10, bringing an Indian brand into an otherwise global-led category.
Liqueurs & Other
Spirits
Six Brothers Mahura enters the top 10, placing another Indian heritage spirit alongside global liqueur names.
Amaro & Aperitifs
Davana Vermouth Indica and Paapi Absinthe enter the top 10, marking notable Indian arrivals in a category long led by European aperitif brands.
Rum
Camikara is now India's #3 rum, ahead of Diplomatico, Flor de Cana and Havana Club.
Brandy & Cognac
Hennessy, Martell and Remy Martin continue to dominate the top of the category, reflecting the enduring appeal of French Cognac. Monarch Legacy Edition's entry into the Top 10, however, points to growing space for premium Indian brandy.
Indian Single Malt
Godawan rises to #2, ahead of Paul John and Amrut, one of the year's strongest examples of a newer Indian brand overtaking early category leaders.
Indian Premium
Whisky
Woodburns takes #1, displacing Oaksmith and signalling a changing guard in Indian premium whisky.
Blended Scotch & Malt
Johnnie Walker and Chivas Regal remain firmly #1 and #2, proof that brand heritage still carries enormous weight in blended Scotch.
International Single
Malt
Yamazaki holds #1, with Japanese labels dominating the category- Japanese whisky is now firmly part of India's premium-drinking aspiration.
Scottish Single Malt
Glenfiddich remains #1, but The Macallan rises to #3, reflecting increasing interest in prestige-led, collector-style Scotch.
International
Whisky
Jim Beam moves ahead of Jack Daniel's to #2, suggesting that American whiskey drinking is broadening beyond its best-known Tennessee label.
Indian Still Wine
Sula and Fratelli remain almost neck-and-neck at the top, making Indian wine a genuinely competitive two-brand market rather than a single-brand category.
International Still
Wine
Jacob's Creek retains #1, while producers and regions-not just individual labels-are becoming more visible in how consumers and bars think about imported wine.
Sparkling Wine
Chandon takes #1, underlining how sparkling wine is becoming a more accessible, everyday celebration choice in India.
Champagne
Moet & Chandon remains #1, while Billecart-Salmon's rise into the top five suggests growing interest in producer-led Champagne discovery.
Indian Beer & Adjacencies
Goa Brewing Co. rises to #2, reinforcing the growing relevance of regional craft breweries in a category still led by Kingfisher.
International Beer
Corona remains #1, holding its position as India's most enduring international beer brand.
Water
Vedica rises to #2, ahead of Himalayan-evidence that premium Indian water is becoming a meaningful part of the bar and dining-table ritual.
Mixers
Coca-Cola is #1, but Malaki's climb into the top five reflects a growing appetite for more considered, flavour-led mixers.
Category Breakdown
Spirit category stalwarts Bombay Sapphire, Don Julio, Grey Goose, Jagermeister, Campari, Bacardi, Hennessy, Indri, Johnnie Walker, Yamazaki, Glenfiddich, Kingfisher and Corona retain the top positions from last year in their respective categories.
The only significant change is in the Indian Premium Whisky category, where Woodburns replaces Oaksmith as the leader.
Among the Wine categories, Sula, Jacob's Creek and Moet & Chandon continue to champion their categories, while we see Chandon overtake Cinzano as India's most popular Sparkling Wine.
Indian brands aren't far behind across categories. In Gin, Hapusa, Greater Than, Jaisalmer and Stranger & Sons retain their positions in the Top 10. Brands are highlighting more Indian botanicals and local produce, while flavoured gins continue to broaden consumer choice and bring new drinkers into the category, including from Tier II and Tier III markets.
One of the biggest movements this year has been in the Amaro & Aperitif category, where we have two Indian brands in the Top 10: Davana Vermouth Indica and Paapi Absinthe. Maya Pistola Agavepura holds its own in the Agave category, as the only Indian brand in the Top 10; similar to Smoke Lab in the Vodka category.
India's Most Popular Cocktails- New Category
1 Picante
2 Negroni
3 Espresso Martini
4 Old Fashioned
5 Gin & Tonic
6 Long Island Iced Tea
7 Martini
8 Gimlet
9 Margarita
10 Paloma
Nationally, the Picante takes the crown as the country's most popular cocktail in 2026, with the Negroni and Espresso Martini close behind; a lineup that points to a clear trend: drinkers are gravitating toward white spirit-led cocktails built on bold, assertive flavours, whether it's the heat of spice or the bite of bitterness.
The category breakdowns show the Negroni, Picante, Espresso Martini and Daiquiri all holding onto their respective crowns, signalling a market where preferences have settled rather than shifted. The one notable reversal comes in whisky, where the Whisky Sour reclaims the top spot from the Old Fashioned; a return to form for 2024's favourite.
City Insights
2026 shows a market where some drinking preferences are becoming firmly established, while others remain distinctly shaped by the city. Categories like Brandy continue to show strong national consensus, with Hennessy leading across all eight markets, while Gin tells a different story: Bombay Sapphire leads nationally, but Hendrick's takes Gurgaon, and Roku leads in Pune.
These differences show that India's bar culture isn't moving toward one uniform drinking pattern but is developing its own local nuances. All bars surveyed have been operational for at least six months. Click here to access the full WIID 2026 report and explore category-wise rankings.
The category-wise rankings for 2026:
*Gin*
1. Bombay Sapphire
2. Tanqueray
3. Hendrick's
4. Roku
5. Hapusa
6. Beefeater
7. Monkey 47
8. Greater Than
9. Jaisalmer
10. Stranger & Sons
*Agave*
1. Don Julio
2. Patron
3. 1800
4. Jose Cuervo
5. Creyente
6. Pistola
7. Camino
8. Codigo
9. Don Angel
10. Corralejo
*Vodka*
1. Grey Goose
2. Absolut
3. Belvedere
4. Ketel One
5. Ciroc
6. Haku
7. Beluga
8. Skyy
9. Smoke Lab
10. Belenkaya & Stoli (Tied)
*Liqueurs & Other Spirits*
1. Jagermeister
2. Baileys Irish Cream
3. Cointreau
4. Kahlua
5. Quaffine
6. Choya Umeshu & Amarula (Tied)
7. Six Brothers Mahura
8. Malibu & Mikiamo Limoncello (Tied)
9. Luxardo Maraschino
10. Cazulo Feni
*Amaro & Aperitifs*
1. Campari
2. Aperol
3. Cinzano
4. Amaro Montenegro
5. Lillet
6. Martini
7. Fernet-Branca
8. Cocchi
9. Xenta Absinthe
10. Select Aperitivo & Davana Vermouth
*Rum*
1. Bacardi
2. Old Monk
3. Camikara
4. Diplomatico
5. Flor de Cana
6. Havana Club
7. Appleton Estate
8. Captain Morgan
9. Amrut
10. Kraken & Mount Gay (Tied)
*Brandy (including Cognac)*
1. Hennessy
2. Martell
3. Remy Martin
4. St. Remy
5. Morpheus
6. Honey Bee
7. Meukow & Louis XIII (Tied)
8. Monarch
9. Godet
10. Bisquit & Dubouche
*Indian Single Malt*
1. Indri
2. Godawan
3. Paul John
4. Amrut
5. Rampur
6. Longitude 77
7. Crazy Cock
8. GianChand
9. Kamet
*Indian Premium Whisky*
1. Woodburns
2. Oaksmith
3. Blenders Pride
4. Royal Ranthambore
5. Antiquity
6. Royal Challenge
7. Sangam
8. Otherside & Signature (Tied)
9. Cotombi Reserve
10. Roulette
*Blended Scotch & Malt*
1. Johnnie Walker
2. Chivas Regal
3. Dewar's
4. Monkey Shoulder
5. Ballantine's
6. Teacher's
7. J&B Rare
8. Black & White
9. 100 Pipers
10. ARTHAUS
*International Single Malt*
1. Yamazaki
2. Bushmills
3. Kavalan
4. Hakushu
5. Komagatake Mars
6. Coffey Malt
7. Yoichi
8. Tsunuki
*Scottish Single Malt*
1. Glenfiddich
2. The Glenlivet
3. The Macallan
4. Laphroaig
5. Talisker
6. Glenmorangie
7. The Singleton
8. Aberfeldy & Lagavulin (Tied)
9. The Balvenie
10. Caol Ila
*International Whisky*
1. Jameson
2. Jim Beam
3. Jack Daniel's
4. Hibiki
5. Suntory Toki
6. Maker's Mark
7. Bushmills
8. Woodford Reserve
9. Buffalo Trace
10. Wild Turkey
*Indian Still Wine*
1. Sula
2. Fratelli
3. Grover
4. KRSMA
5. Big Banyan
6. Four Seasons
7. Reveilo
8. Vallonne & Chateau Indage (Tied)
9. York & Tilt (Tied)
10. Iria
*International Still Wine*
1. Jacob's Creek - Winery in Australia
2. Campo Viejo - Winery in Spain
3. Baron Philippe de Rothschild - Producer from France
4. Black Tower (Riesling) - Winery in Germany
5. Brancott Estate - Winery in New Zealand
6. Alta Vista - Winery in Argentina
7. 19:59 - German Red Wine
8. Pasqua - Italian Producer
9. Yellow Tail - Australian Producer
10. Barton & Guestier Saint Emilion - French Red Wine
*Sparkling Wine*
1. Chandon
2. Villa Sandi
3. Cinzano
4. Bottega
5. Sula
6. Fratelli
7. Jacob's Creek
8. Belstar
9. Zonin
10. Grover
*Champagne*
1. Moet & Chandon
2. Dom Perignon
3. G.H.Mumm
4. Laurent-Perrier
5. Billecart-Salmon
6. Veuve Clicquot
7. Louis Roederer
8. Philippe Gonet & Bollinger (Tied)
9. Armand de Brignac & Devaux (Tied)
10. Taittinger
*Indian Beer & Adjacencies*
1. Kingfisher
2. Goa Brewing Co
3. Great State Ale Works
4. Simba & Geist Brewing Co. (Tied)
5. Kati Patang
6. Six Fields
7. Toit
8. Igloo
9. Medusa
10. Effingut
*International Beer*
1. Corona
2. Budweiser
3. Hoegaarden
4. Heineken
5. Peroni
6. Chang
7. Amstel
8. Carlsberg
9. Erdinger
10. Birra Moretti & Singha (Tied)
*Water*
1. Perrier
2. Vedica
3. Himalayan
4. Malaki & Bisleri (Tied)
5. Veen
6. Evian
7. Blue Pine
8. Schweppes Soda Water
9. Aava
10. Evocus
*Mixers*
1. Coca Cola
2. Schweppes
3. Sepoy & Co
4. Red Bull
5. Malaki
6. Monin
7. Fever Tree
8. Pepsi
9. MTSR
10. 7UP & Gunsberg (Tied)