Research from Panjabi spiced rum brand DILAY 1949 reveals the negroni has overtaken the espresso martini in Birmingham’s festive cocktail searches, while pornstar martini interest rises 45%
BIRMINGHAM, UK. October 5th, 2026 – Birmingham’s Christmas cocktail preferences have shifted, with the negroni taking the top spot in festive searches during 2025. Analysis of Google search data by Panjabi spiced rum brand DILAY 19 49 found 4,700 searches for the negroni between October and December, putting it ahead of the pornstar martini at 4,200, the snowball at 4,040 and the espresso martini at 4,000.
The change marks a notable move at the top of Birmingham’s festive cocktail rankings. The espresso martini led searches in both 2023 and 2024, recording 6,200 searches in each year. By 2025, however, it had fallen to fourth place, representing a 35% decline. The pornstar martini recorded the strongest growth in Birmingham, increasing 45% from 2,900 searches in 2023, while searches for the negroni increased 12% over the same period.
The research examined three Christmas periods, covering 2023, 2024 and 2025, and analysed searches made during October, November and December of each year. It included 32 established cocktails, ranging from the espresso martini and margarita to the hot toddy and snowball, while also comparing Birmingham’s search trends with those across the UK.
“We wanted to see what Britain really searches for at Christmas, and the answer surprised us. The espresso martini’s slide in Birmingham is a big change in just two years,” said Shev Dilay, Director of DILAY 1949.
Several other familiar cocktails also saw their Birmingham search volumes decline. Searches for the mojito dropped 23% between 2023 and 2025, while the pina colada fell 19% and the Long Island iced tea declined 25%. The margarita, down 7%, and mimosa, down 8%, proved more resilient. Meanwhile, searches for the snowball increased by 4%, reaching 4,040.
Taken together, searches across the 32 cocktails decreased by 9% in Birmingham between 2023 and 2025, falling from approximately 60,200 to around 55,000. The decline was greater across the UK, where searches fell 16%, suggesting Birmingham’s interest in Christmas cocktails has remained comparatively stronger.
There are also clear differences between Birmingham and the national search picture. As a proportion of total cocktail searches, Birmingham residents search for the mojito, pina colada and daiquiri around 20% more than the UK average. Searches for the Long Island iced tea are approximately 18% higher, while the pornstar martini and snowball also attract greater interest locally. In contrast, searches for the hot toddy are around 30% below the UK average, while the bellini is approximately 22% lower.
The espresso martini’s decline is even more pronounced when looking at the UK as a whole. Searches for the cocktail during the Christmas period fell by 52% between 2023 and 2025, dropping from 397,000 to 193,000. In 2023, it was comfortably the most-searched cocktail, ahead of the negroni at 269,500 searches. By 2025, the negroni had moved into first place nationally with 231,000 searches, down 14% from 2023. It was followed by the espresso martini, aperol spritz at 180,500, pornstar martini at 173,000 and snowball at 172,000.
The pornstar martini was the only cocktail in the UK’s top five to record growth, increasing 23% compared with 2023. Looking across all 32 cocktails, the fastest-growing drinks were the spicy margarita, which rose 67% from 21,600 to 36,100 searches, and the paloma, which increased 50%. The largest declines after the espresso martini were recorded by the whiskey sour, down 33%, the daiquiri, down 29%, and the cosmopolitan, down 28%. Overall, searches for the 32 cocktails fell 16% across the UK over the two-year period, from approximately 3.17 million to around 2.66 million.
