6 Fermented Ingredients You Haven’t Tried in Cocktails Yet

Fermentation isn’t just for sourdough and pickles—it’s shaking up cocktail culture, too.

Bartenders everywhere are leaning into funky, fizzy, tangy flavors that add serious depth and personality to a drink. If you’re looking to upgrade your cocktail game, here are six fermented ingredients making waves.

1. Kombucha

Bubbly, tart, and a little earthy, kombucha is basically a cocktail cheat code. It brings a tangy kick and natural fizz that works in spritzes, mules, or even a Cosmo remix.

Sip it here: Easy Kombucha Cocktails to Make This Season

2. Lacto-Fermented Veggies

Cucumbers are cool, but lacto-fermented cucumbers? Next-level. They bring a briny note that makes cocktails feel fresh and savory all at once.

Try it in: Santo Pepino, made with lacto-fermented cucumber syrup.

3. Black Garlic

Sounds intense, right? But this slow-fermented garlic is sweet, funky, and packed with umami. It’s a flavor bomb for adventurous sippers.

Try it in: Heart of Glass

4. Kvass

This Eastern European bread-based ferment might sound unusual, but it’s tangy, refreshing, and packed with history. If sour beer and rye bread had a love child, it’d be kvass.

Learn more: Five of the Strangest Drinks from Around the World

5. Miso

Not just for soup! This savory, salty paste adds a silky, umami twist when mixed into cocktails.

Try it in: Must Mix: Cocktails Using Natural Ingredients, with a Banana-Miso Caliche Rum creation.

6. Tepache

Fermented pineapple peels with a little spice? Yes, please. Tepache is tangy, lightly funky, and the ultimate tropical mixer.

Try it in: Yuzu Tepache

The Takeaway

From kombucha to tepache, these funky ferments prove cocktails don’t have to play it safe. Add one of these to your next drink, and you’ll instantly raise your bartender cred!