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Peachy Elegance: Bellini Cocktail Refreshment
Experience sophistication with our Bellini cocktail. A bubbly blend of Prosecco and luscious peach puree for exquisite sipping
Every December, as the first cold fronts drift across the country and the scent of pine and cinnamon settles into supermarkets, Americans begin searching for the drink that will carry them through the season. This year, the coffee experts at Coffeeness set out to discover exactly what people are craving. Their team combed through a full year of Google Trends search data — a window wide enough to capture last Christmas’ peak and stable enough to reveal how each state leans when the holidays roll around.
The methodology was simple but solid. Analysts compared relative search interest for a curated lineup of seasonal beverages — everything from hot chocolate and cider to espresso martinis and winter spritzes — then crowned a winner in each of the 50 states. The result is a portrait of a country united by tradition yet divided by taste, with Texas doing what Texas always does best — taking the familiar and giving it a Lone Star twist.
Here’s how America drinks its way through December.
A Hot-Chocolate Nation
Some traditions don’t just endure — they anchor us. Hot chocolate claimed the No. 1 spot in 13 states, many of them, places where winter is less a season and more a state of emergency. Utah, Vermont and the Dakotas all leaned heavily toward the warm, velvety classic, confirming what many of us already suspect: no matter how grown-up we pretend to be, December still brings out the kid in us.
It’s nostalgic, comforting and endlessly customizable. Marshmallows or whipped cream, cocoa from a packet or made on the stovetop — it remains the one drink with the power to make a roomful of people slow down.
Apple Cider and Espresso Martini — An Unexpected Tie for Second
If anything in this study turned heads, it was the dead-even tie between rustic apple cider and the famously urbane espresso martini. Each topped searches in 11 states, but the map tells two very different stories.
Cider dominated in regions steeped in orchard culture — Virginia, Idaho, Oregon, North Carolina — places where apple harvests still shape local identity. Warm, spiced and non-alcoholic until you decide otherwise, cider is a natural bridge between autumn and Christmas.
The espresso martini, on the other hand, carved out wins in Connecticut, Louisiana, Nevada and several other states where cocktail culture thrives. Part coffee, part nightlife, part seasonal adrenaline, it represents a growing national desire for holiday drinks that energize as much as they intoxicate.
French 75 and Amaretto Sour — The Dark Horses
Four states each crowned these two cocktail classics, though you’d be hard-pressed to find drinks with less in common.
The French 75 offers holiday elegance — gin, lemon and champagne topped with enough sparkle to turn an ordinary gathering into something celebratory. Its popularity in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington and Georgia shows that Americans still appreciate a little old-world glamour at the holidays.
The amaretto sour, meanwhile, is sweeter, warmer, and more approachable. It won over Illinois, Missouri, New York and Ohio — states that appreciate its balance of brightness and comfort. It’s a cocktail that feels like an invitation rather than an announcement.
The Regional Wild Cards
A few states reminded us that holiday drinking in America is anything but predictable.
Minnesota went with the hot toddy — a practical choice in a place where winter lasts roughly a geological era.
California and Florida leaned into the brown sugar shaken espresso, a modern, caffeinated ode to the states’ deep coffee cultures.
Tennessee crowned the winter Aperol spritz.
And Hawaii and Arizona picked the mimosa, a sun-splashed choice befitting a warm December morning.
Then there’s Texas.
Texas’ Lone-Star Signature
Texas was the only state where the Bellini claimed the No. 1 festive drink — a peach-and-Prosecco classic that may surprise outsiders but feels perfectly suited to a Texas holiday. December here rarely calls for mittens, but it does call for something refreshing enough to serve on a patio and celebratory enough to raise at brunch.
The Bellini is bright, fruit-forward and easygoing — a drink that fits a state where tradition is respected, but never at the cost of personality.
Together, these drinks paint a picture of a country that celebrates the holidays in vastly different ways — from steaming mugs to bubbly flutes to caffeinated coupes.
If this study reveals anything, it's that America’s holiday drinking habits are as varied as its landscapes. Some states cling to tradition. Others embrace innovation. And more than a few choose drinks that blur the line between comfort and celebration.
But the rise of the espresso martini might be the most telling shift of all — proof that modern cocktail culture has elbowed its way into the seasonal spotlight.
As Coffeeness CEO Arne Preuss put it, “The espresso martini's performance in this year’s data represents one of the most significant shifts in American festive drinking culture we’veseen in recent years. Having seen a revival in popularity just a few years ago, it's now standing shoulder-to -shoulder with beverages that have defined American holidays for generations."
America’s Festive Drinks at a Glance
- Hot Chocolate — 13 states
- Apple Cider — 11 states
- Espresso Martini — 11 states
- French 75 — 4 states
- Amaretto Sour — 4 states
- Mimosa — 2 states
- Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso — 2 states
- Hot Toddy — 1 state
- Bellini — 1 state
- Winter Aperol Spritz — 1 state
