February 24, 2025 – Florals are blooming across beverage menus. These fragrant flavors have a delicate sweetness that accumulate a lot of buzzy attention on social media and therefore have a lot of potential for driving traffic with Gen Z. In fact, 67% of Gen Zers told us they are interested in seeing more floral-infused foods and beverages, as reported in The NEXT Flavor Report: Feeding Gen Z’s Cravings. It’s not just the flavor that’s driving demand for florals though; it’s the bright, exotic, eye-catching, gotta-try-it, pops of color they add to anything they touch.
So, what floral flavors should menu makers develop around? The following florals have totally different flavor profiles, but they’ve all seen consistent growth in the beverage category and garner specialty appeal among Gen Z consumers.
Lavender has a distinct, earthy taste that adds subtle sweetness to any item it’s in. While lavender’s fragrant scent is said to have a calming effect, there’s nothing calm about its upward trajectory on menus. Lavender has become increasingly prevalent in beverages in just the past 12 months including lemonades (+11%) and carbonated drinks (+13%) but coffee (+34%) is where lavender has planted its roots1. Google searches for “lavender iced coffee” have increased 40% and searches for “lavender coffee creamer” have increased 250% since February 20242.
Hibiscus is bold in color, bold in flavor, and a bold add to any beverage menu. This summertime favorite has a strong purchase intent among Gen Zers with 66% saying they’d be likely to order a hibiscus-flavored lemonade and 57% willing to order a hibiscus-flavored tea1. Hibiscus will continue to rise on lemonade and tea menus year after year, but the next chapter for hibiscus is in refreshers. Datassential predicts that hibiscus will grow 115% on refresher menus through 20281.
Cherry blossom is a frequent find in Japanese beverages and as Gen Z’s demand for East Asian flavors grow, so will this floral. Its light pink hue is almost too pretty to drink but one sip of cherry blossom’s slightly sweet, delicate flavor is enough to convince anyone (especially Gen Zers) to come back for more. Cherry blossom is most often found in cocktails, but our flavor forecast is pointing to teas. In just the past 12 months, cherry blossom has increased 36% on iced tea menus1 and Google searches for “cherry blossom iced tea” are up 80%2.
Gen Z has the strongest affinity for elderflower1. Whether that interest stems from the antioxidant effects elderflower is claimed to have or it’s simply because of this floral’s crisp, refreshing flavor profile, Gen Zers are responsible for driving elderflower’s growth on menus. That’s why elderflower is in the 96th percentile for future growth potential on U.S. restaurant menus1. But in what types of beverages will elderflower become more prolific? Datassential anticipates an increase on lemonade (+58%) and non-alcoholic/mocktail (+57%) menus by 20281.
Rose has a soft yet rich taste that can turn an ordinary beverage into a premium LTO. Among Gen Zers who have tried rosewater, 56% say they love/like it1. Rose-flavored ingredients are anticipated to drive growth on opposite ends of the beverage spectrum – coffee (+107%) and cocktails (+45%) – over the next 4 years1. There aren’t many flavors, let alone florals, versatile enough to work in such different applications.
Rubix’s VP of Marketing Shannon O’Shields, who leads the consumer insights team, spilled the rose-flavored tea (another type of beverage where this floral is projected to grow) to The Food Institute. “I anticipate we may see a lot of rose-flavored things. It has a lot of unique functional properties that people can play into. It also has a health halo and a very feminine elegant or elevated perception,” she explained.
What’s next for florals? As these flavors continue to gain popularity across beverage menus, they’ll soon start to seep into other menu categories… specifically desserts. Here are some of the other sweet places you can expect to see more florals in the closer-than-you-think future.
🍪 Lavender: Anticipated to grow 50% on cookie menus through 2028.
🥤 Hibiscus: Anticipated to grow 72% on milkshake menus through 2028.
🍩 Cherry Blossom: Anticipated to grow 125% on donut menus through 2028.
🥧 Elderflower: Anticipated to grow 179% on pie menus through 2028.
🍰 Rose: Anticipated to grow 120% on cake menus through 20281.
Learn more about the rise of floral flavors + other trends Gen Z is driving in The NEXT Flavor Report.
Sources: The NEXT Flavor Report; Datassential, 20251; Google Trends, 20252
