Trendy drinks and occasions: from the Späti to Halloween

Trendy drinks follow special occasions and fashions. In October, many people give up alcohol for a month as part of Sober October; Saturday 31 October 2026 is Halloween; and the ‘Dirty Soda’ has arrived from the US, with searches for it in Germany now four times as frequent as they were a year ago. On this page, you’ll find the events in the calendar, the trends backed up by figures, and the relevant recipes and guides.

Calendar of events

What people are searching for in Germany

Search figures show that not every trend is on the rise. Average monthly Google searches in Germany and year-on-year change:

Non-alcoholic cocktails remain by far the biggest trend, although search volumes are lower than last year. Dirty Soda and gaming drinks have seen the strongest growth – albeit from a low base.

Trend 1: Less alcohol

Young people in Germany are drinking alcohol on a regular basis less frequently than ever before, since the current Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG) began collecting these figures. In the 2025 Drug Affinity Study, 6.8 per cent of 12- to 17-year-olds and 25.0 per cent of 18- to 25-year-olds drank alcohol weekly – a historic low. Binge drinking, however, remains widespread: 45.8 per cent of young men have drunk a large amount of alcohol in one go at least once in the last 30 days.

The German Nutrition Society does not consider any amount of alcohol to be risk-free and recommends abstaining. Campaigns such as ‘Sober October’ in the autumn and ‘Dry January’ at the start of the year turn this into a designated month. Both originated in the UK: ‘Go Sober for October’ began in 2013 as a fundraising campaign by the cancer charity Macmillan, and one of its precursors was ‘Dry January’ by Alcohol Concern. Important when shopping: ‘Alcohol-free’ does not always mean 0.0. Beer may be labelled as such up to 0.5% vol, and soft drinks may contain up to 2 g of alcohol per litre, which may come from flavourings, for example. You can find everything you need to know on this topic on our page on alcohol-free drinks and under ‘Mocktails’.

Trend 2: Dirty Soda from the USA

Dirty Soda is lemonade mixed with cream, flavoured syrups or fruit juices. The trend originated in Utah: the first shop to officially sell Dirty Soda was founded in 2010 by Nicole Tanner in St George. It gained popularity via social media – by April 2022, there were over 700,000 videos on TikTok under the hashtag #dirtysoda. In Germany, the term ‘dirty soda’ is now searched for around 1,000 times a month, almost four times as often as in the previous year.

There’s sugar in a Dirty Soda in several places: in the lemonade, in the syrup, and often in the cream mixture too. Our Dirty Soda fact check explains exactly how much.

Trend 3: Halloween is getting bigger

Halloween is big business in Germany: the German Retail Association (HDE) forecast turnover of around 520 million euros for 2025. This was 3.7 per cent less than the previous year, but 63 per cent more than in 2019. The main items purchased are sweets, food and household goods.

In 2026, Halloween falls on a Saturday. For the party, we’ve got our Checklist of snacks, drinks and decorations and four Non-alcoholic Halloween drinks From the mocktail menu: Green Zero, Virgin Paloma, Bitter Zero and Nachtschicht.

Späti culture: Berlin’s round-the-clock kiosks

A ‘Späti’ is a small shop with long opening hours, often round the clock, particularly in Berlin and other eastern German cities. It has its roots in the late-night shops of the GDR, which served shift workers from the 1950s onwards. Today, there are an estimated 1,000 to 1,500 Spätis in Berlin. On Sundays, stockists in Berlin must generally remain closed; exceptions apply only to certain product ranges, such as items intended purely for tourists. The Berliner Späti e. V., founded in 2016, is challenging these rules. You can read about its history, the Sunday regulations and the controversy surrounding them in *Späti Berlin*.

Gaming Night: Caffeine in moderation

When it comes to long evenings in front of the screen, it’s what’s in your glass that counts. According to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR), sugary energy drinks contain on average around 100 g of sugar per litre. As for caffeine, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) states that up to 200 mg in a single serving and up to 400 mg spread throughout the day are considered safe for healthy adults. Children should avoid energy drinks altogether. And for those who want to sleep after a gaming session: according to the EFSA, as little as 100 mg of caffeine can affect sleep in some adults, particularly shortly before bedtime. A can of energy drink – Blackcurrant & Pomegranate flavour – contains around 106 mg. Find out more in our checklist on gaming drinks.

What comes out of our can

ACQUA REAPER is available in six flavours in 330 ml cans. Still and Sparkling are table waters. Pink Grapefruit, Lime & Mint and Citrus are waters with natural flavouring, containing no sugar and no sweetener. Energy – Blackcurrant & Pomegranate is an energy drink containing no sugar or sweetener, with 32 mg of caffeine per 100 ml – not recommended for children, pregnant women or breastfeeding mothers.

You can find recipes with and without alcohol in our recipe section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources

1. ACQUA REAPER: Product specifications, 14 September 26.
2. ACQUA REAPER: Product label – Still & Sparkling, 26/08.
3. ACQUA REAPER: Product labels, as at 26 July.
4. Acqua Reaper: Product label for Energy Blackcurrant, as at 07/26.
5. Civil Society News: Macmillan launches ‘Go Sober for October’ fundraising challenge, 18 September 2013. civilsociety.co.uk
6. Federal Institute for Public Health (BIÖG): Fewer young people are drinking alcohol – but binge drinking remains at a high level, 3 September 26. bioeg.de
7. German Nutrition Society: ‘Best to keep it at zero per mille’ – new DGE position paper on alcohol, 2024. dge.de
8. Lebensmittelklarheit (Federal Association of Consumer Organisations): Why can beer containing alcohol be labelled as ‘alcohol-free’?, accessed 16 September 2026. lebensmittelklarheit.de
9. German Food Codex Commission: Guidelines for Soft Drinks, revised version dated 10 April 24, accessed 16 September 26. deutsche-lebensmittelbuch-kommission.de
10. Wikipedia (English): Dirty soda, as at 31 August 26. en.wikipedia.org
11. German Retail Association (HDE): Halloween, accessed 16 September 2026. einzelhandel.de
12. Wikipedia: Late-night shops, as at 14 May 26. de.wikipedia.org
13. Berliner Späti e. V.: About us, accessed 16 September 2026. spaeti-ev.de
14. Berlin Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises: Shop opening hours in Berlin, accessed 16 September 2026. berlin.de
15. European Food Safety Authority (EFSA): Caffeine, Scientific Opinion 2015, accessed 16 September 2026. efsa.europa.eu
16. Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR): Questions and answers on caffeine and caffeinated foods, including energy drinks, FAQ dated 5 January 2026. bfr.bund.de