As the affordability crisis encroaches into alcohol sales, shots, with their high ABV and relatively cheap cost, look appealing to some Americans. From February 2025 to 2026, Jameson and Fireball were the most common brands listed on shots menus at independent bars and restaurants across the U.S. according to a new report from the research company Ground Signal. Patron, Jagermeister, and Don Julio round out the top five spirits most popular for shots.
The survey included menus from chains like Buffalo Wild Wings and Top Golf as a secondary data set combined with the independent brands. In this segment, Jagermeister was the most popular brand, owning an 18 percent share of all shot menus. Patron and Jameson trailed slightly behind at 16 and 13 percent, respectively.
Ground Signal, which offers artificial intelligence-powered solutions for brands to boost on-premise beverage sales, collected menu data from the websites of on-premise bars, restaurants, and hotels in the U.S. The company only examined menus with an explicit “shots” section and removed neat pours and other customizations from its data, according to chief executive officer Melki Ko. Of its roughly 120,000 accounts, 14,000 had at least one shot on the menu.
“Shots are also tricky because you can say ‘Make an Espresso Martini with a shot of Mr Black,’” Ko writes in an email to VinePair. “We removed those.”
Diageo, represented by Don Julio and Baileys, and Proximo, represented by Jose Cuervo and 1800, were the only suppliers boasting more than one brand on the list.
The report also examines which brands show the most year-over-year growth on menus. Jack Daniel’s presence increased the most, by 25 percent, at independent businesses. Including chains, Ciroc showed the most growth, 55 percent, year-over-year.
The article New Report Ranks Most Popular Spirits Brands for Shots on American Menus appeared first on VinePair.