Tropical flavors continue to drive excitement around escapism, and guava is a perfect fit with its tropical roots. The sweetness pairs well with savory and spicy notes. This provides big opportunities for guava lemonades with a touch of mint or spice, or cocktails like a Guava-Grapefruit Paloma.

—TONY PEREYRA, Co-founder, The Spirits In Motion

There is a slight air of “can’t quite describe it” mystique to guava. It has the unique ability to play on multiple and even opposite sides of the spectrum when it comes to flavor and aroma—sweet, tangy and slightly bitter on the palate, while fruity, floral and musky on the nose.

—REBECCA PEIZER, Chef/Founder, All Things Culinary

Guava brings a sense of tropical and exotic to the cocktail menu. Anyone who has been to Hawaii knows POG—the juice combining passion, orange and guava—and falls in love with it. We are seeing many POG plays on cocktail menus, for example, a POG Mimosa. Anything with guava and bubbles sells!

—KATHY CASEY, Owner, Chef and Mixologist, Kathy Casey Food Studios – Liquid Kitchen

Tapping growing interest in tropical cuisines, like Hawaiian and Filipino, the fruit is appearing across the menu in bright, consumer-friendly iterations. It is popping up in cocktails like BD’s Mongolian Grill’s Guava Handshaken Daiquiri and in nonalcoholic thirst quenchers like Wetzel’s Pretzels’ Guava Mangonada.

—NANCY KRUSE, President, The Kruse Company