An Illustrated Timeline of TikTok Drink Trends
words: KATIE BROWN
design: DANIELLE GRINBERG
words: KATIE BROWN
design: DANIELLE GRINBERG
ASMR (or autonomous sensory meridian response) is a relaxing video trend that started on YouTube and migrated to TikTok. Filled with brain-tingling sounds, these videos range from sand squishing to recipe videos. The beverage world has hopped on the trend, with videos of matcha lattes, mocktails, cocktails, boba, and boozy coffee drinks taking TikTok by storm.
South Korean staple Dalgona coffee, known to TikTokers as whipped coffee, combines instant coffee with sugar, water, and milk. The result is a milkshake-like beverage that took off on social media at the start of Covid-19 and remains popular to this day, almost a year later. The hashtags #whippedcoffee and #dalgonacoffee have been viewed 2.2 billion and 450.7 million times, respectively.
It’s safe to say that White Claw has been the internet’s favorite drink for a long time. So it was only natural that TikTokers get creative, turning the hard seltzer staple into a frozen delight. To make one, simply blend up a can of White Claw with frozen fruit and your choice of spirit, and enjoy.
Why toss your old Claws when you can reuse them? Artsy TikTokers turn aluminum cans and cardboard cases into household items and accessories. @kreativelykelly taught her 133 thousand followers how to turn hard seltzer cans into coasters — a trend which has since caught on. Another viral tutorial shows viewers how to create a visor out of a case of Claws, while another shows an entire bedroom decorated with the hard seltzer (made with 1,895 Claws, to be exact).
Since the start of Covid-19, many laid off or furloughed bartenders have taken to TikTok to revamp the ‘80s flair bartending trend. Nowadays, the majority of the most followed #cocktail and #bartending accounts on TikTok are for flair bartenders. And the #flairbartender hashtag has now racked up 58 million views.
Yes, kids these days are still playing beer pong. From impressive trick shots to giant game setups, beer pong has been taken to a new level by bored TikTokers in quarantine. The ever-growing #beerpong hashtag maintains an impressive following, with almost 505 million views.
If quarantine boredom and childhood nostalgia had a baby, the result would be this trend. The phenomenon was likely guided by over-the-top videos filmed at the Las Vegas Sugar Factory showing off candy-filled boozy concoctions. Ultimately, the trend made its way to home bars, where imbibers filled, garnished, and infused alcoholic beverages with fruity candy. When the colder months arrived, candy cocktails took on the chocolatey, peppermint flavors of the holidays. Recently, the trend has culminated in large format jungle juices filled with fruit, soda, candy, and, of course, copious amounts of alcohol.
Regular old ice cubes are so 2019. In 2020, TikTok brought us not only exciting new cocktails, but also the hand-crafted cubes to put in them. From ice made with fresh fruit, and perfectly clear ice for all your on-the-rocks needs, to ice spheres and crystals, TikTok ice hacks continue to add elegance to cocktails.
In 2020, TikTok proved to us that, while everything may not be better with glitter, you can pretty much add glitter to anything. And, of course, that includes drinks. This past fall, searches for edible glitter skyrocketed as TikTok creators added prism powder — or tasteless edible glitter — to everything from cocktails to beer.
In one of TikTok’s latest drinks trends, users are challenged with creating color-coded rounds of drinks to share with their friends. Each member of a “pod” concocts a signature drink and brings it out on a tray for the group to taste. The home bartender with the tastiest drink wins the challenge. The trend spiked over the holidays, meaning that there were plenty of Christmas-themed cocktails gracing our feeds.
We never thought we’d say this, but sea shanties are making a comeback. Yes, those old timey folk songs sung by sailors who’d drunk a little too much rum also found their moment on TikTok. Scottish musician Nathan Evans is likely to blame thank for the trend, with his videos singing shanties such as “The Wellerman” and “Drunken Sailor” racking up millions of views.
DrinkTok’s most recent phenomenon is the snow cocktail — frozen drinks made with snow instead of ice. These “snowtails” range from deconstructed snow Margaritas, to simpler snow-filled spirits, and show that drinks don’t need to be complicated to capture the hearts of thirsty TikTokers.
