The bone broth cocktail trend continues to climb
The craze leading to mixologists adding umami-rich bone broth to drinks has not just been riding wellness and savoury cocktail trends, but could also be connected to protein obsessions.
According to reports across the US, bone broth is big news. Not just because it had long been praised for its protein and collagen content, but also its versatility. Now, it is showing up in cocktails at US bars with the trend predicted to climb further in the UK soon, despite inching its way into the public consciousness a few years ago.
Umami-forward
The topic of umami-led cocktails has also been gathering pace of late, with it resurfacing as a prime trend at this year’s ProWein, Dusseldorf.
Speaking about the trend being re-discussed Spirits Business editor Melita Kiely mused on how “savoury flavours have never really gone away from cocktails” and namechecked cocktails like the “Dirty Martini [and] Bloody Mary” which, she reiterated are “classic staples in many venues”.
Discussing more about the trend via Fox News recently, California-based founder and head chef at The Forked Spoon Jessica Randhawa said: “I think bone broth cocktails are riding three trends right now. Homemade bone broth and the resulting tallow skimmed off are very traditional and are hot right now. “At the same time, there is a rise in savoury, umami-forward cocktails that bone broth fits right into. And protein is very hot right now, so anything consumable with a protein label is ‘in’ for the wellness culture.”
Though traditionally used in soups, stews and sauces, the trend bone broth is now appearing in other drinks — for instance, according to reports circulating online, a bone broth hot chocolate recently went viral on TikTok.
Despite this, Kiely admitted: “I’m not entirely convinced bone broth/protein cocktails will be the next big cocktail trend yet, but I think it’s always interesting to see different ways of introducing savoury flavours into drinks.”
The trend has gone viral
Additionally, while bone broth has been a staple in some alcoholic beverages for decades, more mixologists are now catching on and flagging it on menus more and more, potentially to show that they have something topical to offer.
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One example can be seen in the return of The Bullshot, a cocktail that is a mix of beef broth and vodka and dates back to the 1950s at Detroit’s Caucus Club. The restaurant reportedly still serves a house version called the New Bullshot, which is made with gin and the restaurant’s own house-made beef consommé.
In New Orleans, a bar named Brennan’s has served its Bloody Bull since the 1950s, essentially where beef broth is added to its Bloody Mary. The venues beverage manager Braithe Gill revealed that “it isn’t necessarily a cold-weather drink, but it’s definitely an essential brunch option”.
Similarly, Bar Virgile in Durham, North Carolina, highlighted how it has experimented with multiple broth-based drinks, including its El Poncho, which blends corn-chip-infused Tequila with chicken bone broth, Cointreau, lime juice, avocado and agave.
An emulsifier
Bar Virgile’s owner Daniel Sartain told Food & Wine that the drink is “kind of a margarita” and admitted that stock works in cocktails like saline, acting as an emulsifier that helps to blend ingredients together.
Meanwhile, at the Inn at Hancock in New Hampshire, bone broth has also found its way onto the cocktail menu with Molly Horn, chief mixologist and spirits educator at Total Wine & Mor describing to reporters how “hydration methods enhanced with nutrients continue to bloom and grow, and bone broth hits on both of these fronts. Add that to the growing trend in savoury cocktails — drinks that lean more salty or umami-forward than sweet or sour — and you have a bone broth cocktail.”
Horn explained: “Because of the concentrated nature of bone broth, it has a very round, unctuous mouthfeel,” she said, noting it acts similarly to egg white, which is often used in drinks like whiskey sours and gin fizzes.”
Spirit options
However, Horn did hint that when it comes to pairing it is vodka that is often the first choice for most mixologists due to its neutral profile since it won’t clash with bone broth’s savoury qualities. She added that blanco Tequila can also work well, as its earthy characteristics complement umami flavours. Randhawa pointed out that bone broth can also work with a mezcal or whisky,
Samantha Presicci, a registered dietitian in Texas with FOND Regenerative, added: “Depending on how much you use in a single serving, a bone broth cocktail likely ends up only having 2–4 grams of protein per drink, which isn’t enough to make a meaningful dent in a daily protein goal. If you’re looking to increase your protein intake, you’re better off sipping a mug of bone broth or eating a protein-rich snack or meal. But if you enjoy the flavour of a bone broth-based cocktail, then sip away.”
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