Your source for the most up-to-date information on emerging beverage trends.
Chicago Edition
We tasted our way through Chicago on our annual trend walk. Here are some of the most innovative menu items we found on our journey.
- Savory Wellness Beverages
- Coffee Shop Twists
- Ultra Indulgent
- Trending Ingredients
Sweet and Savory Wellness Beverages
Coffee Shop Twists
Ultra Indulgent
Extravagent shakes (aka freakshakes) are all over Instagram, and now we’re seeing other ultra-indulgent offerings like hot chocolate. We tried a Chocolate S’mores Cooler Chocolate at Bombo Bar that was topped with whipped cream, graham cracker crumble, chocolate sauce and a bomboloni (Italian hole-less doughnut).
Trending Ingredients
Butterfly Pea Flower changes color when certain ingredients are added (e.g. lemon will change it from blue to purple). We tried two beverages that use the colorful tea at Hot Shots Cafe — one had lychee syrup and the other had grenadine and coconut milk.
We called out schisandra as an “ingredient to watch” after Expo West, so we tried the Grapefruit Hibiscus Fizzy (which has the adaptogenic berry and beets) in a cold blended beverage at Limitless.
“Goth food” became the counter trend to “unicorn food” and activated charcoal is the “it” ingredient for turning food and beverage black. We tried charcoal waffles at Hot Shots Cafe. Charcoal pizza, ice cream, lemonade and more are also on the market.
Our final stop was at Beatnik. Cocktails had globally inspired flavors like turmeric, sesame, and five spice (star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel and Szechwan peppercorns).
One cocktail also included aquafaba (the liquid that chickpeas have been cooked in and historically has been discarded) instead of egg white.
