4 Drink Trends That You’ll See Everywhere in 2023, on TikTok and IRL

Yelp’s 2022 Trend Forecast Report makes all sorts of predictions for 2023. (FYI, glazed donut nails and vintage-inspired décor are here to stay.) Of course, we’re most interested in the future of food, and the report said that oxtails, pickle-flavored treats, experiential dining and fast food nostalgia are all on the up and up. But what really caught our eye was the myriad of exciting, surprising drink trends that we can’t wait to get in on. Read on for four beverages that will be all over your social feeds in 2023.

You’ve heard of micheladas, a Mexican drink typically made with beer, lime juice, chamoy and spices. The michelagua is similar but uses agua fresca (another Latin drink made by combining fresh juice from fruits or cereals with water and sugar) as the base instead of beer. This trend comes after nearly two years of mocktails and non-alcoholic aperitifs reigning supreme, so it’s no surprise that searches for michelagua were up 62 percent in 2022. TikTokkers have made their own over-the-top renditions, which boast everything from whole paletas to fresh fruit and coconut shavings.

You may have been repulsed by Lindsay Lohan’s pilk endorsement, but it turns out that dairy-kissed pop isn’t new. Dirty soda, a mix of soda, cream and flavored syrup over pebbled or crushed ice, is a Utah staple that went viral on TikTok this spring, and its popularity is still going strong. (Searches for dirty soda were up 40 percent this year.) The drink rose to fame after the Mormon church tweaked its ban on caffeine in 2012, permitting the consumption of cold caffeinated beverages. (Although the term dirty soda is relatively new, we’d argue Italian sodas, floats and egg creams walked so dirty soda could run.)

Some variations use fresh fruit juice instead of flavored syrup or sweetened coffee creamer in place of both cream and syrup. You can use any soda you’d like (Sprite! Orange Crush! Mountain Dew!), but many TikTokkers use Dr. Pepper. In Utah and a few other states, you can head to Swig or Sodalicious, chains that specialize in all types of dirty sodas, to get your fix. But the sipper is simple enough to make at home, no matter where you live.

Bubble tea already had its moment. Throughout 2022, our collective appetite has turned to higher end teas, and there are plenty more to explore than standard English breakfast. Yelp notes a 38 percent rise in searches for hojicha, a Japanese green tea that’s famously roasted over charcoal, giving it a sweeter, smokier taste than the green tea you’re likely used to. It’s arguably most popular in latte form among TikTokkers and Yelpers, but you can also have it hot, cold or with boba.

Whole Foods also included yaupon, North America’s only known native caffeinated plant, as one of the top 10 food trends to look out for in 2023. Indigenous communities have been brewing it into tea and using it in purification rituals for centuries, but the mild, earthy tea is now being brewed by gourmet tea purveyors and mixologists alike.

2020’s White Claw slushies and 2022’s Coconut Cloud smoothie led the way for #foodtok’s slushie obsession. From margs and frosé to Starbucks secret menu freezes and 7-Eleven’s O.G. Slurpees, TikTokkers drank their way through countless frozen beverages this year, resulting in a 77 percent uptick in searches for slushies. Consequently, Yelp is predicting that more and more restaurants across the country will meet demand with creative twists and old favorites alike. But as long as you have a blender, there’s no limit to the slushies you can concoct at home, whether you’re into frozen coffee or vacay-worthy cocktails. (Perhaps a frozen negroni? Sbagliato? With prosecco in it?)

_{Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.}