Bone broth has officially escaped the soup bowl. Now it’s turning up in places you’d never expect: matcha lattes, post-workout drinks, and even martinis. Baristas and bartenders alike are finding creative ways to put broth in your glass, from frothing it into matcha to mixing it into cocktails, while beverage makers are transforming the traditionally hot, savory staple into something cold, refreshing, and even sparkling.
So why the sudden interest in drinking broth? Part of the appeal is the wellness factor. Bone broth already has a health halo thanks to its protein and collagen, so it’s not a huge leap to see it popping up alongside the protein shakes, electrolyte drinks, and other functional beverages taking over grocery store shelves.
But health only explains part of what’s going on. Bartenders are interested in broth for an entirely different reason: It tastes good.
So before you write off bone broth matcha—or a beef broth martini—as a step too far, here’s why broth is suddenly showing up in so many drinks, what it actually adds, and the easiest ways to try the trend yourself.
Drinking broth isn’t actually new
For all the novelty surrounding today’s bone broth drinks, bartenders have been putting broth in cocktails for decades.
The Bull Shot, which emerged in Detroit in the 1950s, combines beef broth or consommé with vodka and savory seasonings. Its close cousin, the Bloody Bull, essentially adds beef broth to the Bloody Mary formula. Or, as Esquire puts it, the Bull Shot is “the Bloody Mary’s salty cousin from Detroit.” The magazine even has a Bull Shot recipe for making the old-school savory cocktail at home.
So no, TikTok did not invent drinking broth.
What has changed is the context around it. Bone broth spent much of the past decade becoming a wellness-world staple, helped along by chef Marco Canora, who began selling cups of sipping broth from a window at his New York City restaurant Hearth in 2014 before launching Brodo, his popular bone broth brand and takeout shops.
The idea caught on, with dedicated broth cafés following around the country. Trad Bone Broth in San Francisco, for example, now serves not only traditional broth in cups for sipping but also in cafe drinks like chai and lavender lattes.
What’s actually new? That sip-it-like-coffee mentality is colliding with our love of functional beverages, protein-packed everything, and savory cocktails.
Yes, people are putting bone broth in matcha
If there’s one drink that perfectly captures the wellness side of this trend, it might be bone broth matcha.
Edlin Choi, founder of Korean-style bone broth company Reclamation Foods, first encountered the combination on TikTok.
“I saw some TikTok creators posting matcha broth lattes and thought I’d try it,” Choi says.
His first attempt using another brand didn’t quite work. He suspected the salt and herbal and vegetal flavors commonly added to packaged broth were fighting with the matcha. So he tried again with his company’s unseasoned bone broth, which contains only bones and water.
The result surprised him enough that he began serving the drink at pop-ups, events, and farmers’ markets.
“The broth gives the drink more body and mouthfeel, and because it’s unseasoned, it adds a subtle savory quality that really complements the natural umami of a high-quality matcha,” Choi says.
And before you picture something that tastes like green tea mixed with chicken soup, Choi says the broth is far less obvious than you’d expect.
“Made right, the bone broth matcha just tastes like a really good matcha latte—sweet and creamy with a hint of umami,” he says.
How to try bone broth matcha at home
Choi heats 6 ounces of unseasoned bone broth and combines it with 2 grams of matcha (sifted), 1 teaspoon of raw honey, and a few drops of vanilla extract. He whisks that until frothy, then tops it with 2 ounces of frothed coconut milk.
He prefers it hot—even during the summer—because he says you can taste more of the drink’s nuances that way.
You can make it iced, but there’s a catch: Because a collagen- and gelatin-rich broth can gel when chilled, Choi says you need to thoroughly emulsify the ingredients before adding ice so the broth doesn’t congeal around the cubes.
Not ready to sacrifice your matcha? Choi also adds bone broth to hot cocoa and golden milk. His hot chocolate uses equal parts milk and broth, while his golden milk combines broth and milk with spices and honey.
Now, bone broth is coming for the protein drink
Here’s where things get even more unexpected: Bone broth doesn’t necessarily have to be hot—or even taste like broth.
The brand Marrō has turned it into a cold, carbonated, fruit-flavored drink with 12 grams of protein per can. Founder and CEO Nick Foreste says the idea came from loving the benefits of traditional bone broth but not always wanting to drink a steaming cup of it.
“Drinking hot soup didn’t always fit our lifestyles, especially after a workout or on a hot day,” Foreste says. “We wanted to make it refreshing, convenient, and easy to enjoy anytime.”
He craved something lighter and more refreshing than traditional hot broth or a thick dairy-based protein shake while still providing protein and electrolytes.
The resulting drinks come in flavors like Blueberry Lemonade, Blackberry Lime, and Peach Mango. And Foreste says the reaction he hears most often from first-time tasters is exactly what you’d expect: “Wait, that’s bone broth?!”
It’s another sign that bone broth is moving beyond the mug. Foreste points to the current obsession with protein, along with consumer interest in functional drinks, as reasons the category is ripe for reinvention.
“Bone broth fits naturally at the intersection of those trends,” he says. “It just needed a more refreshing, approachable format.”
But there’s an important caveat: Just because bone broth has entered the functional beverage aisle doesn’t mean every health claim surrounding it is equally well supported.
So, is drinking bone broth actually good for you?
Bone broth has acquired an impressive list of purported benefits over the years: better gut health! Glowing skin! Stronger hair and nails! Improved immunity! Faster workout recovery!
The reality is less dramatic.
“Bone broth’s most reliable benefits are pretty simple: It’s warm, hydrating, low in calories, and it delivers some protein and minerals like sodium,” says Lauren Manaker, M.S., R.D.N., L.D.. “Those are real, if modest.”
A typical cup contains roughly 5 to 10 grams of protein, according to Manaker. That can contribute to your overall protein intake, but it’s not equivalent to a typical whey or soy protein shake, which often contains 20 to 25 grams of more complete protein.
And those collagen claims deserve some context, too.
“The idea that eating collagen from broth translates directly into better skin, hair, or nails isn’t well supported,” Manaker says. “Your body breaks collagen down into amino acids during digestion, so it doesn’t travel intact to your skin.”
As for drinking bone broth after a workout? That can make sense—with realistic expectations.
After a sweaty workout, Manaker says, you need to replace fluid and sodium, both of which bone broth can provide. But traditional bone broth tends to fall short on protein and carbohydrates, two important components of recovery. If you’re choosing a ready-to-drink version specifically for that purpose, she recommends checking how much protein it actually contains and pairing it with a carbohydrate source like fruit or toast.
And don’t forget to check the sodium. Some bone broths contain 400 to 900 milligrams or more per serving, according to Manaker.
Her bottom line: “Bone broth is a perfectly nice addition to a varied diet, just not a cure-all.”
Then there’s the other side of the trend: Broth cocktails
Nobody is ordering a bone broth martini because they think it’s going to give them glowing skin.
Here, broth is being embraced for what it can do as an ingredient: bring salt, body, spice, and a deeply savory quality to a drink.
Irene Yoo, James Beard Award-winning author of Soju Party: How to Drink (and Eat!) Like a Korean, serves a spicy ramyun “broth back” at Orion Bar in Brooklyn, NY. Think of it as a savory spin on a pickleback: Instead of chasing a shot with pickle brine, you follow a shot of soju with a warm sip of spicy Korean instant noodle broth.
The idea has roots in Korean drinking culture.
“In Korean drinking culture, it’s essential to eat when you drink,” Yoo says. “There’s a whole category of food called anju, which means drinking food, and one popular style of anju is anything brothy.”
She loves spicy clam soup alongside soju, for example, and instant ramyun is also popular drinking food. Turning that experience into a broth back felt like a natural extension.
Customers, however, may need a little convincing.
“I think people are definitely a little bit skeptical and wary of having a steaming shot glass placed in front of them,” Yoo says. “But once they try it, they are definitely converts for life.”
Broth is making its way inside the cocktail, too
Orion Bar recently brought back its Naengmyeon Martini, a boozy riff on Korean cold noodles served in an icy broth. The cocktail incorporates beef broth, pickled radish, and Korean mustard.
“For me personally, I feel like my palate is just tired of everything being sweet all the time,” Yoo says. “Like, why do oatmeal, coffee drinks, and cocktails always have to be sweet?”
Broth gives bartenders another way to build a drink. According to Yoo, a good broth for pairing with alcohol should have enough salt to stand up to it and enough body to add texture without becoming heavy. Spice is welcome, too, while vinegar or pickle brine can add acidity.
And bartenders have been riffing on this idea across the country.
In Dallas, Midnight Rambler served the Pho-King Champ, a Vietnamese-inspired reinterpretation of the Bull Shot that paired vodka and oloroso sherry with pho broth flavored with ginger, onion, and warming spices.
Today’s broth cocktails may look new, but you can trace a pretty clear lineage through American cocktail history. In New Orleans, the Bloody Bull offers a familiar example: Take the tomato, spice, and vodka of a Bloody Mary and make it even more savory with beef broth.
And in Detroit, where the Bull Shot first emerged more than 70 years ago, bartenders have continued to reinterpret the drink that helped establish broth as a cocktail ingredient.
Think of today’s broth backs, naengmyeon martinis, and pho-inspired cocktails as the next generation. The idea of putting broth in—or alongside—a drink isn’t new. What feels different now is the sheer variety of ways it’s being used, and the different drinking cultures and trends converging around it.
The easiest ways to try the trend at home
You absolutely do not have to start by pouring beef broth into your martini.
Start with your favorite hot drink
If you’re broth-curious, Choi’s matcha latte is an approachable place to start, particularly if you already like the earthy, umami character of matcha.
For something even easier, try replacing part of the milk in hot chocolate or golden milk with an unseasoned bone broth.
If cocktails are more your speed
Think like a bartender and start with drinks that are already savory. A Bloody Mary is an obvious candidate: The Bloody Bull has been proving that tomato and beef broth play nicely together for decades. Or try it in this pickle michelada, swapping some or all of the usual Clamato for bone broth for an extra-savory spin.
Try it in a “broth back”
Or don’t put broth in the cocktail at all. Think of a broth back like a pickleback, but swap the pickle juice for a shot of warm, savory broth. Sip it after a shot of your preferred spirit to soften the burn.
For a simple broth back, Yoo recommends pairing a rich chicken or beef broth with whiskey. Briny shellfish broth, meanwhile, is particularly good with soju.
There’s just one thing you shouldn’t do: convince yourself your broth cocktail is now a health drink.
“Adding bone broth to a cocktail can be more about flavor than nutrition,” Manaker says. The quantities tend to be small, so the protein and minerals aren’t particularly meaningful.
And despite what a cocktail containing broth or electrolytes might suggest, Manaker wouldn’t call it hydrating.
“A cocktail can taste savory and interesting,” she says, “but calling an alcoholic drink hydrating is generally an overstatement.”
Maybe that’s the best way to understand the whole bone broth drink moment. There’s no single reason broth is suddenly turning up in our glasses. For some people, it’s protein. For others, it’s recovery. And for bartenders, it’s another tool for delivering the salty, spicy, savory flavors drinkers increasingly crave.
Turns out, broth was a beverage all along. We’re just finding a lot more ways to drink it.
