Jump on the Latest Boba Cocktail Trend with These 3 Cocktails

If you spend a fair amount of time on TikTok or Instagram as a foodie, odds are you’ve come across a few gorgeous-looking boba cocktails by now. So fun, right? Also known as bubble tea, or pearl milk tea, these cute, photogenic drinks have actually been a thing in most Asian countries since the 1980s. 

What is boba?

Boba is tapioca pearls, also known as tapioca balls — edible, translucent spheres produced from tapioca, a starch that is made from the cassava root and originated as a more cost-effective alternative to sago in Southeast Asian cuisine. When used as an ingredient in bubble tea, these happy additions are most commonly referred to as pearls or ‘boba’. 

What are boba cocktails?

Although bubble tea was originally alcohol-free and super popular among teens and tweens, somewhere along the line a few enterprising folks decided to add a little something stronger to appeal to an older demographic.  

Flavours hailing from Thailand, Indonesia, and China have been shaking up the global cocktail scene for a while now, with talented bartenders at Asian-owned establishments infusing drinks with inspiring flavours like pandan leaves, Thai chilli, bitter melon and Chinese five spice.   

It was only a matter of time before the crossover happened, and now that it finally has adventurous foodies cannot seem to get enough of it!  

How to ride the boba cocktails trend wave

To help you ride this trend wave, we’ve gathered a few bubble tea cocktail recipes to try at home. Fair warning – popping boba cocktails require quite a bit of prep work to assemble, so be ready to prepare your own tapioca pearls, and make syrup from scratch. It’s a little labour-intensive, but 100% worth it in the end.  

1. Rum & Boba cocktail

This playful twist on milk tea meets island vibes, bringing together Wray & Nephew rum, creamy wafer milk, and chewy boba pearls for a fun, dessert-style cocktail.

Ingredients

• 60 ml Wray & Nephew Rum (opens in new window)

• 60 ml Orange juice

• 45 ml Wafer-infused milk*

• 30 ml Black tea

• 20 ml Winter melon sugar syrup**

• 2 tbsp Tapioca pearls (boba)

• Dash of sugar

• Ice

Method

1. Prepare the wafer-infused milk by soaking one wafer-style cookie (like Nilla) in 60 ml of full-cream milk for two hours, then strain through cheesecloth

2. Boil the tapioca pearls in water with a dash of sugar, following package instructions

3. Make the winter melon sugar syrup by boiling equal parts winter melon sugar and water until dissolved

4. Add rum, orange juice, wafer-infused milk, black tea, and winter melon syrup to a cocktail shaker with ice

5. Shake until well chilled and double-strain into a glass with tapioca pearls at the bottom

6. Give it a light stir, add ice, and enjoy with a boba straw

7. Serve

TOP TIP: Boba straws are available from most Asian and Taiwanese speciality stores, and can also be purchased online. It’s thicker than a conventional straw, which allows one to slurp up the boba easily from the bottom of the drink.  

2. Strawberry & Lime Sparkling Boba cocktail

If you have a soft spot for strawberry cocktails (opens in new window) you’ve got to make the Strawberry & Lime Sparkling Boba cocktail. This bubble tea cocktail is a nice one to try if you’re in the mood for something a little lighter and more summery.

Ingredients

• 30 ml SKYY Vodka (opens in new window)

• 75 ml Strawberry and lime syrup*

• 15 ml Fresh lime juice

• 2 tbsp Tapioca pearls (boba)

• 3 oz Sparkling water or club soda

• Ice

Method

1. Make the strawberry and lime syrup by adding 1 cup diced strawberries, 0.25 cup white sugar, and half a lime (juice and skins) to a small saucepan

2. Heat over medium-low for 15 minutes, stirring continuously until a syrup forms, then discard the lime skins and let cool

3. Prepare the tapioca pearls according to package instructions

4. Add tapioca pearls and syrup to the bottom of your serving glass

5. Top with SKYY Vodka and fresh lime juice

6. Charge with sparkling water or club soda and gently stir

7. Serve

3. Mr Black Sugar Boba Cocktail

This creamy, whiskey-forward drink dances with bittersweet notes of black sugar and boba.

Ingredients

• 45 ml Wild Turkey Bourbon (opens in new window)

• 20 ml Coffee liqueur

• 90 ml Full-cream milk

• 30 ml Black sugar syrup*

• 1 dash Vanilla extract

• 2 tbsp Tapioca pearls (boba)

• Ice

Method

1. Prepare the tapioca pearls according to the package instructions, then let them cool

2. Make the black sugar syrup by combining 1 cup black sugar (or dark brown sugar) with 1 cup water in a saucepan

3. Boil on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves, then set aside to cool

4. Combine the cooled tapioca pearls with the black sugar syrup

5. Add two tablespoons of the syrupy pearls to a serving glass (reserve remaining syrup for future drinks)

6. Add whiskey, coffee liqueur, full-cream milk, and vanilla extract to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake until cold

7. Strain into the glass with the boba pearls, stir gently, and enjoy with a boba straw

8. Serve

More whiskey cocktails to try: Kanpai! 10 Japanese Whiskey Cocktails to Master (opens in new window)