Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Anna Monette Roberts
It's been a year of Instagram-worthy and crazy-viral drinks. In 2017, we'll be reminiscing about Starbucks's rainbow drinks, the takeover of Rosé everything, and more trendy drink moments that defined 2016. We're looking back at the top nine drink moments of the year — and probably having a drink in the process — as we cheers to the end of this year and the beginning of a new one.
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The introduction of the Starbucks Pink Drink in June — which tastes like pink Starbursts — sparked a whole line of rainbow drinks on the "secret menu." Using a variety of Starbucks menu items, like teas, freeze-dried fruits, and powders, Starbucks baristas were able to create five types of rainbow drinks upon request, resulting in tons of #PinkDrink, #PurpleDrink, and #RainbowDrinks photos on Instagram.
While Hello Kitty wine has in fact been around for several years, this was the year that more people discovered it than ever before, and it blew up. You can only find the wine at select stores (and at Antonello Restaurant in LA), but if you're a hardcore Hello Kitty fan, it's worth seeking out. The wines are sweet but not too sweet, and the adorable packaging makes them even more desirable.
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4Black Tap Milkshakes
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Completely over-the-top milkshakes took over Instagram this year, and the trend all started at Black Tap in NYC. People paid $15 for milkshakes like they'd never had before, including milkshakes like birthday cake with an actual slice of birthday cake, cotton candy with rock candy, and chocolate chip cookie topped with a giant ice cream sandwich.
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5Nitro Cold Brew
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Erin Cullum
Chances are you saw Nitro Cold Brew on the menu at one of your local coffee shops this year — including Starbucks. The trendy take on coffee is made by infusing nitrogen gas into cold-brew coffee, which does a few really cool things. It takes some of the bitterness away so you need less sweetener, it makes the coffee smooth and creamy without cream (see the layer of froth on the top), and it's served out of a tap. It cascades from the tap into the cup like a Guinness, and it's so cold already that it's not served over ice.
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6Beyoncé's Lemonade
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Anna Monette Roberts
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Anna Monette Roberts
Blue wine had a moment of internet fame in 2016, but thankfully it was short lived. While the creator of the wine, Gik, promises its cobalt hue is the result of a natural grape-growing process, the wine has a "non-caloric" sweetener that makes it taste artificial and way too sweet.
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8Nitro Tea
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Nitro cold brew isn't the only nitrogen-infused drink hitting more menus than ever. Nitro tea is having a moment too, and it's a must-try drink for any non-coffee drinker.
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9Red Wine Hot Chocolate
Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Jae Payne
People realized they should be combining two of the greatest things ever (red wine and chocolate) for the coziest hot drink of all time. A foolproof red wine hot chocolate recipe went viral this year and proves people will be drinking this in their PJs all Winter long.