How to Liven Up Your Cocktails With Popping Bobas and Tapioca Pearls

The scene so far

If you are well acquainted with bubble tea, you are probably familiar with the traditional function of tapioca pearls as a delicious component of traditional bubble tea drinks. Made from tapioca powder, the naturally translucent balls take on a wonderful chewy texture when cooked and are flavoured traditionally with brown sugar, from which they derive their recognisable brown hue. Recently, however, this beloved staple of Taiwanese bubble tea beverages has taken on a new grown-up role. How to Liven Up Your Cocktails With Popping Bobas and Tapioca Pearls?  Enter the world of grown-up beverages, where tapioca pearls step beyond their comfort zone, mingling with spirits to create captivating cocktails like the Baileys Boba Sunrise.

Baileys Boba Sunrise

The Boba Sunrise is particularly intriguing in its use of Baileys, Honey syrup, and Thai Tea concentrate, which pays homage to the original ingredients of an orthodox bubble tea drink. The Baileys Irish cream liqueur functions in conjunction with coconut cream as a creamer substitute, the Thai tea concentrate alludes to the customary black tea flavour, and the honey syrup constitutes a fructose alternative. When shaken together and served over a generous scoop of tapioca balls, the end result is a strikingly tasty, boozy addition to the established bubble tea family.

Creamy cocktails with popping boba

The use of tapioca pearls for this purpose feels similar to adding a measure of bourbon to a milkshake or whiskey to your coffee – though it is difficult to improve upon a classic recipe, the addition of liquor opens the door to new possibilities. This beverage, and others like it, elegantly straddles the line between cocktail and dessert, expanding the beloved bubble tea blueprint to satisfy both a sweet tooth and the desire for a nightcap, resulting in the perfect after-dinner treat. Liven Up Your Cocktails with these innovative ideas!

The possibilities for the development of new tapioca pearl cocktails are seemingly as endless as they are exciting, with an increasing number of mixologists developing cocktail recipes that include them. For example, tapioca balls utilised in partnership with milk tea can provide a modern twist on the 1960s classic White Russian.

Sophisticated Cocktails With Popping Boba

In the same vein, Popping Boba balls can bring a playful twist to more ‘sophisticated' drinks, like the espresso martini showcased by Kate Gibbs. While these examples highlight tapioca boba's harmony with classic milky cocktails, it doesn't confine to these adaptations. Apart from being unique, tapioca balls are versatile for crafting their ‘brand' of novel cocktails with popping boba, evident in the Maine Spirits Bourbon bubble tea or the Mr Black Sugar Boba. Whether you seek a textural spin on a classic or a bold new experience, now is the perfect time to experiment with tapioca pearls!

Don't forget the straw!

The final essential component for any cocktails with popping boba is the appropriate straw. It should be sufficiently wide and round to accommodate the tapioca pearls, ensuring a proper experience. Particularly for alcoholic drinks, the straw's structural integrity matters, allowing you to savour your drink at a leisurely pace.

As the plastic straw era comes to an end and paper straws often fall short, the bamboo straw emerges as the ideal companion for your popping boba cocktail journey.

For all your popping boba and tapioca pearl needs, reach out to us at Taipec.