How Your Bar/Restaurant Can Go Viral on TikTok

Over the past year, a variety of cocktail content has gone viral on TikTok—remember the Negroni Sbagliato?—and the content's popularity on the social platform is predicted to continue to rise in 2023. What is it about cocktail content on TikTok that makes it so popular? What does it take to go viral on TikTok? And how can your bar or restaurant make a splash on the platform? We'll break it all down for you!

Eddie Simeón, co-founder and CMO of Hella Cocktail Co., explains what makes cocktails so "thumb-stopping" on TikTok, "Each cocktail is a small celebration and one of the purest expressions of your personal style and taste," he says. "Maybe you had a tough week—are you in a brooding mood and sipping on a boozy Boulevardier? Or are you popping Prosecco with your friends to spritz the stress from your brain?"

Aside from personal connection, Simeón sees new takes on classic recipes trending on TikTok as well—especially when they're seasonally relevant. "Picture a seasonal take on margaritas and palomas for the springtime, or a pumpkin spice old fashioned when PSL season rolls around."

With Dry January just wrapping up, Simeón says the trendiest cocktail content on TikTok was all about non-alc cocktails. "Dry January is all about jumpstarting new habits to help you live the best version of yourself," he says. "And when you feel yourself, you feel ready to celebrate authentically."

The most important aspect of any cocktail content on TikTok, however, is it has to taste good. "Isn't it interesting that the espresso martini appears to have more staying power than the Dirty Shirley or even the Negroni Spagliato," asks Simeón. "Maybe the soundbite doesn't matter much if the drink doesn't taste great."

So how can your bar/restaurant make the most of TikTok? By treating it like a search engine. "TikTok, at its core, is a search engine. With that, businesses should be strategic about their words on video that would connect with local TikTok users looking for their next fun outing," says Simeón. "If your bar has a special cuisine, talk about the food pairings as you make cocktails look amazing on video. Is your business all about local flair? List the tourist destinations closest to your restaurant to borrow from the relevance of popular things in your area."

If you need some recipe inspiration to get you started on TikTok, check out these recipes from Hella Cocktail Co.!

 

Espresso Absentia

Ingredients:

1.5 oz Lyres Coffee Cordial

.5 oz Lyres Amaretti

1.25 oz Espresso (single shot) Or 1.5 oz Strong black coffee

.25 oz Maple Syrup

3 Dashes Hella Aromatic Bitters

 

Directions:

Combine ingredients in a shaker over ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a coupe glass. 

 

Black Ginger Mule

Ingredients:

3 oz Hella Cocktail Co. Mule Mix

3 oz Club Soda 

2 oz Rasasvada Black Ginger

2 Dashes Hella Mexican Chocolate Bitters

 

Directions:

In a highball glass, combine 2 oz Mule Mix and 3 oz Club Soda over ice. In a shaker over ice combine 1 oz Mule Mix, 2 oz Rasasvada Black Ginger, and 2 Dashes Mexican Chocolate Bitters. Shake vigorously. Place a spoon upside down directly over the highball glass. Strain the contents of the shaker very gently, pouring the mixture off the back of the spoon over the club soda and mule mix. It should create a layered cocktail. Garnish with a lime or lemon wheel.