Beyond Brodo: 10 Broth Cocktails to Try

Following the whole Brodo/bone broth mêlée last winter, this season bartenders are continuing the trend by boosting the complexity and flavors of cold-weather cocktails with savory soup. Whether it's mushroom stock or a straight-up hangover-healing Bullshot, broth, stock and consommé are making these new drinks the perfect fireside companion.

Baltimore

Wit & Wisdom American Tavern

Location: 200 International Drive, Baltimore, MD
Creator: Aaron Joseph
Cocktail: Savory Moments ($15) with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Bittermans Tiki Bitters, house-made cinnamon-flavored vermouth, Honeycrisp apples and cranberries, poured over a mushroom ice sphere, and garnished with an apple chip.
To slowly introduce a savory component to the Manhattan, bartender Aaron Joseph created a mushroom stock ice sphere. Comprised of a shiitake mushroom reduction with black pepper and a touch of cayenne,  the ice melts slowly transforming the cocktail from sweet to savory with an earthy, spicy note. "Since the Manhattan is a cocktail that is usually sipped and enjoyed at leisure, I wanted to add to that experience and have a cocktail that evolves with every sip, hence the name 'Savory Moments,'" explains Joseph.

Photo: Wit & Wisdom American Tavern

Chicago

GreenRiver

Location: 259 E Erie Street, Fl 18, Chicago, IL
Creator: Julia Momose
Cocktail: Peace Frog ($19) with Cynar Amaro, black trumpet mushroom cordial, Amontillado sherry, and Rhum Clément 3-year-old.
Head bartender Julia Momose loves mushrooms and she believes that the fungi's grassy, earthy and sometimes meaty flavor adds more depth to a drink. For her Peace Frog cocktail, she used Batavia Arrack to fortify her black trumpet mushroom stock. The resulting beverage displays mushroom flavor coming through mid-palate, with the funk of the Batavia carrying the notes through a long finish. "Amontillado sherry and Cynar play the role of salt and pepper, playing up the savory notes of the cordial, while the Rhum Clément is the backbone for the cocktail," she says.

Photo: GreenRiver

Dallas

Midnight Rambler

Location: 1530 Main Street, Dallas, TX
Creator: Chad Solomon
Cocktail: Pho-King Champ ($8) with wheat vodka with Oloroso sherry, aromatized beef stock and a cilantro leaf.
Chad Solomon's The Pho-King Champ got a lot of buzz earlier this year during the bone broth craze. The beef broth cocktail shot, a Vietnamese pho twist on the Bull Shot, is an umami bomb. Its aromatized broth of onions, ginger, and spices is further enhanced with Sriracha, hoisin sauce, MSG, and Maggi Seasoning. Afterward, the mixture is spiked with overproof wheat vodka Absolut Elyx and Dry Sack Oloroso 15 Year sherry to boost the umami even more.

Photo: Midnight Rambler

Montreal

132 Bar Vintage

Location: 132 Fleury Ouest, Montreal, QC
Creators: Philippe Letellier, Jonathan Elbaz, Jean-François Laurence 
Cocktail: La Galvaude Caesar ($12 Canadian) with vodka, chicken stock, tomato juice, chickpeas, and poutine sauce.
The Caesar is Canada's answer to the Bloody Mary. And 132 Bar Vintage managed to make it even more Canadian. For a take on galvaude (a poutine served with chicken, chick peas and spices), the bartender blends together chicken stock, tomato juice, chickpeas and poutine sauce, then adds vodka. Naturally, the glass is then garnished with chicken pieces placed in a spent lemon shell.

Photo: 132 Bar Vintage

New York City

The Clocktower

Location: 5 Madison Avenue, New York, NY
Creator: Gareth Evans
Cocktail: Los Pollos Hermanos ($16) with Montelobos Mezcal, Cazadores Blanco Tequila, herb-infused agave, lemon juice, chicken stock, and egg white.
Gareth Evans' Los Pollos Hermanos references the fried chicken chain owned by doomed Breaking Bad drug lord Gustavo Fring, while its combination of mezcal and chicken stock is a nod to Pechuga (a style of mezcal that is redistilled with a raw chicken carcass). Here, the chicken stock imbues a savory quality, while the egg creates a clean, creamy froth atop the drink.

Photo: The Clocktower

Portland

Three Degrees

Location: 1510 SW Harbor Way, Portland, OR
Creator: Thomas Dunklin
Cocktail: TD's Bloody Mary ($13) with vodka, tomato juice, beef consommé, lemon juice, horseradish, fresh cracked black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco.
The beef consommé boosts this Mary's hangover curing abilities, adding pure protein the body needs to recoup. But it also makes for a comforting and flavorful daytime drink, too.

Photo: Three Degrees

San Francisco

Belcampo Meat Co.

Location: 1998 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA
Creator: Greg Lindgren and Jon Gaparini
Cocktail: Boney Mary ($12) with organic bone broth, barley spirit, tomato, horseradish, lemon, black pepper, spices, Shotgun sauce (housemade steak sauce aged 60 days in oak barrels, made with gluten-free Tamari, white onion, tamarind, Serrano peppers, mustard seed, anchovy and salt and pepper).
Originally, Belcampo's Boney Mary was meant to be a take on the Bullshot in which the team would replace the richer and saltier beef bullion element with beef bone broth. But adding broth to a Bloody as a supporting player makes for a lighter and not as aggressively savory tipple.

Photo: Belcampo Meat Co.

Seattle

Bookstore Bar & Café

Location: 1007 1st Avenue, Seattle, WA
Creator: Caprial Pence
Cocktail: Take Stock ($12) with rich chicken stock, dry sherry, and ginger syrup.
Executive Chef Caprial Pence wanted to make a stock-based cocktail for the chillier months "because it just warms your soul and when you add the kick of booze it will chase any chill out of you," he says.

Photo: Bookstore Bar & Cafe

Washington DC

Poste Moderne Brasserie

Location: 555 8th Street NW, Washington DC
Creator: Justin Hampton
Cocktail: Turkey Tippler ($12) with turkey dripping Wild Turkey Bourbon, hot water, salt, cracked black pepper, Angostura bitters, celery and shaved carrot garnish.
Inspired by his favorite aspect of Thanksgiving—the leftovers—lead bartender Justin Hampton fat-washed bourbon with actual turkey drippings, yielding a toddy with a delightful savory turkey element. For those who want to try it at home, infuse the spirit with the hot turkey juices from a just baked turkey. Shake well, then allow the mixture to rest for three days, agitating it once a day. Then put the bourbon in the freezer to solidify the fat. Strain and voila, the perfect Thanksgiving turkey drink accompaniment.

Photo: Poste Moderne Brasserie

Zentan

Location: 1155 14th Street NW, Washington, DC
Creator: Matt Allred
Cocktail: Tomorokoshi Cider ($14) with High West Prairie bourbon, corn stock, orange juice, lemon juice, Tiki bitters, and pineapple syrup, garnished with a pickled baby corn.
Lead bartender Matt Allred didn't want to go the boring "bourbon and apple cider" route for this season. So, he added corn stock, whose natural subtle sweetness complements the apple and bourbon. He follows up with Tiki bitters and pineapple syrup to round things out and add tropical notes.

Photo: Zentan