The Most Unexpectedly Popular Holiday Drinks By State
Every state has its own festive drink to toast the holidays with.
Have you ever heard of Grinch Punch? How about a Cape Codder? We hadn't either—but at the holidays, we're all about discovering new foods and beverages we've never encountered before. According to a recent study conducted by Boam (a consumer technology company focused on the restaurant industry), the two aforementioned drinks are some of the most uniquely searched holiday sippers in some states.
In order to find the most popular holiday drink in the nation, Boam compiled a list of over 500 popular alcoholic beverages. From there, it analyzed Google search volume data by state to determine the seven "most popular" holiday drinks in each state. Next, it conducted a poll of 1,000 people in each state; respondents were told to select their favorite drink from those seven finalists. The drink with the most votes in each state was crowned the winner.
Although we've said before that search volume doesn't necessarily translate directly to an item's popularity, the research conducted by Boam nevertheless yielded some interesting results by state. Some of the cocktails that were being searched for in various regions of the country look to be extremely unique and specific to certain states.
For example, based on the conducted poll, a Cape Codder is the "unofficial holiday drink" of Maine for 2022. Unless you live in Maine, you might have no clue what a Cape Codder is. It turns out that it's pretty much just a vodka cranberry. The name comes from the fact that Cape Cod is known for growing cranberries, and while this combination is popular nationwide, it can certianly be claimed as an East Coast thing.
Another "unofficial" state holiday drink that had me scratching my head was the winner in The Takeout's home state of Illinois. I have lived in Illinois my entire life, and even more specifically in the wonderful city of Chicago. Never have I ordered or heard anyone around me order something called a Chicago Cocktail. And yet, per Boam's poll, it is the holiday drink of choice for 2022. A recipe from Imbibe Magazine tells us that it's a brandy cocktail with bitters and Cointreau (an orange-flavored triple sec liqueur), topped with sparkling wine. It sounds great, but it definitely doesn't sound familiar.
In fact, a lot of the "favorites" in each state might just have been voted on because the names were so appropriate. Vermont favors the "Fall in Vermont" (bourbon, cider, ginger beer); Arkansas loves the "Arkansas Razorback" (vodka, rum, amaretto, Kahlua); and Hawaii picked the "Blue Hawaii" (rum, vodka, pineapple juice, Blue Curaçao, sour mix).
But I have to say the true champion here is Alaska, whose winning holiday drink is... the Duck Fart. Yep. This beautifully named layered shooter consists of Kahlua, Baileys, and Crown Royal.
Whether you toast the new year with champagne and juice or waterfowl flatulence, cheers to whatever makes your holiday that much more fun.