Licorice is a flavor beloved by a few but hated by many — in fact, by most. In 2023, Instacart commissioned The Harris Poll to conduct a 2,000-person survey on the most polarizing foods — licorice came in second only to anchovies as America’s “most hated” food. 

And yet lately, that unmistakable anise-meets-fennel flavor has increasingly appeared in drinks at coffee shops, bars, and restaurants.