Flavor Patrol
Steven Rowe reports.
| More 'Front Burner' articles in this issue |
| Hot fudge and pickles, please |
| Tales of the Middle East |
| One fish, two fish… |
| Good to go |
New York City—Attention all you stuck on serving strawberry Daiquiris poolside and starring Shirley Temples on the nonalcoholic drinks list—it's time to move on. Winsome bendy straws and miniature umbrellas may still have their fans, but many restless patrons are looking for something new, refreshing, and healthy. After having prowled the endless aisles and multiple showrooms of the Fancy Food Show in New York City, I realized that not only is the healthy food and drink revolution still alive and well but it's matured into a rebellious hormone-raging adolescent. Nowadays, organic, natural, healthy, and green are required vocabulary on food and drink labels, and no one wants anything less. So sidetrack the virgin Piña Coladas and shelve the energy drinks with ingredients no one knows how to pronounce (here's a challenge—acesulfame K, pyridoxide hydrochloride, cyanocbalamin—yea, didn't think so). Here are some of the new kids on the block—they'll improve any drink (and some, the mini bar) menu, even those that need little work: O.N.E. is bringing out its 100 percent Coconut Water (good for hangovers, especially made for you mixologists-in-training) and its Amazon Açaí, made from freshly picked açaí berries from the Amazon rainforest. Açaí berries contain more antioxidants (which help prevent cancer) than any other known fruit or vegetable.
While we're on the topic of antioxidants, here's another surefire winner…red espresso. It looks like coffee, tastes like coffee, and smells like coffee, but it's made from rooibos tea and has antioxidants by the truckload. Oh, and there's zero caffeine so it's the ultimate decaf.
But for those who need a double shot of espresso every few hours to stay energized, new Organic essn Energy could be an eye-opening alternative. The first USDA certified "Organic and Mission Organic" energy drink, this is pure energy from Mother Earth, not Bill Nye. Another new line is essn's all-natural "Sparkling Juices" in mouthwatering flavors like Fuji apple, Meyer lemon, blood orange/cranberry, pomegranate/Montmorency cherry, and Minneola tangerine.
Finally, South Korea, known for its abundance of high quality ginseng, has an arsenal of companies bringing ginseng tea drinks overseas. The rewards of ginseng are many, including the inhibition of three types of cancer cells and antifatigue/antistress effects. Some products being introduced are Korean Red Ginseng Schisandra Chinensis Honey Tea, Korean Red Ginseng Deer Antlers Extract Gold, and a Korean Ginseng Root Drink.
Who needs wings when you could have deer antlers instead?
