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2008 Preview: Beverage - Big flavors and exotic additions are on tap |
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Smart beverage buyers have to keep current, but a crystal ball wouldn't hurt. Here we've distilled the huge number of new products coming to market into three basic trends: good-for-you beverages, the green and organic movement and the latest hot flavors. |
Plus is a must
Just about every kind of beverage is available in versions enhanced with vitamins, nutrients or exotic herbs. Soft drink giant Coca Cola is reportedly funding research into traditional Chinese medicinal herbs with an eye toward creating new functional beverages beyond its stable of products like Full Throttle, Coke Blak and Enviga.
Red Bull started it all. Bartenders blended the popular energy drink with alcohol to produce cocktails that provided the effects of both. It wasn't long before producers thought to combine the two ideas in one bottle. Perhaps the most successful of this new category is p.i.n.k. vodka. Produced in Holland, it's spiked with caffeine and guarana then packaged in a frosted pink bottle that stands out on the back bar. On the other end of the functional spectrum, San Francisco-based Delicious Brands has just released White Lotus Vodka enhanced with B and C vitamins-to help combat hangovers.
Back in beer country, Madison, Wisconsin-based BluCreek Brewing has cooked up Herbal Ale. The honey-flavored beer is hopped up with ginseng, gingko biloba and guarana. And the brewery's Zen IPA is steeped with that natural antioxidant, green tea.
Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa), revered by the ancient Incas as the 'mother of all grains' for its high protein and fiber content, is now the base for a healthy new beverage, Quinoa Gold. It comes in three flavors: Piña Colada, Berry and Mango, all of which are 100 percent organic and gluten-free. The fruity shake-like drinks are available in RTD single-serving containers.
External Source - For the complete article click here
Source - Restaurant Business
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