Superfoods: Find Them at a Bar Near You!
The newest drink trend is here! You’ve heard of culinary cocktails, right? Where food items are mixed into your drink, or a culinary technique is used to produce a ‘food-like’ flavor. Well now you can order superfood cocktails: think kale, spinach, turmeric, or Matcha mixed with your favorite alcohols.
Most of us are looking for ways to be healthier, and while we don’t want to completely cut out alcohol, adding a superfood or two to the mix might allow us to feel a bit better about imbibing. More and more bars are offering superfood cocktails. So, what can you expect to see in your glass when you head out? And how can you make these fun cocktails at home? Read on to find out!
Superfoods you’ll find on the menu:
- Spinach and Kale: These two superfoods are often used interchangeably in dishes, and now they’ll be used interchangeably in drinks. Both are nutrient-dense, and provide a ‘green’, earthy flavor to shakes, smoothies, and now, margaritas (among other cocktails). This recipe for a Green Margarita calls for either spinach or kale, green apples, and romaine lettuce. It’s a salad in a glass—an alcoholic salad in a glass, of course.
- Turmeric: While this spice is generally used in Asian cooking, it’s been used for its anti-inflammatory properties for years now. You can add turmeric powder to smoothies, add it to soups, dressings, fish; it has a pungent flavor, but when used in moderation, it can generally go unnoticed in recipes. Turmeric is turning up everywhere, due to all of its health benefits (boosts brain power, helps relieve the pain of arthritis, may help fight cancer and diabetes), so why not add it to your cocktail recipe? Whether your alcohol of choice is rum, tequila, vodka or something else, at least one of these 14 recipes is bound to be to your liking.
- Beets: We all know root vegetables provide us with essential nutrients, and the beet is a powerhouse. It packs vitamins C and B, manganese, and potassium. Add beet juice to bourbon or vodka (it’s a good choice to add to sweeter drinks, too, as it tones down the sweetness—plus it turns your drink a pretty color). Try one of these great drinks.
- Matcha: Matcha is everywhere these days. It’s in tea, ice cream, bath soaps…and now it’s in your cocktail. Matcha is great for helping you get over, or prevent, a cold, since it’s packed with antioxidants, and most people swear by its energy-providing powers. Try Matcha with whiskey for a smooth, intense cocktail.
- Pomegranate: Pomegranates are high in antioxidants and vitamin C, plus they are chock full of fiber and studies show eating pomegranates or drinking pomegranate juice can help protect you from Alzheimer’s and some forms of cancer. This “Love Boat” inspired cocktail pairs pomegranate juice with rum for a taste that will have you thinking of the islands.
What do you think? Have you tried superfood cocktails? What’s your favorite? Share, so we can try it!