Explore the World of Global Beverages
ARTICLE Explore the World of Global Beverages ©iStockphoto.com/Lilechka75 Expand your beverage horizons with global favorites like aguas frescas, Thai iced tea, and lassi. Follow the global flavor trend for liquid profits. All-American lemonade and iced tea will always be popular on food service menus, but today’s customers are also interested in other kinds of beverage experiences. Given the growing popularity of ethnic menu items, it stands to reason that interesting beverages from around the world would get more attention, too. Here’s how Nestlé Professional Corporate Executive Chef Kevin Wassler puts it: “The wide appeal of sweet beverages either derived from fresh fruits or cane sugar are extremely popular and are putting the soda companies on high alert.” Appealing to the generation for whom exotic tastes and experimentation are key, adds Wassler, means that the drink menu is becoming as important as the food menu, whether or not alcohol is involved. Here Are Some Global Beverages to Consider: Aguas Frescas – These Mexican-style “cool waters” are made from a combination of fruit juices, cereals, flowers, or seeds blended with sugar and water to make light, refreshing non-alcoholic beverages. They’ve become popular in trendy taquerias and other casual venues where something fresh and different is welcomed by customers. In fact, according to Datassential, their incidence of menu mentions has grown more than 150% between 2005 and 2016. Popular flavors include horchata (see below), tamarind, watermelon, pineapple, strawberry, and even hibiscus. Nestlé Professional has a number of juice and flavored beverage mix products that can be used to create refreshing aguas frescas.
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