Shaken or stirred? Perhaps James Bond would disapprove but we don't care! These summer drinks always taste sublime. We recommend serving them to your customers. Drinks containing gin are hot at the moment so, as well as the classic gin and tonic, we have picked a lesser known drink which uses this popular juniper spirit for our trend list, and we think it goes down even better. Introducing the gin basil smash. The highway star beer cocktail, the alcohol-free switchel and the Italicus spritz round off our list of the top 5 hottest drinks this summer.
ENJOY RESPONSIBLY
Let's talk glass and trimmings: obviously you shouldn't use just any old glasses to serve your drinks. After all, the right glass is important to the drinking experience. And please, for the sake of the environment, don't use plastic straws. Paper straws are a much more environmentally friendly alternative, or even straws made of, well, straw!
The latter are 100 % organic, natural products. They are plastic free, hygienic and do not affect the taste of the drink.
TOP TIPS FOR CLEAN GLASSWARE
In an ideal world, dirty glasses make their way into the dishwashing machine after use and come out after the wash cycle clean and ready for use. To make this happen – and to get your glassware turned around as quickly as possible with no water marks or streaks in sight – food-service and hotel businesses should always use professional dishwashing machines. The quality of the glasses and the wash temperature are also important.
OUR TOP 5 DRINKS OF 2018
GIN AND TONIC
Trend factor: remains high
Ingredients and method:
The classic gin and tonic takes just a moment to mix: 1 part gin, 3 (or 4) parts tonic water, add ice. You're done! Incidentally, connoisseurs are increasingly choosing German gins (especially ones from the Black Forest) and high-quality tonic water.
GIN BASIL SMASH
Trend factor: very high
Ingredients and method:
According to a German news magazine, this summery drink was first created in 2008 in Hamburg. To make it, you will need gin (6 cl), fresh basil leaves (6–8), lemon juice (2 cl), sugar syrup (2 cl) and ice.
SWITCHEL (ALCOHOL FREE)
Trend factor: through the roof
Ingredients and method:
If reputable newspaper the ‘Süddeutsche Zeitung’ is all over this one, then there must be something to it. 1 litre ginger beer (better still, use home-made ginger water – see below for the recipe), 2 strawberries, a few mint leaves, 2 cl lemon, 2 cl maple syrup and 2–4 cl cider vinegar to taste (yes, you read that right – we did say vinegar) mix and serve over ice. This refreshingly tart drink was invented all the way back in the 17th century in the USA!
Or switch it up with 2–4 cl gin as well ;-)
HOME-MADE GINGER WATER (1 LITRE):
Fresh ginger (150–200 g to taste): peel and slice thinly. Place the ginger into a large glass jug and fill with boiling water. Leave to stand for 30 minutes and you're done.
ITALICUS SPRITZ
Trend factor: eccezionalmente alto (sky high)
Ingredients and method:
Serve equal parts Italicus rosolio di bergamotto (bergamot liqueur) and prosecco in a wine glass with ice cubes and three olives. That's all!
ABOUT BERGAMOT:
This rare and usually very sour citrus fruit comes from southern Italy (the Calabria region) and is mostly grown for the essential oils contained in the peel. It is this bergamot oil which goes into the liqueur used here. The oils are also used to make perfumes and to flavour teas.
HIGHWAY STAR
Trend factor: cool
Ingredients and method:
No one knows why this drink is named after a song by Deep Purple. And you definitely shouldn't be heading for the highway after drinking it – or driving anywhere for that matter. It is nice and easy to make though: mix 25 cl beer (Pilsner or other good lager) with 4 cl tequila, 2 cl lime juice and 1 cl grenadine. Then throw in 3 ice cubes and watch it fizz!’
