Healthy, spirit-free drinks with lots of spirit
By Gao Ceng |
July 5, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
NOTHING hits the spot like a long, cool summer drink, especially when the mercury is 35 degrees Celsius.
It's an annual tradition for Shanghai's five-star hotels to launch summer drinks menus to help guests weather the heat.
We explore two representatives, Hyatt on the Bund and Swiss?tel Grand Shanghai, to find out what they will be serving thirsty guests.
"Chinese ingredients are a big trend and there are more recipes using Chinese tea as a main ingredient," says Jordan Zhang, Tea Room manager at Hyatt on the Bund.
"It's not just to improve the taste, but more important, for health benefits," Zhang said.
Green tea is loaded with polyphenols and catenins that act as antioxidants and is legendary for its many health benefits. Oolong teas are known for fighting fat, cholesterol and inflammation. Teas have special aromas and aftertastes. Adding tea to a summer drink dominated by fresh fruits and vegetables creates a more complex flavor and lingering aftertaste, which refreshes the palate after experiencing sweet and sour flavors.
"Adding tea to a summer drink also is part of the concept of drink therapy, which is popular this year," Zhang said.
Drink therapy, like food therapy in traditional Chinese medicine, confers health benefits with specific ingredients, such as anti-oxidant green tea and cucumber that lowers blood pressure. But one glass doesn't constitute therapy, which requires consistent and long-term intake of healthy ingredients. Nor does one bowl of healthy soup. Use of fresh fruit and vegetables is popular, as always, but they are more likely to be made into a silky smoothie than to be simply pressed into juice.
The taste is richer and more nutrients are retained when fruit isn't mashed in a blender, according to Tim Heinrichson, director of food and beverage at Swiss?tel Grand Shanghai.
In terms of presentation, fancy decoration is fading in popularity, as is over-bright artificial color. Simple is best.
"The drink should be the focus, not the decoration. What you see is what you get and the integrity of the product should be visible the first moment you have your drink in front of you," Heinrichson says.
Furthermore, hotel's new drinks menu features more fragrant ingredients to increase the aroma and balance the taste. These include basil, mint and ginger. Summer drinks in most hotels can be served with or without ice cubes, which depends on customer's personal preference.
Here are 10 freshly created summer drinks to please the eye and palate.
It's an annual tradition for Shanghai's five-star hotels to launch summer drinks menus to help guests weather the heat.
We explore two representatives, Hyatt on the Bund and Swiss?tel Grand Shanghai, to find out what they will be serving thirsty guests.
"Chinese ingredients are a big trend and there are more recipes using Chinese tea as a main ingredient," says Jordan Zhang, Tea Room manager at Hyatt on the Bund.
"It's not just to improve the taste, but more important, for health benefits," Zhang said.
Green tea is loaded with polyphenols and catenins that act as antioxidants and is legendary for its many health benefits. Oolong teas are known for fighting fat, cholesterol and inflammation. Teas have special aromas and aftertastes. Adding tea to a summer drink dominated by fresh fruits and vegetables creates a more complex flavor and lingering aftertaste, which refreshes the palate after experiencing sweet and sour flavors.
"Adding tea to a summer drink also is part of the concept of drink therapy, which is popular this year," Zhang said.
Drink therapy, like food therapy in traditional Chinese medicine, confers health benefits with specific ingredients, such as anti-oxidant green tea and cucumber that lowers blood pressure. But one glass doesn't constitute therapy, which requires consistent and long-term intake of healthy ingredients. Nor does one bowl of healthy soup. Use of fresh fruit and vegetables is popular, as always, but they are more likely to be made into a silky smoothie than to be simply pressed into juice.
The taste is richer and more nutrients are retained when fruit isn't mashed in a blender, according to Tim Heinrichson, director of food and beverage at Swiss?tel Grand Shanghai.
In terms of presentation, fancy decoration is fading in popularity, as is over-bright artificial color. Simple is best.
"The drink should be the focus, not the decoration. What you see is what you get and the integrity of the product should be visible the first moment you have your drink in front of you," Heinrichson says.
Furthermore, hotel's new drinks menu features more fragrant ingredients to increase the aroma and balance the taste. These include basil, mint and ginger. Summer drinks in most hotels can be served with or without ice cubes, which depends on customer's personal preference.
Here are 10 freshly created summer drinks to please the eye and palate.
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