Many consumers across the country and around the world had time during the pandemic quarantine and lockdowns to re-assess their commitment to their health and wellbeing, focusing their attention on mindfulness, healthy eating and clean-label ingredients.
According to Mintel’s 2021 Global Food and Drink Trends, “people will make more serious commitments to reduce the health risks associated with unhealthy eating.” This leads to an opportunity for “brands to highlight nutrient density, a key concept of intuitive eating that focuses on food with a high ratio of beneficial nutrients compared to the number of calories.”
Consumers today are now re-defining what healthy eating looks like. As super strict diets fall out of fashion, people are going back to the basics of incorporating more fruits and vegetables into everyday eating.
From an operator standpoint, adding nutrient-dense options to their menu by upping the number of fruits and vegetables available to consumers can increase sales and answer customer needs. However, coming out of the pandemic, maximizing operational efficiencies and minimizing the number of SKU’s available has also become paramount to the continued success of the establishment.
Furthermore, increased supply-chain issues, seasonality and consistency among fruits and vegetables leave operators questioning how to fill this void. Now restaurateurs can bring the garden to the glass with real fruit and real vegetable purées adding superior fruit flavours and textures to beverages and culinary creations.
Sensational Spirit-Free Sips
According to Beverage Daily, 66 per cent of millennials are trying to reduce their alcohol consumption primarily for health reasons (44 per cent) and to lose weight (27 per cent). Restaurants and bar programs can capitalize on these trends by focusing on functional, antioxidant-rich beverages with bold flavours to increase average check sales without the high cost of alcohol.
Cold Brew Citrus & Tonic (Non-Alcoholic)
¼ oz. (7 ml) Monin Pure Cane Syrup
½ oz. (15 ml) Monin Blood Orange Purée
1 oz. (30 ml) Monin Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate
3 oz. (90ml) tonic water
Fill serving glass full of ice. Pour ingredients into mixing glass with 2/3 ice in order listed. Cap, shake and strain into serving glass with ice.
Turmeric Ginger Fizz (Non-Alcoholic)
¾ oz. (22 ml) Monin Golden Turmeric Syrup
½ oz. (15 ml) Monin Mango Purée
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 oz. (30 ml) lime juice
2 oz. (60 ml) club soda
Fill serving glass full of ice. Pour ingredients into mixing glass with 2/3 ice in order listed. Cap, shake and strain into serving glass with ice.
Perennial Goes Permanent
Take an ingredient such as rhubarb — a nostalgic ingredient typically associated with strawberry-rhubarb pie. The vegetable is rich in antioxidants but is notoriously difficult to work with in its natural form and has a short growing period each year.
In fact, Datassential has seen the popularity of strawberry rhubarb increase by 23 per cent over the past four years. As customers search for fresh and familiar flavours, bar programs and restaurants can implement garden-fresh takes on old favourites.
Strawberry Rhubarb Margarita
1 ½ oz. (45 ml) silver tequila
1 oz. (30 ml) Monin Strawberry Rhubarb Purée
3 oz. (90 ml) margarita mix
Fill serving glass full of ice. Pour ingredients into mixing glass with 2/3 ice in order listed. Cap, shake and strain into serving glass with ice.
Strawberry Rhubarb Agua Fresca (Non-Alcoholic)
1 oz. (30 ml) Monin Strawberry Rhubarb Purée
2 ea. strawberries
½ oz. (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
4 oz. (120 ml) top with club soda
Place ingredients into the bottom of a serving glass and muddle. Fill serving glass full of ice and pour remaining ingredients in order listed. Pour mixture into mixing tin, cap, shake and pour back into serving glass. Top with ice.
Taste Buds Take Tropical Vacay
McKinsey & Co. expects it will take a minimum of three years — at the earliest — for leisure travel to rebound to 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. Many consumers are taking a slower approach to re-ignite their previous travel plans. Restaurateurs can deliver wanderlust vibes to customers through faraway flavours and exotic fruits.
Yuzu 75
1 oz. (30 ml) gin
½ oz. (15 ml) Monin Yuzu Purée
½ oz. (15 ml) lemon juice
3 oz. (90 ml) sparkling wine
Combine ingredients in shaker in the order listed, except sparkling beverage. Cap and shake vigorously. Strain into chilled serving glass. Top with sparkling wine.
Guava Caipirinha
1 ½ oz.(45 ml) cachaça
1 oz. (30 ml) Monin Guava Purée
1 oz. (30 ml) lime juice
½ oz. (15 ml) Monin Pure Cane Syrup
Place ingredients into the bottom of a serving glass and muddle. Fill serving glass full of ice and pour remaining ingredients in the order listed. Pour mixture into mixing tin, cap, shake and pour back into serving glass. Top with ice.
Boosting beverages with antioxidant-rich fruits without the headache of facing the supply chain will be the way restaurateurs can re-capture customers post-pandemic. Prepared purées can allow for operational ease, consistency among cocktails and ensure customers imbibe fruit-forward, clean-label drinks that coincide with their renewed healthy-eating mantra.
Plus, adding healthful garnishes — including caramelized pineapple, crystallized ginger, slices of citrus or a sprig of rosemary — can continue to elevate the cocktails and mocktails featured in bar programs around the country.
