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Nonalcoholic beverage trends

Harnessing the Power of Flavor

Chefs, operators look to menu nonalcoholic beverages with a distinctive twist. Full article sponsored by Crystal Light.

Seeing how distinctive beverages drive traffic and sales, more restaurant operators are emphasizing flavored teas, coffees, juices, lemonades and the like. Vibrant flavors are integral to the success of nonalcoholic offerings just as they are with cocktails and cuisine. The reward can be large for a flavored iced tea, blended coffee or herb-laced lemonade that resonates with the public.

In fact, the Chicago-based research firm Technomic reported last year that 21 percent of consumers, up from 16 percent in 2012, say that beverages play a very important role in deciding which restaurants to visit for meals. Rising customer demand for variety and customization will likely lead to even more innovation in beverage type and flavor, Technomic says.

Bringing varied, appealing flavors to a broad audience is the idea behind the coordinated seasonal food and beverage promotions at California Pizza Kitchen, the 194-unit casual-dining chain based in Playa Vista, Calif.

Take the Fresh Strawberry Mango Cooler, a hand-shaken mélange of fresh strawberries, grapefruit-flavored soda and mango-guava-ginger syrup. The alcohol-free creation was such a hit in last year’s spring and summer promotion that it has joined the permanent CPK menu. It was part of a seasonal effort that also touted a strawberry salad, strawberry shortcake and a martini and margarita flavored with strawberries. 

“We really want to capture unique beverage profiles in nonalcoholic beverages,” says Ashley Ceraolo, CPK vice president of marketing. “It’s important to have those options for our guests who are not drinking [alcoholic beverages].”

Similarly, Blackberry Fizz — fresh lemonade muddled with blackberries, plus blackberry syrup and cranberry juice — is the alcohol-free flip side of a blackberry cocktail. On the drawing board at CPK are flavorful creations like Mango Ginger Cooler, which is flavored with fresh ginger chips, and Summertime Iced Tea, made with black tea, watermelon puree and torn fresh mint, Ceraolo says.

Distinctive flavors also draw patrons to alcohol-free beverages at Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar, a 16-unit casual-dining chain based in Huntington Beach, Calif.

“People want to experience the flavors that they see on TV or on the shelves,” says Gabe Caliendo, Lazy Dog vice president of food and beverage and corporate executive chef.

Often, Lazy Dog chooses a familiar item, like lemonade, upgrades it and gives it a moniker that makes it more culinary driven or unique, Caliendo says. An example is Jamaican Lemonade, a mixture of housemade grenadine syrup with house lemonade and orange, lime and pineapple juices. The drink is garnished with a plastic pipette of nonalcoholic piña colada mix that guests may squeeze into their drink at will, adding sweetness and coconut-vanilla nuances to the fruit flavors.

Another specialty, Cucumber Thyme Lemonade, made with English cucumbers, fresh lemon juice, fresh thyme sprigs and housemade sweet and sour, grafts a flavor combination traditional to Mediterranean cuisine and popular in modern cocktails onto the familiar lemonade framework. Caliendo says that the thyme-enhanced lemonade can be a flavor adventure for first-time sippers. “Once they taste it, now all of a sudden they are part of the culture of Food Network,” he says.

Lazy Dog also gets mileage from iced tea conceptions like the Tiger Woods, a spinoff of the classic Arnold Palmer that mixes iced tea with freshly squeezed lemonade and cranberry juice. The tea adds flavor without calories, and the lemonade and juice sweeten it without additional sugar.

Even mixologists known for artisanal handiwork at the bar are apt to have a few flavorful tricks with nonalcoholic beverages. That’s the case with Zachariah James Parks, chief beverage engineer of Joe’s Restaurant in Venice, Calif.

The tea-based beverages that Parks makes are anything but ordinary. An example is Earl Grey or chamomile tea cut with milk that has been infused with toasted breakfast cereal flakes and actual honeycomb. It yields the flavor of the sweet milk one finds at the bottom of the cereal bowl, plus the richness of tea.   

Parks also crafts housemade sodas like Shiso Celery, which features vegetal, sweet and savory notes of celery and the Asian herb shiso. Shying away from the conventional pairing of rhubarb and strawberry, he instead flavors rhubarb soda with Cara Cara oranges or blood oranges plus piloncillo and chipotle pepper.

“Most of these flavor combinations either start as a soda and then find their way into cocktails, or they come from cocktails and are turned into sodas,” says Parks.

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