Vanilla – The Only Edible Fruit in the Orchid Family
Vanilla is the most popular flavour in the world mostly enjoyed through desserts, ice cream, custards, cakes or as a flavour enhancement in beverages and or sauces. It has a sweet, perfumed aroma with a woody, leathery almost smoky flavour, that I guess most of us are now familiar with! What do we know about…
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Maracuja – The Miracle Fruit we know as Passion Fruit
The first time I was introduced to passion fruit was when I was reading through a Tiki cocktail book as I was exploring how passion fruit syrup would taste. I have to confess being from the Czech Republic, you do not come across tropical fruits very often. At least not when I was growing up…
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Nutmeg & Mace – The Spice of War
A few years back, I was based in the Island of Gods, Bali, Indonesia. Apart from the amazing lifestyle, Bali at that time, was experiencing a massive food transformation. Restaurants were mainly focused on locally foraged, harvested ingredients. Out of these ingredients, one specific spice that caught my interest was Nutmeg. I believe that everyone…
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Meet: Sebastian Robinson – Asia Ambassador for Seedlip
Many consumers these days are looking for non-alcoholic cocktails and expect quality equal to those with alcohol. We have noticed an interesting movement called “NO – LOW” with a focus on No ABV or Low ABV content in cocktails. We reached out to Sebastian Robinson who is an Ambassador for a Non-Alcoholic Spirit called Seedlip…
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Ume – The Symbol of Spring
Despite the global crisis with Covid 19 time continues to move on. It’ll be spring for some soon and with that the awakening of nature through snow melting, fishermen heading out for their quiet time for themselves or flowers and trees start blooming in your neighbourhood. Normally we as human beings cannot wait to socialize…
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Lapsang Souchong – Perhaps, The First Black Tea
Recently, I was looking for a nonalcoholic alternative to different styles of whiskeys (eg; smokey, mellow, spicy, blended – dry, fruity) and one of the toughest ones to replace was the smoked, peated styles of whiskey from the Islay region of Scotland – that is, until I came across a really lovely and delicate tea…
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Jaggery & Palm Sugar – The Alternative Sweeteners
As a cocktail barman, watching global health and lifestyle trends is something I am passionate about. I have therefore become curious about which sugar alternatives work best for the creation of delicious cocktails. Naturally, honey and agave are great choices. However, living in Singapore means I am exposed to other excellent options which can be…
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Fenugreek – The Ancient Spice of Mummification
Recently, I spent a fair bit of time learning about Indian culture, researching recipes and experimenting with spices. I have to say that I learned a great deal of information. Spice, fruits, herbs, cooking techniques but mostly the diversity of Indian subcontinent. It is amazing! Fenugreek belongs to the pea family and its aromatic seeds,…
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Betel Paan – The Chewing Leaf
When I was in India for the first time, I was introduced to a pungent sweet treat sold on the street, that is often consumed after a good dinner, called “Paan.” What caught my attention was the smoky, yet peppery flavour that was coming from the dark green leaf used to wrap the rest of…
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