Harouvis (known as “Anna in the Raw”) crafted a brilliantly refreshing drink at Roots 2017 called the Apollo, using beets, carrots, apples, lemon and ginger. She also talked about cleansing juices that she creates for clients, including Hercules. This marvelous drink is made from apple, celery, cucumber, spinach, kale, parsley and lemon. Then there is Aphrodite, packed with delicious goodness juiced from pineapples and apples, flavored with mint.
She follows a zero-waste policy and reminds us how amazing our bodies really are – which is why we ought to treat them well with delicious vegetables. When someone is new to her juices, she usually offers them a sweeter juice, then moves them towards the earthier flavors. People may not eat piles of greens, she says (including herself in that category), but they will drink them if they taste good.
Naples, meanwhile, focused on using fresh vegetables and herbs available at The Chef’s Garden, creating a delectable, flavor-packed, water-based drink with earthy flavors. His drink contained lemons, limes, sugar and black Hawaiian salt – along with herbs and sorrel from the farm, as well as the juice of heirloom tomatoes. He loves earthy tones and applauds how willing people are to try new non-alcoholic drinks.
When we talked to Naples before Roots 2017 began, he called farmers the “unsung heroes,” adding that, without them, “I couldn’t do my work. Because of them, creating cocktails with farm-fresh produce allows us to all come full circle.” One of his goals is to continue to spread his knowledge about adding healthy ingredients into drinks, while also continuing to learn from chefs.
Voisey, the director of advocacy for William Grant & Sons USA, offered up the third and final incredible drink of the presentation, a marvelous mixture of kale, pineapple juice and lemon. This drink, she says, converts even the kale deny-ers of the world.
She also shared how one-third of Millennials today don’t even drink alcohol, making non-alcoholic drinks a growing trend. Creating cocktails without the alcohol (called “mocktails” by many) is very similar to creating traditional ones, Voisey says, where you need to consider flavor, structure, dryness, intensity and the like. Fortunately, she adds, there are more fresh ingredients available now than ever before and, when you pay attention to technique, to temperature, to delivery, then people will come back for more. They’re paying for the experience, she says, for the moment.
We encourage you to also watch the entire video of this presentation.
We invite you to become part of the 2018 conversation on September 24-25, with the Roots 2018 culinary conference having the theme of Cultivate. You can register for Roots 2018 and receive early bird pricing of $295.00 per person good through May 31, 2018. This will save you $100 per person, so sign up early!