Sustainability is the paradigm of the moment and mixology, the art of mixing that gives life to coctkails and infusions of all varieties, also adapts. In fact, the leitmotiv of this year will also be for the world of drinks respect for the environment, invariably coupled with the pursuit of well-being and with a touch of cultural contamination. The trend is therefore for ecological drinks, healthy and open to distant cultures, especially Asian ones: AFFINI has tried to collect them, the historic Turin establishment specializing in mixology and food pairing, which is part of the Food&Drink group to which the Vermouth brands are linked Anselmo, Vermouth Empatico (with hemp), Gin Taggiasco (gin flavored with Taggiasca olives) and Sake Nero (the first sake made in Piedmont, made with black rice).
“For some years now, these issues have been influencing the sphere of taste as well as our way of approaching a drink – says Davide Pinto, anthropologist and creator of AFFINI -. Just as there are drinks designed to stimulate the appetite, blends suitable for digesting a hearty meal, the new decade will see the ever greater development of cocktails that follow current trends. The world needs sustainability, awareness and well-being, but also a continuous search for traditional products from distant cultures". The cocktail of 2020, therefore, it will be more and more contamination, suggestion, mix of flavors and traditions.
Some examples? Among the AFFINI proposals, there are those inspired by iconic products such as Kombucha tea, Korean Sakè, and Black Saké made in Piedmont. The head barman Michele Marzella dedicated to Kombucha "Handy Warhol", a cocktail based on Vermouth Bianco, Bianco Sarti, Damascena rose syrup, Hibiscus Kombucha. "Gentian, absinthe, various spices make bitters and vermouth iconic products of international mixing - says Marzella - a real must for an aperitif which, in this delicate and floral mix, sees the intervention of kombucha". Fermented tea, which has been considered in oriental culture for centuries a real elixir of life, rich in antioxidants, glucuronic acid and vitamins, is a great ally of well-being.
"To this is added a delicately sweet/acid taste, pleasant and balanced, which makes it perfectly usable in mixing", explains the bartender. “NoWa Lemonade” it is instead the cocktail focused on the concept of “No Waste”: reduce waste and waste generation, optimizing what you have available to constantly create something new. “In this drink the protagonist is the lemon: the juice gives it aroma. The albedo, the white part between the peel and the pulp, instead of being thrown away is placed in an alcoholic infusion, in order to give it the characteristic bitter note”, explains Marzella. The peels are left to macerate with the sugar for 24 hours, creating a syrup with delicate notes of lemon essential oil. “To complete, the Franciacorta fruit of a symbiotic production, which respects the balance of the soil in a natural and sustainable way”.
It is dedicated to sake lovers “Korean Latte” made with Kombucha, coconut milk and Makgeolli, the Korean sake, and sweetened with stevia, to wink at the line. “The world is learning about Sake, or rather Nionshu, as the Japanese call it, but it's not just the inhabitants of the Rising Sun who produce fermented rice – specifies the bartender -. Korean sake adapts very well to the western palate due to its delicately fresh and acidic character, which is easy to mix”. Al Sake Nero, the first and only made in Piedmont, produced with black rice grown in the Vercelli area and inspired not only by the Japanese drink, is finally dedicated “Paint it black”, which also includes bergamot liqueur and Humeshu – typical Japanese liqueur – with plums, all sweetened with vegetable charcoal sugar.
