Walk into your average liquor store and
you'll spot promotions for beverages with added vitamins, herbs,
caffeine and just about every sort of blood-pumping, feel-good,
sex-inducing additive. And I'm not talking about the Red
Bulls, Powerades and Rockstars that
have replaced the orange and cream sodas on 7/11 shelves. The new
"
functional
"
drinks are vodkas, tequilas, gins and liqueurs.
The concept of functional wines and spirits is nothing new. Dubonnet, for example, was
invented over 150 years ago by French chemist Joseph Dubonnet to
make quinine more palatable for soldiers in North Africa during a
malaria epidemic. Dubonnet is a member of a category of traditional
functional beverages called
aperitifs. The idea behind aperitifs is to prepare the palate
and digestive system for a meal, as well as to aid the digestion in
moving the meal through in time for post-dinner bed sport. Dubonnet
Rouge, for example, is a fortified wine blended with quinine as
well as a combination of herbs, flowers barks and other botanicals.
Valentine
red in color, Dubonnet served over ice is a refreshing flavor
combination with notes of tart cherry, citrus and mint. (And yes,
it is true that the bouquet of botanicals sufficiently hides the
quinine, which merely adds a needed edge under the drink's prettier
layers).
While the market for aperitifs has seen recent regeneration in
this time of functional foods, newcomers to the market have taken a
stiffer approach to fortifying their drinks - and by
stiff
I do not mean uptight!
Lotus Vodka, a company that
came on the scene in 2007, produces two vodkas created to give the
rest of your body a little health boost while you slowly destroy
your liver. The company, based in
San Francisco, conceived a product that would appeal to the
local market - that being young, white collar professionals who
like to party but have to wake up for work the next morning. Both
White and Blue Lotus cleverly contain all those hangover-fighting B
vitamins. But White has additional ginseng for energy as well as
noted aphrodisiac
l-arginine. It's added ingredients give the spirit tremendous
weight as well as a silky mouthfeel and remarkable sweetness. Blue
contains caffeine
and guarana, both excellent fortifiers for a night on the
horizontal dance floor. Its flavors are much more mellow than
White. Blue is a vodka for those who like their drinks super
smooth.
P.I.N.K, a spirits company
making a splash on the nightclub scene, offering a line of spirits
all fortified with caffeine and
guarana
. The company makes P.I.N.K Vodka, Tequila, Sake, Gin, White Whisky
and Rum.
Another newcomer to the "functional"
marketplace is Bulldog Gin in its compact,
black bottle. Unlike most of the new drinks in this marketplace,
Bulldog doesn't add aphrodisiac or other nutritional
components for the sake of targeting the "functional" marketplace.
Instead their product is blended with a combination of aphrodisiac
botanicals with the goal of creating a complex yet smooth
premium
spirit. Although the slightly S & M style of the company's
website overplays the aphrodisiac aspect of the product a bit,
ingredients including poppy, lotus licorice, dragon eye and
lavender
give the gin
a mellow, slightly citrus flavor perfect for a slow seduction.
(Read: leave whips and spiked collars at home).
Others in this new marketing arena have
taken a more traditional approach to creating a functional adult
drink. Pama, a
pomegranate
liquer is one of my favorite new spirits to hit the American
market.
An elegant drink served over ice with a splash of soda, Pama
combines the aphrodisiac benefits of pomegranate with quality
craftsmanship and a sort of nouveau gourmet hipness.
Whatever your pleasure, you can
certainly find it everywhere these days from nightclubs to brunch
spots to fine dining - and you can have it with a side of vitamins,
a shot of energy and prescription-
free aphrodisiac boost.
