Fine Food is one of Australia’s leading trade events for the hospitality industry and was held in Melbourne last week.
Hospitality attended the show, which featured hundreds of exhibitors showcasing the latest and greatest products. With so many on display, we’ve created a round-up of some standout beverages.
Using natural Australian ingredients, including Tassie mountain spring water, Sodasmith produces a range of tonic waters and sodas. Not only are the drinks delicious, vegan, and gluten-free, but they also feature chic and minimalist packaging that’s easy on the eye. The finger lime soda, lemon myrtle tonic water, and passionfruit and hibiscus sparkling water are some of the most popular flavours in the range.
Noosa’s organic teashop is producing a range of single-serve loose-leaf teas for the industry. Sourced from ethical, organic, and sustainable suppliers and presented in recyclable and compostable packaging, the brand fully embodies its environmental philosophy. Of note are the honeybush chai (a sweet and spicy, caffeine-free chai blended with honeybush) and the Robust (a combination of Assam, English Breakfast and Australian loose-leaf black teas).
Inu is an organic noni juice grown and processed in Raratonga, New Zealand. Noni (also known as Indian mulberry, great morinda, or beach mulberry) is an evergreen tree with small yellow-green fruits found in the Pacific Islands, South East Asia, Australia, and India. Some research suggests it may be effective in immunity boosting and tumor-fighting. Inu is a naturally fermented juice with a strong, unique flavour.
Canned cocktails have been around for a while, but Byron Bay Spirits Co. is doing things a little differently. Master Distiller Luca Bolzoni carefully selects botanicals and distils spirits that go into the mixtures in small batches, allowing production to be finely controlled.
Uniquely, the company’s ready-made cocktails are nitrogen-infused, meaning the tins can be shaken to produce the same foamed results as a bartender would when using a cocktail shaker. This is particularly useful for getting that perfect crema on the espresso martini. Each can is a little over two standard drinks, meaning they’re perfect to share or to have as a solo treat.
Vital Zing produces concentrated water, soda, milk, and coffee flavouring drops, similar to highly concentrated cordials. The founders created the New Zealand-made product in response to the unhealthy ingredients in mainstream competitors.
The water drops come in a range of unique flavours, like green apple, peach and passionfruit, black cherry, and mandarin. Each 45ml bottle holds between 20 and 90 serves, depending on its use. They’re free from sugasr, carbs, preservatives, and artificial ingredients.
