Dry January Survival Kits by Hairless Dog Brewing Company

3-1-2022

Enjoyed the December celebrations a bit too much? No worries, now it’s time for that, seemingly endless, Dry January Month. Hairless Dog Brewing Company created ‘Dry January Survival Kits’! Do you have a 0.0% alcohol twist in your restaurant, bar of café?

Dry January® continues to gain popularity among the ‘sober curious’ looking to experiment with the alcohol-free lifestyle. To assist those who want to give it a try, Hairless Dog Brewing Company has revealed its Dry January Survival Kits. Prices include your choice of the three Hairless Dog 0% ABV craft NA beer varieties and merchandise.

Reading time: 1 minute, creating your own Dry January 0.0% twist might take some time!

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VAN SHA Aromatic Spice | A distilled non-alcoholic alternative

9-12-2021

Inspired by her own family’s roots, founder Sharan Bal captured the powerful and intense flavours of India in the distilled non-alcoholic dark spirit VAN SHA Aromatic Spice. The aromatic blend of Indian spices like saffron, neroli and galangal – with a subtle fresh-floral aroma, a hint of bitter-sweet citrus and warm spicy notes – creates a dark spirit. VAN SHA Aromatic Spice can be enjoyed pure on the rocks or in the mix with ginger ale. For cocktail lovers – VAN SHA is also delicious in a Not So Old Fashioned. VAN SHA is sugar-free, low-energy, GMO-free, gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan, and it does not contain added sugars, sweetener or artificial flavours.

There is plenty of choice in non-alcoholic alternatives for a festive lunch, brunch, dinner or even breakfast? A mocktail is a fun addition at the holidays! 

Reading Time: 2 minutes

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GINAMIS | A new 0% spirit from Amsterdam 

9-12-2021

GINAMIS wants to further challenge the norm in drinking in the category ‘non-alcoholic with good taste’. With this new alcohol-free spirit from Dutch soil, a cocktail can be enjoyed every moment of the day, even at breakfast. GINAMIS was officially launched on the Dutch market this week. It is a non-alcoholic spirit inspired by gin and developed, distilled and bottled in Amsterdam. The brand was conceived by brand new entrepreneurs and friends (amis) Jaap van de Weg and Cheng Yeung, who believe that taste and experience are the keys to success in the non-alcoholic segment. Both have extensive experience in the beverage industry.

The taste profile of GINAMIS is strongly determined by a unique and unusual ingredient; dandelion leaf! The dandelion (in French “dents de lion”), was the inspiration for the birth of Dan the Lion, the mischievous mixologist character of the brand. At The Dutch Non-Alcoholic Spirit Awards in October 2021, GINAMIS received a medal in the “White Spirits” category as the best Dutch non-alcoholic spirit based on taste, design and concept. Great for a non-alcoholic alternative for the upcoming Holiday Season, you can make cocktails with it for breakfast, lunch or just for fun…. With 2 mocktail recipes!

Reading Time: 2 minutes

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iKi Beer launches gastronomical beers with top chef Kelvin Lin

1-9-2021

iKi Beer is expanding their range with a line of beers in collaboration with Dutch top chef Kelvin Lin, known for his restaurant Nayolie. The beers are unique because they work with fresh ingredients and not with extracts. Fresh lemongrass was used for the ‘Lemongrass’ and Zallotti Blossom was added to the ‘Thai Sweet Basil’. CEO Rob Baan of Koppert Cress in Monster, where the Zallotti Blossom is grown, ceremoniously received the first bottle of beer.

Reading time: 2 minutes

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Trends we spotted | Week 34

26-8-2021

At horecatrends.com or hospitalitytrends.eu we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the other trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.

WIth this week links to articles about Restaurant Esmé in Chicago, founded by Jenner Tomasko (executive chef at Grand Achatz) who focuses on art and community with even a à la carte menu for ‘walk-ins’. Sounds like Chicago has a new culinary hotspot.

 Starbucks opened their 10th ‘farmer support’ centre in Varginha, Brasil with the purpose to offer valuable resources to local coffee communities. 

 UPSIDE Foods partners with three Michelin star chef Dominique Crenn. Crenn will develop recipes and give culinary advise and if allowed she will use the lab-grown chicken in her restaurant. This is the first collaboration in the cultivated meat industry with a three star Michelin chef. 

 De Koningshoeven brewery is the first in the world to market a completely alcohol-free Trappist beer: La Trappe Nillis (0.0%). And McDonald’s published their Purpose and Impact Report of 2020-2021 with four impact points: Jobs, Inclusion and Empowerment, the Plant, Food Quality & Sourcing and Community Connection. 

 Duke’s Mayonaise started collaborating with Champion Brewing Company to produce the perfect beer that fits with a BLT sandwich: Family Recipe (5,1% ABV, 27 IBU). Kind of ‘Mayo Beer’. The new ‘food shopping’-app, Grownby, connects farmers with buyers. Wouldn’t it be great to have  such an app as a cook? And getting messages like the strawberries are now ‘ready to eat’!

 CandyCan gummy bears are gluten-free, plant-based, low-sugar, low carb and contain vitamins. Is it an idea to lay a bag of Gummy bears on top of a pillow for children visiting your hotel? Or to put a bag in a ‘Happy-Meal’ kind of box?

 Oreo opened their first café in New Jersey. The café consists of a shop offering Oreo cookies and other Oreo treats, and fast-service where you can order Oreo treats. And in New York another sweet hybride is gaining popularity: the Croffle. This is a soft, buttery and layered croissant toasted in a waffle iron and sprinkled with different toppings. 

Click on the title if you like to read the full article. Enjoy reading!

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Trends we spotted | Week 13

6-4-2021

At horecatrends.com or hospitalitytrends.eu we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the other trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’. 

With this week links to articles about an investment by restaurant chain Chipotle in autonomous delivery by startup NURO. And to help out in tough times, supermarkets rent storefront windows from restaurants. Launched last week in Amsterdam, Reclame voor Horeca (‘Ads for Hospitality’). 

Both NESCAFÉ and the startup, UP TO GOOD, introduced drinks made from upcycled coffee fruit. NESCAFE NATIV and UP TO GOOD cascara. And in London opened Urban Mutts, the first luxury dog hotel! With spa treatments, handcrafted dog beds, reiki etc. 

Ultimate Paleo Protein infuses your cup of coffee with quality protein, healthy fat, and heat-stable probiotics. It reminded us a bit of Bulletproof coffee? And the first Cannabis-infused wine from France has been created in the region of Bordeaux. 

KRISPY KREME® Giving FREE doughnuts to everyone who shows his or her COVID-19 Vaccination Card and has more ideas to encourage people to get the vaccine! And we spotted a startup with the aim to reduce our sodium intake which is increasing our high blood pressure: Green Salt made of Salicornia!    

Click on the title if you like to read the full article. Enjoy reading! 

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Trends we spotted | Week 3

27-1-2021

At horecatrends.com or hospitalitytrends.eu we spot many national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write about, the other trends we use in our weekly column ‘Trends we spotted this week’.

With this week links to articles about amongst others restaurant ONA (Origine Non Animale) is the first vegan restaurant awarded a Michelin Star in France and a Dutch vega restaurant ‘Bij de Tuinman’ launches socially-distanced neighborhood dinners.

Two new three-star restaurants, three new two-stars and seventeen new restaurants awarded one Michelin star at the Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland. With two female chefs, Clare Smyth and Hélène Darroze awarded three stars!

Artisinal bakery The Pizza Cupcake, delivers Pizza Cupcakes and a link to an article about the smallest online wine store by British food and wine critic William Sitwell.

To celebrate the release of the new film ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’, General Mills has announced a new Ghostbusters cereal and Lotus-flavored ice cream, coffee, and candles honored Madame Vice President Kamala Harris.

Swedish electric bike company Cake teamed up with Dometic to create an electric food delivery box, with separate compartments and dedicated temperature zones. The electricity for the box is generated by the bike.

In this pandemic-era, there is no doubt that the megatrends for the new year will center around healthier and ‘cleaner’, more sustainable, premium and socially responsible products in line with the mantras – good for me, good for the planet – and quality over quantity. The top 6 drink trends in 2021 by Hospitality Insights.

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NONA June | Gin-Tonic without hangover

16-7-2020

Gin & Tonic: It is arguably the most popular drink of the last couple of years. Just a pity that the alcohol percentage is so high that the next day you need a lot of aspirin, a fleece blanket, a sofa and about ten hours of Netflix to overcome the hangover. There are plenty of non-alcoholic spirits for sale, but none really taste like pure gin, according to the makers of NONA June. “That could be differently,’’ thought the Charlotte a bio-engineer from Ghent (Belgium), and she created NONA June, which is an alcohol-free gin that cannot be distinguished from the real gin. The Kicker? Charlotte only allowed herself to launch NONA June after the approval and support of renowned sommeliers and chefs.

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The BrewDog AF Bar, the alcohol free beer bar & BrewDog’ ‘Drink All You Can Jan’

9-1-2020

‘The BrewDog AF Bar’ is the brewery’s first fully alcohol-free bar. Independent Scottish craft brewer BrewDog have opened their first bar dedicated to alcohol-free. The BrewDog AF Bar is the world’s first alcohol free beer bar and will offer 15 taps of draft alcohol-free craft beer. The bar has opened in central London and will be the first of the company’s global bars to feature a line-up solely devoted to drinks without alcohol. In addition to this, BrewDog will be running ‘Drink All You Can Jan’ across all bars. The initiative offers drinkers unlimited refills of BrewDog alcohol-free beers in all bars for the entire month. And with 24% of beer drinkers choosing more low or no-alcohol options (according to the Mintel, UK Beer Market Report 2018), the brewery are piloting a new concept for their bar division, with a view to rolling it out across the UK and into Europe.

It’s the time for alcohol free drinks: in the Netherlands we spotted amongst others the first pop-up Bar 0.020 in Amsterdam and the new menu for alcohol free drinks at NRC café in Rotterdam. With Dry January it’s wise to serve your guests at least the possibility to drink alcohol free. Our colleagues Robin, Nick and Leonie tried some drinks last week and they were kind of surprised on the sweetness of most mocktails! So if you’re buying or creating alcohol free drinks, not everybody has a sweet tooth!  

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Amber Garden | True Chinese Cuisine

24-9-2019

Amber Garden, part of the international ‘Yisheng Group’, opened its doors in Amstelveen (near Amsterdam in the Netherlands) in a festive way on September 23th. Owner, Stark Li, third generation respected Chinese restaurant owner, together with Facility Manager, Ronald Ting, opened restaurant Amber Garden in the company of many corporate companies from the region, culinary enthusiasts and (Michelin) star chefs.

With the arrival of Amber Garden, the municipality of Amstelveen has added a beautiful, authentic fine dining Chinese restaurant at their list of restaurants. Lovers of the authentic Chinese cuisine can enjoy the ‘shared dining’ dishes here. During the opening we enjoyed dishes from Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Xi’an. With the dishes you can enjoy wine pairing that are specially selected. For those who want to drink alcohol-free, they also serve delicious tea-based mocktails. True lovers of the Chinese cuisine must visit Amber Garden, if only for the delicious Dim Sum and their signature dish the ‘Amber roasted Beijing duck in the traditional way’. Like chef Shaun Song says: “You no longer need to go to China to be able to enjoy the best dishes China can offer”.

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