Drinks Around the World: Pomegranate Juice (Morocco, Turkey)

The translucent seeds of the pomegranate glitter like rubies in the afternoon Moroccan sun. And nothing could refresh the body like pomegranate juice escaping after a few hours battling the hawkers, traders and crowds (and offers of mint tea) in the packed, humid, tangled labyrinthine souk in Marrakesh. Rarely sighted in Australia, pomegranates and pomegranate juice seem exotic luxuries that I was keen to taste.

Pushing the pomegranate into this primitive looking but cool machine, only hundreds of little red berries (called arils) remain. These hundreds of tiny liquid sacs are placed in a juicer along with a touch of orange blossom water (it's new to me too!), to produce a blood red syrupy juice.

The tartness startles a dry mouth with the first sip (a bit like cranberry) but remains just sweet enough to be truly refreshing and thirst quenching.

Marketing of the product makes it sound like liquid tiger balm, associated with being the magic elixir for a whole host of diseases and ailments. It is undoubtedly healthy with lots of vitamins but I suspect the claims are vastly overstated.

Available throughout parts of north Africa, the Middle East and Turkey, seek out a local stand for juice from this wonderful juice and help recover from the parching desert heat.

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Drinks Around the World: Brennivin and Hakarl (Iceland)

Iceland is packed with natural wonders, a wild landscape undergoing constant changes by smoldering volcanoes, thunderous waterfalls, steaming lava fields and meandering glaciers.
Iceland's remote existence introduces unusual traditional drinks and food. The traditional national drink, not consumed regularly today, is brennivín. Literally meaning burnt wine, it is made by fermenting the pulp of potatoes and mixing it with caraway seeds. Enjoyed (and I use the word loosely) from a shot glass and served freezing cold, brennivín tastes like a fiery molten rye bread singeing the throat as it is swallowed. This potent caraway-flavoured schnapps is ominously and appropriately nicknamed 'Black Death' (svarti dauði) and could warm the body with one mouthful during the harsh winter months.
For the full traditional Icelandic experience, this firewater is taken with hákarl,a kind of fermented shark meat.
In times past, the long harsh winters and rough seas necessitated a survival instinct with food. Seafood, lamb and seabirds were preserved in many ways, smoked, salted, dried and pickled to provide nutrition and sustenance during the cold. One of the most bizarre foods, from Viking times, is hákarl.
And not just any shark, but Greenland shark. Born without kidneys, the shark is poisonous if eaten fresh. Caught, packed into the shoreline's gravelly beach and weighed down with stones, the toxic liquid is leeched out over a few months before the flesh is wind-dried on racks.The resulting product is deceivingly served with toothpicks in small cubes like the finest cheese. The pungent ammonia-ridden flavour strikes before the cube first touches the tongue and with a further eye-watering aftertaste similar to cleaning fluid. Once the shock subsides, the next morsel or two are better (blocking the nose helps a little) but hákarl is an acquired taste that most modern Icelanders must struggle with.
I encourage everyone to explore the various local food and drink delicacies of the various countries. Only eaten on a special occasion or served to unsuspecting visitors, brennivín and hákarl provides one of the most challenging and unique eating experiences, with Viking heritage, that shouldn't be passed up and which encapsulates the spirit of this stunningly scenic and rugged volcanic nation.

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Drinks Around the World: Anijsmelk (Netherlands)

Wandering around the Netherlands for a while and it is obvious they have a love of licorice (especially salted licorice - an acquired taste indeed). As a parallel, a popular drink is anijsmelk (literally anise milk) which is simply made by adding a couple of anise sugar cubes and a dash of honey into a glass of warm milk.

Although having an aroma a little like fennel or Turkish raki, the flavour is far more delicate, mild, slightly spicy and fragrant and certainly not an over-powering licorice taste.

Originally made by crushing aniseed into milk, the Dutch believe it is ideal before bedtime (especially when the weather is cold as the advertisement indicates) aiding sleep and helping digest any large dinners. With the cubes being tiny, the small packets of anijsbokjes can be bought on the web.
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At the start of each month, Travel Wonders highlights a characteristic drink experienced on his travels. Other offerings from western Europe include Spanish Horchata, Bibicaffe from Italy, Sour Cherry Beer or Kriek from Belgium and French vin chaud.

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Drinks Around the World: Mint Julep (USA)

I have always been tempted by the cool and refreshing tastes of mint-based drinks. This month brings us the Mint Julep, a product of the American south.

It was late in the afternoon on an oppressive day. The Louisianaians barman served in a voice like the neighbouring Mississippi River - slow, deep and muddy - and made the drink with the same slow, steady precision. The wooden bar seemed unchanged for many a decade and somehow seemed so suited to the area and the drink.

Simply muddle (softly mash) a handful of spearmint leaves with sugar and a spoonful of chilled water (the barman swore by the importance of the spoon of water). Tip into a glass, add bourbon and crushed ice and the drink is ready.

The tang of the mint makes the julep an extremely refreshing drink on a humid day while the sweetness offsets the strength of the corn whisky. The mint julep is renown as the drink of choice during America's most famouse horse race, the Kentucky Derby.

Similar in recipe to a mojito and a Brazilian caipirinho, mint leaves make a wonderful addition to many drinks and is worth trying at home as summer approaches.
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At the start of each month, Travel Wonders highlights a characteristic drink experienced on his travels. Previous Drinks Around the World include Mint Tea from Morocco, a Bloody Caesar from Canada, a Pisco Sour from South America and the Singapore Sling

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Drinks Around the World: Hot Chocolate (Switzerland)

While people have been eating chocolate for only a couple of hundred years, chocolate has been taken as a beverage for over three thousand years (started in central America). To me, Switzerland is the home of hot chocolate drinks and is the best drink choice whenever visiting this scenic alpine country.

Hot chocolate comes in two types - the less-than-satisfying watery powdered drink served up in many places around the world or the silky smooth rich, thick, deep brown drink that tastes like a liquid chocolate cake. Switzerland serves up more of the latter and was a drink I enjoyed in a number of places around Switzerland whether perched on the peak of Lucerne's Pilatus or wandering the streets of one of the Swiss towns.

However the highlight is the wonderful unassuming granite storefront called La Barbare (their French website) up a staircase overlooking Lausanne (and on the famed Camino de Santiago or Way of St James) where the effervescent Marta has been serving up her magic brew since 1950. Served in a conical cup, the thick syrupy hot chocolate tastes like a liquid truffle and makes for a superb start of the day with a fresh croissant.

Don't miss the chance to enjoy a wondrous hot chocolate in Switzerland!!
At the start of each month, Travel Wonders highlights a characteristic drink experienced on his travels. Other offerings from western Europe include Spanish Horchata, Bibicaffe from Italy, Dutch anijsmelk, Austria's Almdudler and an English chocolate mocha martini.

Photo Credit: shop

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Drinks Around the World: Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (Blenheim, New Zealand)

When people mention wine they immediately think of France, Italy, Germany or Spain. However New Zealand rightly deserves its growing reputation for fine cool climate wines, especially crisp sauvignon blanc and mellow pinot noir. Today wine touring has become an increasing tourism attraction throughout much of the country.

The Mecca of Kiwi wines (80 percent of the nation’s production) is undoubtedly the Marlborough region with over fifty wineries dotting the open areas around Blenheim and neighbouring towns. While sauvignon blanc vines dominate the region, riesling, pinot gris, chardonnay and pinot noir (among others) also contribute to the varieties produced in the region.

Wither Hills offer a tour of their fine winery. Initially with a glass of their austere dry sauvignon blanc in hand, our group wander one of their eleven vineyards, this one surprisingly within walking distance of the coast. Sipping wine surrounded by vineyards with a backdrop of rolling hills is one of life’s most relaxing experiences.

A table sits at the other end of a string of vines with a variety of other Wither Hills wines including identical wines from different years. The contrast that a year can make in taste, colour and style is notable – where most drink products look for consistency over the years, wineries seem to look for individual personalities and unique characteristics, the weather and other aspects having such a dramatic effect on flavour, colour, smell and volume in each crop year.

The white wines exhibit strong fruity aromas, some quickly identifiable, some too subtle for my amateur nose, as one of the knowledgeable winemakers guides us through the tasting. Wither Hills believes that exceptional wines are ‘created in the vineyard’ and are constantly enhancing their technique to seek further improvements. While some vineyards are already organic, the entire portfolio will be in the next couple of years.

One story is on the planting of complementary flowering plants to encourage beneficial insects in the vineyard to eat the bad bugs.

As in many wine districts, fine wine is accompanied by fine food. Wither Hills restaurant cater our group for dinner including a succulent lamb ribs with crusted herbs. A superb end to experiencing one of New Zealand’s finest products –Marlborough sauvignon blanc.

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