With the pandemic, the restaurants and cafes across the country have upped their food game by expanding the menus to make a place for immunity-boosting beverages. The need to stay relevant in the Covid-19 times has led many plush eateries to launch dedicated immunity-booster menus as well. These immunity boosters are delectable, healthy and hatke as grapefruit, ashwagandha, amla, avocado, chia seeds and various Indian spices are being experimented with to create these nutritional beverages.
India with its rich ingredient diversity, every household always had spices, ingredients with medicinal values. Considering how times changed and with a pandemic it took us all to realise that a menu should always comprise immunityboosting drinks. Post the unlock, restaurants, eateries and small joints had to make sure that what they serve to the customers should have elements which boost the immunity and people feel more comfortable and safe, opines Jayant Singh, managing partner at Treehouse Hotel, Club & Spa, Bhiwadi, Rajasthan. He adds that post the reopening of the hotels, they ensured immunity-boosting drinks are part of the menu. They serve immunity boosters welcome drinks such as Coconut & Banana Smoothie, Mango Tulsi Colada, Turmeric Milkshake, and Lemongrass Herb Tea.
All the drinks that we serve are not just fighting the viruses if any but at the same time help the guests get a sense of refresh from their travels.
Mixologist Raj Negi at Diablo explains how new ingredients have been added to help fight viruses and increase one’s immunity level. “We have been using ingredients including ginger, turmeric and more in our drinks. One such drink we have created is Ginger and Beetroot Kombucha. It’s a power-packed mocktail owing to ginger and fresh beetroot juice,” he says.
The pandemic has compelled the modern-day consumers to become more conscious about health and wellbeing. “During such perplexing times, the food industry in India has been innovating drinks menu to make way for immunityboosting and yet wholesome drinks by playing around with healthy immunityboosting ingredients: Curcumin, ginger, amla, chia seeds, jaggery and pepper,” says chef Ishijyot Surri, executive chef at SJI Hospitality and Foods Private Limited, Mumbai.
The chef further adds, “Cocktails and mocktails like carrot, ginger and turmeric-infused smoothies and lattes, watermelon ginger martini, white rum pina colada with haldi and turmeric-infused mango immunity boosters are the new stars our restaurants’ menu. The contemporary brews are gradually being supplanted with immunityenhancing beverages such as Kashayam, Kada, Kahwa, curcumin tea, and Lakshman phal soup, to name a few. The addition of these age-old locally-sourced ingredients to drinks and concoctions will help strengthen the immune system.”
The idea of a perfect blend of ingredients is the current need of an hour, opines Ankit Ghawana, spokesperson of Molecule Air Bar, Delhi. He elaborates, “Right eating and drinking habits have become pivotal to keep your immunity level in place. We have launched a few immunity drinks such as Cherish Fizz which is a concoction of grapefruit, rose and basil and Ginspiration which is a mix of gin, rosemary and orange.”
The “Dining at Home” menu at Tres has a magnified focus on nutritional value, immunity-boosting ingredients; up to 50% dishes are high on health quotient. Says chef Jatin Mallick, co-owner at Tres, Delhi, “We have added two immunity booster shots—Tres Limeade (lime juice, amla juice, mint leaves, basil leaves, orange juice and sugar) and Ginger Jaggery refresher (homemade ginger and gold jaggery syrup, raw turmeric, lemon and club soda). We have been getting an amazing response from customers who are ordering a mix of both immunityboosting dishes as well as our signatures.”
Mixologist Raj Negi of Plum by Bentchair also has created interesting, healthy drinks. Talk to him, and he would enthusiastically mention a cocktail with elderflower, lime, gin and tonic water.
Vikrant Batra, owner of Cafe Delhi Heights, says that responsible drinking is the only solution that keeps the spirits of your life high while having drinks which are a blend of healthy ingredients to boost your immunity levels. “Keeping up with the demand, we have launched a special Superfood 2020 menu that has immunity booster drinks as well. Some of the super drinks in our menu are Citrus Remix (pineapple, avocado, chia seed and cucumber), A Beet Beauty (apple, beetroot and ginger), Melon Celery & Pomegranate (freshly squeezed juice blend with green grapes),” he informs.
Talking about the effectiveness of their immunityboosting drinks, chef Vineet Manocha, vice-president culinary at Lite Bite Foods (LBF), says, “5 Spice Shake is the perfect immunity booster prepared from milk, bay leaf, black cardamoms, green cardamoms, cinnamon stick and chia seeds. Aswagandha or Indian Ginseng is one of the most popular herbs in Ayurveda renowned for its many benefits. The refreshing Aswagandha Tea is made from tulsi, cardamom powder, honey and this magical herb. In recent times, all we want to be is healthy and hearty and that’s why we have introduced Punjabi Kada made from cranberry juice, green cardamom, black cardamom, Star Anise, bay leaf, cinnamon sticks, clove, black pepper, ginger and tulsi. This drink will also help you in fighting seasonal infections.”
Undoubtedly, Covid-19 has underlined the need for immunity-boosting drinks, even in fine dining.