New Romancers – Balis Ananas Minze
There is an ever growing market for high-quality lemonade. Sometimes you just want something refreshing and tasty without alcohol. Yet, on other occasions you crave a special mixer for your spirit of choice. In this case, the Balis Drinks are perfect for both. This is why I took a closer look on all three flavours they currently offer.
The first one I want to introduce to you is the Balis Ananas Minze (pinappple mint). They use pineapple and mint as the main flavours with the addition of coconut water. Interestingly enough, fruit sweetness is used as the sweetener. On top of that, the lemonade is vegan and gluten-free. When sipping the Ananas Mint lemonade, you of course taste pineapple as the main flavour. However, it comes in different forms, you get a hint of fresh pineapple, as well as pineapple juice. The mint is noticeable, but lingers on in the back. I even tasted some more exotic fruit notes reminiscent of mango.
Caramelized pineapple
For a drink with the pineapple lemonade, I went for the obvious choice of rum. Add also a little lime and you have a refreshing, easy summer highball. The ester notes of the Veritas Rum work very well with the pineapple juice. Finally, the bit of lime balances out the sweetness of the lemonade.
1,5 cl Lime Juice
Built – Tropical Double Old-Fashioned glass over ice cubes – top off with lemonade;
Song: James Vincent McMorrow – New Romancers;
The second flavour from Balis Drinks is inspired by the Cosmopolitan cocktail. So, they use cranberry juice, rosemary and a bit of lemon to flavour the lemonade. Although, you can taste a tart cranberry note, it does not overwhelm the drinking experience. Instead, you will find quite a lot of rosemary and herbal flavours in the Balis Cranberry Rosmarin.
Tart cranberries
Balis Drinks suggest pairing their Cosmo lemonade with vodka and I also saw the combination with Scotch on Instagram. Yet, I went in a different direction. So, for a relatively low-ABV drink I added sweet vermouth and cold black tea to the mix. The herbal notes of the vermouth pair beautifully with the berry notes from the lemonade. However, after a short while the black tea becomes noticeable and adds to the complexity of the drink.
3 cl Cold Black Tea
Built – Highball glass over ice cubes – top off with lemonade;
Song: Future Islands – City’s Face;
Last but not least, the third flavour of Balis Drinks is Basilikum Ingwer (basil ginger). I already made a highball with the Tesla Sljivo with it. The lemonade is flavoured with basil, ginger and some lime. From my first highball with it, I knew that you need strong flavours to balance out the basil in the lemonade. So, inspired by a recipe from Henrik Andersson, I combined Williams pear eau de vie, liquorice liqueur and a splash of lemon juice with the Balis Basil.
A lot of basil notes
As mentioned in my article on the Tesla Sljivo, the drink with the Balis lemonade has a powerful basil note. Even the other ingredients only play second fiddle in the drink. Yet, the pear eau de vie manages to shine through eventually. Furthermore, the Sal Miakki only is slightly noticeable, but this was the point all along. You can taste just a whiff of salt, which works wonders to balance out the highball.
1,5 cl Hoos Sal Miakki
1,5 cl Lemon Juice
Built – Highball glass over ice cubes – top off with lemonade;
Song: The War on Drugs – Strangest Thing;
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The lemonades were provided by Balis Drink.
