Hot Drinks in Cold London
Winter is here! The hot summer broke records and caused thermometers to bleed mercury, the American beverage of iced tea, traditionally loved by Southerners, found a new market in the hipster part of London, and there was enough iced coffee flowing to turn the River Thames into a murky cafe- coloured waterway. Ice cream was the snack of choice, and even the famous Roman brand of gelato Grom opened a buzzing location just off Piccadilly Circus.
So now it is winter, and we are back to normal with cold weather. With all these new beverages bursting into view, it seems monotonous to return to our now-normal pumpkin spiced lattes. No, the hot beverage drinking public needs to step away from the Starbucks and branch out into a warmer world of deli- ciousness. With the drop in tempera- ture, Starbucks addresses the autumn palate with their September launch of pumpkin spiced latte. They season our season with their basic drink offerings, including their winter hits of eggnog and gingerbread latte. So, these become our ‘go-to’ drinks as they are easy to order and always on tap. Habitually, we wait for the calendar to go around so we can order them again. Yet, we sometimes forget that there is more to life than lattes with misspelled names on the side of the cup.
Costa, Caffe Nero, even Greggs
Over the past few years, the other coffee- to-go locations have invested in flavoured syrup to coax us away from the green mermaid. Toffee nut, ginger cookie and spiced hazelnut have gained their loyal fans and offer station-dwelling commuters a chance to grab a caffeine/sugar fix with a seasonal flair. What we forget is that a shot of artificial flavouring in a latte that might be lacking in love and skill is not the only option out there.
Hot Chocolate
Has the versatility of this historic drink seen the final fold? No. The Mayans may have invented it 3,000 years ago, but every culture on Earth has tried to give their lit- tle twist to the classic beverage. From top- pings to spices, this one has variety. Cosy up to the Italian-style ‘cioccolata densa’ at Soho’s Said dal 1923 (41 Broadwick Street). It is so thick, it comes with a spoon.
Turmeric and Matcha
Both have one thing in common – bitter- ness on their own, but sweet when paired with other ingredients. Known as a golden latte or golden milk, turmeric and coffee are teaming up to provide a “healthy” op- tion to the morning beverage. Anti-inflam- matory and good for the immune system, it seems like the perfect winter warmer to keep germs at bay. You may be aware that Starbucks and Pret à Manger have been peddling their versions of this drink all year, but venture away from the main- stream to Hoxton’s Friends of Ours (61 Pitfield Street) for the truly vegan option made with oat milk, freshly squeezed gin- ger and turmeric.
Matcha has been the new tea drink as of late, and it is also seeing excellent success among hipsters and health nuts alike. About Time Magazine called matcha the “Meryl Streep of green tea”. (I wonder what Meryl would think of that!) Again, you are getting antioxidants, energy, some
8 FOCUS The Magazine November/December 2018
www.focus-info.org
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