From Laetitia Brock. Email her at laetitia[AT]borderstan.com. You can follow her at @FrenchTwistDC and on her own blog, French Twist DC.
The Whole Foods on P Street NW has a “Game of Thrones” beer on tap. (Laetitia Brock)
Okay, I’m probably a week late with this post, but better late than never right?
I was on the hunt for a bottle of the seasonal Cherry Blossom Capital Kombucha. I thought it would be a good topic for this column, and I thought I might be able to find a bottle at Whole Foods Market on P Street.
I didn’t. But I did find something else pretty exciting: “Game of Thrones” beer on tap at the store’s bar. So, drink a Lannister!
Upstate New York brewery Ommegang announced earlier this year that it was teaming up with HBO’s popular fantasy franchise to create a series “Game of Thrones” beers. The first one, a 6.5 percent ABV blonde called Iron Throne Blonde Ale came out just in time for the March 31st season’s premiere of the show.
You can grab a 16-oz pint tonight with some friends and drink while discussing last night’s episode. Or, you can purchase a growler and have friends over next Sunday to watch the latest episode.
The Whole Foods growlers come in two sizes: 32 oz and 64 oz. Each retail (empty) for $4.99 and then it’s an additional $12 for a small fill of “Game of Thrones” beer and $24 for the bigger one.Oh, and if you’re wondering about Capital Kombucha’s Cherry Blossom drink, I did end up finding it at Pleasant Pops.
While I enjoyed trying it out and absolutely love the beautifully label (designed by Torie Partridge of the appropriately named Cherry Blossom Creative, I must say I’m still not sold on kombucha, overall. So I might stick to the “Game of Thrones” beer for now.
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From Ashley Lusk. Check out her blog, Metropoetrylis. Find her on Twitter @arlusk or email her at ashley[AT]borderstan.com.
Coffee. Coffee. Wine. That’s pretty much the schedule of drinks in most of my days. But the guys at Capital Kombucha have given me a pretty good reason to add tea to that list.
Three members of the Capital Kombucha team, from left: co-founder Andreas Schneider, Dan Bae and John Lee. (Luis Gomez Photos)
Kombucha is a fermented tea drink that that was first created more than 2,000 years ago, according to Capital Kombucha co-founder Andreas Schneider. The drink’s ingredients include brewed tea, Kombucha culture, sugar and handmade flavors.
Schneider says most of the sugar is evaporated in the fermenting process, and that what’s left are the antioxidants associated with tea and a distinct probiotic quality (read: your intestinal tract will love you).
Schneider, along with his friends John Lee and Dan Lieberman, began to bottle Kombucha seriously in February of this year. The three met last fall as classmates in the George Washington University MBA program, which they will complete next year. Today, they bottle and prepare Kombucha locally from a commercial kitchen on Georgia Avenue, using ingredients from DC Central Kitchen’s Nutrition Lab to craft their hand-prepared flavors.
So what does Kombucha taste like? Imagine a tart fruit drink that is lighter than juice, but sweeter than water. A bottle of Capital Kombucha will set you back around $3.50, but the flavors are interesting enough to give it a try; they include Mango Chile, Basil Lemongrass, Mint Lime and Peach.
Today, you can buy bottles of their Kombucha in stores across DC, including Seasonal Pantry, Yola, Smucker Farms, Buddha B yoga, Bourbon Coffee and Sticky Fingers Bakery.
Schneider says their drinks pair well with smoothies and cocktails. He recommends testing out the two recipes below.
Capital Kombucha Bellini
Ingredients
- 1 Raspberry
- 2 Ounces chilled Peach Capital Kombucha
- 3 Ounces chilled prosecco or champagne
Preparation
- In a champagne flute, lightly muddle raspberries before adding kombucha.
- Slowly pour over prosecco or champagne, stir and serve.
Booch Berry Mojito
Ingredients
- 5 blueberries OR raspberries
- 4 mint leaves
- 2 oz. Mint Lime Capital Kombucha
- 2 oz. white rum
- ½ oz lime juice
- ½ oz simple syrup *
- ½ oz soda water
- Ice (crushed or cubed)
Preparation
- Add mint leaves, blueberries/raspberries, lime juice and simple syrup to a glass. Muddle ingredients firmly for 30 seconds (berries should be crushed).
- Add 2 oz. Mint Lime Capital Kombucha and 2 oz. white rum to the glass and mix with a spoon.
- Add ice and ½ oz of soda water.
- To really impress the guests garnish the glass by sliding one mint sprig or raw sugar cane into the glass.
* Simple syrup is equal parts sugar and water, then heated to dissolve. To make a simple syrup, bring 16 oz. of water to a boil, add 16 oz. of sugar, turn off heat, stir until dissolved. Allow syrup to cool before pouring.
