Spirits lovers looking to impress their friends with something new might want to consider offering them the latest out of Azerbaijan: whiskey. Although it may not yet be ready to challenge Scotland or Ireland, the Toyuz-Baltiya distillery from the Caspian nation has its sights on conquering the whiskey markets of Central Europe, India and Scandinavia with its locally made Azeri Whiskey brand. The whiskey would join Toyuz-Baltiya's lineup of spirits, currently headlined by fruit-based hooch made out of watermelon, quince and pomegranate. Full details here.
As noted previously on this blog, this is only the latest Azeri move on the global beverage stage.
Those denizens of Baku who feel like the city's dining scene has grown a bit tired might now have something to celebrate: the arrival of Chinar, a new restaurant/lounge serving high-end Asian fare that brings "the new international cool vibe to Baku," as one informant wrote to us.
The fancy spot certainly seems to tell the story of today's Baku. A former humble teahouse, the place has now been reborn as one where "local movers and shakers" can drink flaming cocktails made with caviar foam and watch an hourly display of an art installation that is supposed to mimic flowing gold. Indeed.
We learned these details from the blog of Fluid Movement, a London-based bar consulting company that is teaching Chinar's Azeri bartenders such important things as how to safely light the bar on fire (something that a bartender in New York was recently arrested for doing) and how to make a Baku Bellinin (secret ingredient? Mango foam, of course). See photos here.
No sooner did we report that Jala, a carbonated pomegranate drink and, in our opinion, a candidate for Azerbaijan’s new liquid gold, will be sold in stores in the UK, than competition reared its ugly head.
Well, sort of. This time, we bring you news of a beverage being imported into Azerbaijan. And not just any beverage: a carbonated relaxation soft drink that promises – no joke – to “slow your roll” with a mixture of melatonin, valerian root, and rose hips.
Azerbaijan will become the first international market for Drank, a product of the Innovative Beverage Group Holdings Inc., that now sells in the US and Canada. According to an announcement in the Houston Business Journal, the “anti-energy drink” will be available there already in the next few weeks.
Did we miss something important? Are Azeris in particular in need of relaxation?
UPDATE: Apparently, we aren't the first to take note of Drank, a fact you might discover if you search the website of The New Yorker under the key words "Drank," "Purple Drank," "Beverages," "Drinks," "Cough Medicine," "Taste Tests," or "Lil Wayne."
The soft drink, it seems, has its predecessor in a kind of sedative cocktail that combines cough syrup with 7UP, hails from Houston, TX, and has been immortalized by the rapper Lil Wayne in the song "Me and My Drank." The song, according to the magazine's Ben McGrath, includes the lines "One more ounce will make me feel so great / Wait, now I can’t feel my face.”
Those who believe oil and gas are Azerbaijan's only exports might have to start thinking again. Via the Morning Advertiser, which covers "the pub trade," news has arrived of the arrival in England of the a new Azeri export product: Jala Super Juice.
Jala Super Juice has become the first Azeri food and drink brand to be launched in the UK, as the country begins a major push to increase food and drink exports. The country, located between Western Asia and Eastern Europe, is best known for its oil and gas rich lands, but it also has a long history of cultivating pomegranates. Jala, which is made from pomegranate concentrate, comes in three pomegranate blended flavours: raspberry, orange and strawberry. “It’s great to be the first Azeri brand to break into the UK market. We are confident the Jala Super Juice range has the authenticity, provenance and quality needed to ensure success in the highly competitive sector,” said Bill Sedat, marketing manager for Azerbaijan Juices.
