It started with slices of ginger in tea; now ginger beer is on the rise. That makes sense, says food trend watcher Esther Haanschoten. “We're looking for products with natural ingredients.” There's more and more choice.
Ellen den Hollander 16 April 2018, 17:00 Last update: 17:19 At first there was just good old Bundaberg. The (alcohol-free) ginger beer from Australia has been on sale in the Netherlands for years. Ginger ale, the American version, became popular during Prohibition in the 1930s. It seems the Netherlands is now ready to embrace the drink, because the range of ginger soft drinks is growing steadily.
Alcohol-free
Besides Bundaberg, Jumbo also sells Old Jamaica, and as well as those two brands, the range at Albert Heijn also includes the brands Belvoir and Grace. All alcohol-free. “We're seeing an increase in sales of products with ginger,” says an AH spokesperson, who could not give any sales figures. The hype started when we began making ginger tea, slices of ginger steeped in hot water, says food trend watcher Esther Haanschoten. Albert Heijn sees this at the till too. Over the past year, sales of ginger roots rose by 20 percent. “Ginger tea is good for your stomach and for your digestion. It also became trendy to have a ginger shot, a shot with a concentrated amount of ginger in it. The younger generation in particular is paying close attention to their health.”
This also translates into new drinks that offer an alternative to soft drinks packed with sugar. “Ginger beer is a more grown-up drink, with a more complex flavour,” says trend watcher Haanschoten. Besides the well-known brands, Gosling’s Gingerbeer, Fever Tree, Thomas Henry, Fentimans and East Imperial are also on sale in the Netherlands. Supermarket chain Marqt also stocks Cawston Press ginger beer, as well as a sparkling ginger-flavoured water drink from the Whole Earth brand.
Moscow Mule
According to Haanschoten, ginger beer blew over from London and New York, where the stuff is mainly used for the hit cocktail Moscow Mule. “You make it with ginger beer, vodka and mint. It's incredibly popular in the United States.”
Making your own ginger drink is perfectly doable. Just like Surinamese women do, Esther Haanschoten explains. “The ladies there happily spend half a day peeling ginger together. They put it in barrels with water and sugar. They leave it to steep for hours. After filtering, they pour it into bottles. The book Surimam Cooking explains exactly how to make the tastiest ginger drink. The stuff is so good that it will soon also be available at the popular beach pavilion Woodstock in Bloemendaal.”
